Life & Work with Chelsea Hayes

Today we’d like to introduce you to Chelsea Hayes.

Hi Chelsea, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself
@BeWell_WithChels started as a space to document my personal wellness journey on social media. I didn’t even think people would follow me! Haha! But I’ve always been super active as a former athlete and trained dancer and generally associated being “well” with being in a smaller and muscular body. But in 2016, I had a huge wake-up call. I was in graduate school and was traveling for a conference. On the way to the conference, I passed out on the plane which sparked a series of fainting spells, doctors’ visits, and medical testing over the course of three years. Needless to say, I was shocked that this was happening to ME.

Luckily, I had a team of medical professionals that truly supported me during this time. Their diagnosis… stress. I couldn’t believe that stress was having such a toll on my body and I vowed to do all that I could to make a shift. That’s when I dove headfirst into the wellness space. I read books about the dimensions of wellness, did the work to unlearn society’s standards of health and wellness, started therapy, set better boundaries at work, and got a personal trainer.

In sharing my story with friends and family, I realized that a lot of people, especially Black women, did not have many spaces to feel comfortable talking about their relationship with their bodies, their triggers around food, mental health, etc. So I birthed @BeWell_WithChels. I share resources from professionals across the health and wellness field, ideas for meals, my workout routines, and my struggles.

Social media is often a highlight of our lives and that’s not my vibe. It’s important for me to be honest about this journey because it is not linear but with community, it surely is a lot easier!

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Saying that there are some aspects of this journey that have been smoother than others is quite frankly an understatement! Haha! In learning more about wellness, I spent a lot of time evaluating the “Dimensions of Wellness”. They include emotional, spiritual, physical, intellectual, financial, environmental, occupational, and social. How could I be well when I was only paying attention to how my body looked and my calorie count? I was confident in how I looked but I was on the struggle bus in pretty much every other aspect of my taking care of myself.

I’ve always loved moving my body, finding new ways to exercise, and creating community. Those things come naturally to me. But I really struggled with thinking of wellness through the lens of all its dimensions. Things that were difficult – going to therapy and being honest during my sessions. Eating foods without guilt because food can both, nourish my body and bring me joy.

Realizing that perfectionism and productivity were going to be the bane of my existence. Setting firm boundaries (with friends, with family, at work, you name it). Learning to rest. My mom always says “stress will send you up out of here” and I believe that wholeheartedly! So really shifting my priorities to focus on being my best self no matter what is going on was definitely a struggle.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Actually! I just recently shifted careers 2 months ago (which is still scary)! I have a master’s degree in Higher Education Administration from NC State University (GO PACK!) and spent the last 4 years as a Student Affairs professional at a local university. I always said I was going to stay in college forever and for a while, that was the plan! Haha!

During this time I had the opportunity to lead an office that was responsible for student activities, New Student Orientation, leadership development opportunities and community service initiatives. I am always shy when it comes to talking about myself, but I have been recognized by both NC State College of Education and the National Association of Campus Activities for my work in Student Affairs.

College is such an important (and fun) time in someone’s life and I loved connecting with students and being a part of their journey. Beyond their academic and leadership responsibilities, I prioritized talking to them about their well-being (especially in Covid) and how to make decisions that will honor their needs. But I realized that it was time for me to do the same!

As much as I loved my role and my coworkers, I needed more flexibility, upward mobility and a new challenge. It was time for me to honor my needs and that’s exactly what I did! I currently serve as the Partnership Liaison and Recruiter for a small tech company based in Atlanta, GA. I spend a lot of my time helping individuals from marginalized backgrounds start their careers in tech. I love getting to focus on creating more equity in tech and I also love working from home! Haha!

To be honest, I’m super proud of making a career change. It’s very easy to feel “stuck” or only see yourself as good at one thing. But I made a promise to myself a long time ago that I would take risks and grow professionally. I often use affirmations and would constantly repeat “I deserve the life I want to live and what is for me won’t pass me.” So outside of all the cool things I had the opportunity to do in my career so far, I’m most proud of choosing me.

How do you define success?
This is always a tricky question! But I’ve shifted my outlook on success over the past two years. For me, success is living a life that allows me to be my authentic self, feel whole and experience joy. That may sound super cliche, but it’s true! As someone who struggles with perfectionism and overachieving (shoutout to all the Capricorns!), I don’t ever want my life to be defined by numbers, metrics and others’ standards.

I want to have time to embrace family and friends, the financial means to explore new places, joyfully move my body and the awareness to know when and how I may need to make adjustments to do all of the above. Life is genuinely so precious and way too short. So yeah, my idea of success has really changed!

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bewell_withchels/

Image Credits
@cloudtenphotography