Health Coaching as a Side Hustle for a PA and Mom

Today I’m featuring Michele Neskey. She is a PA, Mom and health coach. Thank you to Michele for sharing a bit of her story and how her side hustle has helped her with student loans.

Why Every PA Should Consider a Side Hustle

I am Michele Neskey, PA-C. I have been a PA for 13 years, 12 of those in medical oncology. I literally love my job, but it can be emotionally exhausting at times.  After I had my daughter a few years ago, I decided to take a step back and re-focus. I worked full-time for 9 years prior to having her, but suddenly everything was different.

Yes, I had a little mom-guilt but mostly I was BURNED OUT.  I wasn’t contributing to my household financially or emotionally. I felt as though I had lost my sense of self. I love being a PA, but I also know that I would not have been able to survive post-partum depression or managing difficult cancer patients without making a serious life change.

Exercise, nutrition and most importantly a group of other medical practitioners in my accountability group that I could lean on changed EVERYTHING for me. I thought about how I would have loved someone to turn to when I was Pre-PA, a student and now a practicing PA to guide me in the right direction.

Because of this I decided to start a “side hustle” as a health coach partnering with Team Beachbody.  I found a system of workouts and nutrition that changed the way I feel both mentally and physically, and I wanted to share that with others. I want to deliver hope, and solutions to those who spend a lot of time serving others but too often neglect their own health and wellness.

My ultimate dream? – Create a community for pre-PAs, PA students and practicing PAs to focus on being strong in body and mind, so we can be the BEST providers for our patients.

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To be honest, I never had any intention on starting a side hustle and refused so many when it was approached.  But when you find something you are passionate about that is a solution to a problem you can relate to, you want to share it!

I have always had a love for health and fitness. I also have a passion for helping others both as a PA and now as a coach. In both arenas I am able to deliver hope to those who feel stuck or lost when it comes to their health, stressed out as pre-PAs or students, or facing burnout as a practicing PAs. This has been a great compliment to my work as a PA.

I must admit, I still have one student loan and having this business is helping me pay off the last bit of it quicker than I had imagined.  I work part-time as a PA, so the extra income has been beneficial in many ways. I am able to purchase “extras” that I normally would not and contribute more to my household financially. It gives me a sense of independence that I felt I lost after having a child and has given me a community of like-minded people to connect with every day.

Yes, people frown upon network marketing, but I see it as an opportunity; one that has changed me physically, mentally and financially.  I want nothing more than to pay it forward and create a PA community focused on taking care of ourselves FIRST so we can take better care of our families and our patients.

Ever thought about health coaching on the side? Please comment below the original post, sign up to receive future posts by email and share with your friends!

Michele Neskey is a Physician Assistant, Mom and health coach with a vision to motivate, educate and inspire women in medicine to live healthy before, during and after training.

For more about Michele visit http://micheleneskey.com/