Women Who Inspire – Marcela Owen
I’m thrilled to provide our Christian Women Living Magazine audience with a more in-depth look into the life of Marcela Owen, a contributor who has made a positive impact on the development of the magazine. I met Marcela about a year ago, when we were in the process of forming this magazine. Marcela’s positive attitude, consistency and discipline in her work and bright, beautiful smile were the first things that drew me to her. Since then, we have formed a good working relationship and a friendship. I’m excited that you have the opportunity to get to know more about this CWL author today in this week’s Women Who Inspires.
Stephanie Kelley: Will you please introduce yourself to our readers and give us a little background information about you and your business/ministry?
Marcela Owen: I’m Marcela Owen and as a Christian Health and Life Coach I work with women who are experiencing burnout at home or at work, who have low energy, and I help them recalibrate their lives, increase energy and optimize their health so they can give to others from a filled heart and fulfill God’s calling. I understand burnout and low energy very well, after 27 years in Corporate America, I realized how important it is to make health and wellness a priority. That is when the Lord put on my heart to coach Christian women. My business is really a businesstry, because I can’t image doing business without God in the mix and inviting the Holy Spirit to be part of every single coaching session.
SK: Please give us the testimony of your journey with Christ.
MO: My Christian journey started when I was discipled by a Spiritual Mentor about 10 years ago. Her name is Sally. When I met her she told me that someone discipled her and it changed her, and also that it impacted her walk with the Lord. She asked me if I was interested in having a more personal walk with the Lord. Sally asked me to pray about it and then I decided that it was a good thing for me to do. The Holy Spirit works in a special and precise way because that was exactly what I needed!
As a result of my time with Sally’s discipleship I came to understand what it means to live a Christian life. And that it is about having a relationship with the Lord and building it every single day. Just like anything else I do in life, in any aspect of my life, I need to be connected and involved. When I started Sally’s discipleship, I had a Bible that my husband gave me, that was almost in a different language. I almost dreaded reading it because, frankly, I didn’t understand it. After a few weeks meeting with Sally, she suggested that I get a “Life Application” Bible. And I did. Wow! What a difference it made in my spiritual life and walk with the Lord! Since then, I look forward to reading it and I literally crave my time with the Lord, studying, learning and understanding the Word and most importantly putting it into practice. Spiritually, who I was then and who I am now is completely different. I am much closer to the Lord. And my journey continues!
It’s clear to me now that my Christian life is based on having a relationship with the Lord and nourishing my heart and soul with the Word every single day. I also know now that Jesus wants me to disciple too. To talk about my life experience and how living a Christian life transformed my life. And really show others what Sally showed me. The Lord has completely changed my life because I chose to build a relationship with Him.
SK: What prompted you to start/open Marcela Owen Health and Prosperity Coach?
MO: I always had a passion for health and wellness and also a passion to connect with Christian women. One day I asked myself what I liked most about my corporate job and I discovered that I loved coaching and mentoring others. Then I thought about my passion about health and wellness and connected the two. At that point I worked on my coaching certifications, and two years later I exited my corporate job!
SK: What is the best piece of advice that you could give someone who is struggling with maintaining a healthy lifestyle?
MO: The best piece of advice is to connect with the Lord daily and consistently. Why? Because we cannot do anything alone. We need to be in partnership with the Lord and understand His truths. The Lord wants us to treat our bodies like His Temple and take good care of our health. He wants us to honor Him with our bodies. I would suggest asking the Lord what His purpose for you is and ask Him how He can use you for His glory. And then make a commitment to completely surrender to God. Of course, you will also want to look at stress levels, hydration, sleep and eating habits.
SK: What is the best piece of advice that you could give someone who is struggling financially?
MO: Again, connecting with the Lord first, because He promised us to never leave us or abandon us. He will provide for you, you just need to believe it. And then, seek assistance from a financial coach or advisor that can help you look at all your finances and create a plan based on your specific needs.
SK: What connection do you see between healthy bodies, an active and positive spiritual life and financial stability?
MO: What a great question! I think every area of our lives are related. However, the most important piece of the puzzle is our spiritual life, our connection with Jesus, and our choice to believe His promises. Secondly, I consider our health next in importance because without our health and energy we can’t fulfill God’s calling and show up in our relationships, career, financially, socially, etc.
SK: When a client begins to implement some of your healthy lifestyle or financial stability strategies into their life, how soon can they expect to see a result?
MO: Well, it really depends on the person, their mindset, their willingness to show up 100% and do the work! I have worked with many women who are coachable and want results, so they do the work. My job is to uncover their “why” the reason why they want to make a change in their lives, does a woman want more energy to be there for her kids and grandchildren, for more quality time with her husbands. Does she want to lose a few pounds to fit in her stylish clothes more confidently? Does she want her finances in order to retire early, or to buy a new home, or retire a parent, etc. I am confident that if someone is willing to make changes and is coachable, their life can shift in 90 days, sometimes even sooner.
SK: What are some of the positive things that came out of the pandemic in your life and business and in the lives of your clients?
MO: I believe that any event can be viewed in the light or in darkness. Three positive things that came out of the pandemic personally,
I would say 1. more quality time with my husband, time to connect, go on walks and have more meals together 2. More time with the Lord, I made a commitment to spend time with the Lord in the morning and at night, where before it was only at night. 3. The opportunity to look at what I’m grateful for and appreciate all the blessings I DO have.
In business, 1. The opportunity to embrace Zoom and all the tools that are available to operate a business remotely. 2. Having more time to connect with people online, all over the world. 3. Evolve with changing times, pivot in approach, audience and methods to grow my business. In the lives of my clients, 1. I feel like I have more availability since my time on the road is now minimal. 2. Having the opportunity to delve deeper into the needs of my clients and be open to change as my client’s needs change. 3. I see the level of connection and rapport deepening because we are all in need of more interaction.
SK: Did you make any New Year’s resolutions?
MO: Yes! 1. To read for leisure at least half an hour a day 2. Commit to moving my body daily and scheduling it on my calendar just like I would an appointment 3. Expand my reach with my messaging to women that want my services.
SK: How can our readers get in touch with you?
MO: Readers can get in touch with me via my SM handle: @marcelaowencoach or my website: www.healthandprosperitycoach.com Thank you!
Thank you, Marcela, for taking the time to share your story with us. I encourage our readers to check-out Marcela’s booth at the Virtual Christian Business Expo happening starting February 6, 2021 right here at Christian Women Living Magazine.
