Stridist Stories: Sheridan Hockley

Hello! Who are you and what do you do?

HI! I’m Sheri Hockley and I’m an online Nutrition Coach. My niche is pretty simple – I just want to help people who have no idea where to start eat better and feel amazing. I’m out here just getting people to nail the basics, over and over and over.

What’s your backstory and how did you end up in your current position?

My first career is actually in Diagnostic Imaging. I spent 10 years in Emergency Radiology- In Australia and in the Uk for the NHS, my role was always in Trauma Ct and Xray. I loved my job, I loved helping people and diagnosing and getting right into the nitty gritty of the body and what happens when things wrong. But like most healthcare workers, it was years and years of shift work. 80, 90, 100 hour weeks, night shifts, on call evenings followed by day shifts. My health was terrible. Constant fatigue, IBS, poor food relationship, terrible training and recovery. I was always a casual Crossfitter (I know, I know) and competed in fun, local events, but back then, I had no idea how to eat or recover. I did SO much self- study, then decided to formally re-study just for fun, still working full time in A and E. I started a little instagram on the side, then Covid hit. Lockdowns. Hospital life at peak pandemic was soul crushing .I knew I didn’t want to work in the bowels of the hospital forever, and then I actually lost my job while we stripped back to skeleton staff – It was the push I needed to go full time with my side hustle and make it my main hustle!

What were your first few months like in the fitness industry?

Terrifying! I had spent a decade in healthcare, I had no idea how to run a business, how to create content, how to do anything related to having a company. I look back at my first instagram posts or content and cringe. But we all have to just start somewhere, right? It was a slow build. I started with the safety blanket of my first career, using my Nutrition qualification almost just as an interest, making zero dollars, doing it for fun. When I lost my job, and couldn’t pay my rent when Covid kicked off, I knew I had to knuckle down and get to work.

What has the journey been getting from those first few months to where you are today?

So. Much. Googling. God I googled everthing. I read every blog, I listened to every podcast, silently lurked every business Instagram page. I didn’t have any colleagues or anyone I knew in the space, so I self taught myself everything. There’s no big story, just long and slow work and growth. I launched my first group program, Strive, and I remember thinking “Oh my god, what if no one joins?!” — My sister and now husband tell me now that they had decided together that if no one signed up, they would under fake names and do the whole thing so I didn’t feel defeated! I got 50 clients that first program, and have just chipped away from there. Slowly growing, while my confidence grew and my company grew. I was able to quit my hospital job in 2021 and grown a successful coaching business. A lot of self doubt, a lot of imposter syndrome, a lot of work and mistakes, but also learning to set boundaries, be confident and have so many amazing clients. I’m truly in a place where my job is so rewarding. It brings me joy, freedom and financial stability and that’s all I could really want.

What’s been the hardest moment/biggest challenge of your career so far?

My nutrition career is relatively young, but I think the hardest times, at least on a practical level, were when my business was growing, but I still couldn’t afford to quit my job. After the peak of covid I’d gone back to work because I had to, I was working in such a high stress environment, working full time shift work, and running Strive when I wasn’t at work. It was mentally and physically so exhausting exhausting. I think people think you start a business and that’s that, but there is a really hard transition period for many people leaving one career for another. Taking the risk and backing myself was hard, but necessary to grow. It’s that catch 22 where you’re not making enough money to go full time, but you need to go full time to really grow. On a personal level – learning to not care what people think of me- people are always going to have an opinion, may as well do it anyway.

What’s been your biggest win / proudest moment?

I think like most coaches, having someone say to you “you have literally changed my life” is pretty much the best thing ever. The first time I sold out my program in 15 minutes was also very cool! My sister sent me a cake in the mail ????

How and what are you doing today and what does the future look like?

I’m very lucky that my Scottish husband also works online, and we’ve been able to pack up our home in Australia and travel the UK/Europe for a year. I’m currently running my flagship Nutrition program while taking a good amount of downtime to be with family at this time and I’ve worked hard to build a business that allows me to do that. For the future? Grow the company, grow Strive, help as many people as I can!

What does a day in the life of you look like?

It depends if It’s a client day or not, but It starts with coffee! If it’s a client call day, I’m up super early as most of my clients are in Australian time. I don’t get much else in but I always get in a walk outside. If it’s not a client day, It’s a more chilled morning: Coffee, then I’ll check emails and socials, before heading to the gym or for a long morning walk. Being abroad, we are doing more travel/exploring than ‘normal’ life, so maybe we are away! Maybe content or emails, checking in with clients, but my husband and I always finish with dinner together.

Advice for people who are considering or have just started in the industry?

Just start. Nothing will be perfect or ‘right’, your graphics might be a bit shit, your content might be a bit shit, but just keep turning up. No one starts out killing it. And be yourself. I tried to emulate others early on but no one wants that, they want you to just be you and keep turning up. They want to relate to people, they don’t want polished and perfect. It’s going to take a lot of time and you will want to give up, but keep going. You are more capable than you think, and someone will listen to what you say, someone will resonate with what you teach. Find your values and hold them close. You can’t just be in this to make more money. A colleague gave me some amazing advice: “The people you think are judging you in the industry, other coaches, they are never going to buy from you. They will never be your clients, so just serve the people who support you”

What have been the key moments in your career so far what was the impact of those moments?

Definitely leaving my career to head into online coaching full time. I was giving up job security, a great income, a job I loved and was proud of. But I knew I wanted more, there was always a ceiling and I wanted to break through it as well as wanting more freedom and the space for financial growth. Another key moment was accepting I needed help to grow, and bringing on an assistant coach. When you have grown something from the bottom up and done every single thing yourself, it’s hard to bring someone else into the fold, but it’s the best thing I have done!

Where can people find you?

Instagram

www.sherihealth.com