“I am a great believer that we all have mental health issues but no one needs fixing - we just need to sometimes take a look at our life experiences.”  

These are the words of wellbeing coach Suzi Gibbs-Chalmers, from Brampton, who is supporting The Hunts Post's We Need To Talk focus on mental health. 
Suzi, who runs Topaz Health Training, is set to launch a new coaching room in Huntingdon once restrictions ease. 

She has more than 20 years’ experience in health and fitness; having worked alongside Huntingdonshire District Council and the NHS. 

“I really got interested in how emotions and feelings lead behaviours and have an impact on mental health,” she explained. 
“You can have had a fantastic upbringing but inherited a value that could be holding you back from moving forwards in life. 

“I am a great believer that we all have mental health issues but no one needs fixing; we just need to sometimes take a look at our life experiences.” 

Suzi, who has tutored for leading fitness industry trainers, offers tailored sessions to her clients who may be struggling with their mental health. 

Her calming approach lets people explore the best ways to cope if they are finding certain situations difficult, but also the importance of improving their physical health too. 
“There is so much research on how physical symptoms we experience can be caused by mental health,” Suzi said. 

“For example, if we’re experiencing a lack of sleep then the body cannot heal or recover the way it should. 

“If you sit in silence and breathe deeply it’s amazing how that can be really calming, so then when you have a challenge to face that can really improve how you handle it. 

“I think that people are aware that they need to get regular exercise and take time to rest but they just find it difficult to actually do certain things as something may be holding them back. 

“They know that they need to change but they are just struggling with it.” 

Topaz Health provides a safe space to help people overcome challenges and limiting beliefs to achieve their full potential. 

Suzi also volunteers for the CALM Town initiatives in St Ives helping to reduce depression and loneliness within the community. 

While Suzi hasn’t been able to officially open the Topaz Health office in Huntingdon yet, she has still been able to support people struggling in lockdown and even set up a help group for women during menopause. 

Suzi has continued has also continued to provide her clinical case work for the NHS and pick up shifts for the ambulance service. 
“Everyone is managing the best that they can right now,” she said. 
“But it can be hard when you have no control over the situation. All age groups have been impacted in different ways.

Artile by Clare Butler - The Hunts Post
Published: 9:00 AM February 16, 2021  

As a senior health and fitness practitioner, Suzi realised early on in her career the need to balance physical, emotional and mental health when working with customers and patients experiencing illness and depression. She became interested in personal coaching after the sudden death of her father and found a natural transition from physical coaching to embedding coaching throughout her training and coaching of others.

She delivers a worldwide community group to aspiring coaches and is on the board of volunteers for the CALM Town initiative in St Ives helping to prevent depression, loneliness and suicide.

Suzi says,

This is when I started my coaching journey... learning, developing and qualifying to be able to support other people who are experiencing difficult times, thoughts, feelings and emotions.

Overcoming Fear
I remember nearly walking away from one of the best training jobs I have ever had because of feelings of not being good enough.  Thankfully, a good friend talked some sense into me, and I attended the day long interview with 16 other applicants, and guess what I got the job.  I was defiantly out of my comfort zone, there was strong competition, and I was extremely nervous during that day. Life might have been vastly different if I had walked away from this opportunity because of the fear of not being good enough.

Inspired by Others
I have been inspired by those that have overcome physical and mental challenges.  Working as a tutor on the Aspire InstructAbility project training disabled people to become Fitness instructors was one of the most rewarding roles I have enjoyed.  The newly trained fitness instructor specialises in working with other disabled exercisers and other gym users. Watching a military triple amputee set up a concept rower with the help of prosthetics limbs and teach another student how to row was a humbling experience. I realised that day the old saying “there’s no such word as can’t” was true! It is only our belief of what we can and cannot do that either pushes us forwards or holds us back.

Conquering our Self-doubts
To follow the career of Rick Long, now a L3 Fitness Instructor and a World Disabled Strongman after losing his leg and the death of his TT racing partner in a terrible accident inspires me to keep working towards my own goals. To overcome sadness and loss we must focus on how to move forward with love for ourselves and others, helping others can really open our eyes to what we have to be thankful and grateful for.

Listening
Working with people and supporting friends with anxiety and depression, has taught me to listen and really understand, to be there to support and provide guidance, not advice.  I believe we all have the resources inside ourselves to make the changes we need to live a happier fulfilling life.  Just sometimes we need to listen so others can verbalise their thoughts and feelings to find their own solutions to the challenges they are experiencing.

Coaching is Empowerment
Coaching is not about needing to be fixed or saved or helped…. it is about becoming aware of yourself, how sometimes we can get in our own way, preventing us from achieving what we really want.  Everyone needs a coach in their corner from time to time; taking responsibility and learning to let go of what we cannot control develops empowerment and self-belief.

Do you repeat the same habits, patterns and end up in the same situations repeatedly? Do you have a dream for your life?  Are you scared to try? If there was one thing you could change about your life what would it be?

Training as an NLP Master Practitioner, Hypnotherapist and Time-Line Coach helped me to become a better friend, wife, mother, colleague, and human being!  It has provided me with clear direction, focus, success, happiness, and fulfilment. I am grateful for each day I can share my passion, knowledge, and skills with others.

Get out of your comfort zone and start saying YES to change, Yes to your dreams, YES to happiness and YES to greater fulfilment in your life.