DreamChaser | Alethea Felton

Jan 4

Jan 4 DreamChaser | Alethea Felton

Haley Ware

General Information

Name: Ms. Alethea Felton

Pronouns: she/her/hers

Age: 41

Job Title/Company:

Certified Holistic Health & Empowerment Coach
Host of The Power Transformation Podcast

Education Background (if any):

Bachelor of Arts in English (Professional Writing Emphasis) from Old Dominion University (Norfolk, VA)
Master of Education in Educational Leadership PreK-12 from Regent University (Virginia Beach, VA)
National Board Certification in Early Adolescence/English Language Arts
Certificate in Holistic Health from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition
Certificate in Life Coaching from the American Life Coach Academy

In-depth Questions

1. Tell us a little about who you are.

I am a woman who is intentional about living abundantly and helping others do the same. Oh, and I absolutely love my cat Buddy and mermaids!

2. What sparked your interest in starting your business(es)?

Since birth I’ve lived with autoimmune illness and in my late twenties I had some serious flare ups which lasted several years, and I was on the verge of death. However, I chose to transform my pain into purpose by transforming my emotional and mental health. Such changes began a path to using holistic health practices beyond just healthy eating, and I wanted to teach others how to do the same. I am thriving now and both my naturopathic doctor and my western medicine doctors are thrilled. I am so thankful!

3. If applicable, tell us about your full-time job and/or any side hustles you might have.

I’ve been a public school educator for twenty years. I’ve taught all levels of education from kindergarten through adult education including as an English teacher, Spanish teacher, Instructional Coach, department chairperson, and team leader..

In my current position, I work in Human Resources for the largest school district in Maryland where I travel to multiple schools to observe, coach, and mentor new teachers as well as a few experienced teachers who are having some challenges in their instruction. I provide ongoing feedback, I write both informal and formal observation reports, and I share updates regularly with a panel who determines teachers’ employment status. Sidenote: When I started my career I said I would give myself five years as a teacher and then decide what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. Well, five years turned into ten, and then ten turned into TWENTY! Go figure! I’ve loved my career.

Moreover, I’ve had various side hustles over the years including catering, being a marketing representative for a wellness company, and tutoring students in Spanish. However, my focus now is building my brand in terms of holistic health and empowerment coaching and creating content for my podcast.

4. Who are you most influenced by?

My parents influence me the most. They’ve been married 45 years, and they are the best parents anyone could ask for, as they’ve instilled confidence in me and the belief that I cannot allow challenges to defeat me. Yes, life can be hard and it is okay for me to feel all of the emotions that come with it, but having joy is a choice no matter how much hell I may face. They have taught me to walk through the tough times and to wait and see how things turn out for good when I don’t give up.

““Life happens and there is nothing I can do about it except adjust when the time calls for it. ””

— Alethea Felton

5. What was your first job and how long did you hold that position?

My first job was as a grocery store cashier when I was 16, and I did that for a summer before my senior year of high school because my mom said school came first. Having that position gave me respect for cashiers, because some customers can be rude and impatient. Self-checkouts are becoming the norm, but I still prefer to stand in line and wait for a cashier to check me out even if I have one item. I like to ask them how their day is going, and I try to be a light to them since so many of them are stressed and exhausted near the end of their shift.

6. Can you share one of your proudest achievements with us?

One of my proudest achievements was launching my podcast December 7th, 2022. It was a vision I had for a long time, and what made the launch more special is that it would have been my godmother’s 80th birthday. My godmom died March 2021 due to long Covid complications yet she lived with cerebral palsy her entire life and overcame much adversity. She taught me how to never use limitations as a crutch to not accomplish what I desire to have in life. Thus, launching the podcast took time yet I did it, and I’m remaining consistent with it through the support of my business coach, John Neral. By the way, I dedicate Episode 5 to my godmother, and that podcast episode is called “Resiliency Lessons”.

7. What were your initial goals with your work? How have they evolved?

My initial goal as a holistic health coach was to simply coach clients on how to eat healthier. However, over the last 5 or 6 years I’ve evolved more by using social media to get my message across about identifying life’s pain points and conquering self-sabotaging thoughts to achieving wellness goals, I’ve created the podcast, and my focus has shifted to using holistic health as empowerment as opposed to only changing how you eat.

8. What do you think is the most important life skill you learned through your work?

Flexibility. Life happens and there is nothing I can do about it except adjust when the time calls for it.

9. Where do you hope to be in five years?

In five years I will be a successful speaker, published author (with out of this world book sales), coach, and overall fiscally responsible and thriving entrepreneur whose message of holistic health and empowerment has reached the masses via multiple streams, networks, and venues and a woman whose message continues to transform lives for the better.

I also hope to be married to a supportive, loving, faithful husband who stands with me and I with him as we are led by God to do what we are supposed to do for our marriage, our family, and our respective and collective purposes. I also hope for more but will not share publicly.

One of my late grandmothers used to say, “Don’t tell it all” which means that some things should be kept private. In that way, their manifestation, or the time they come to fruition, will bring greater excitement. I am open to the happy surprises in store!

10. What is a typical day like for you?

I don’t have a typical day. Each day differs depending on what I have to do. However, I try to wake up no later than 6:00 a.m. during the work week, and I am in bed by midnight. On weekends I wake up about 7:00 a.m. Sometimes I can work 12 to 14 hours for my full-time job depending on the time of the school year and the writing deadlines that have to be met. Nevertheless, even during the work week I make time to work at least two hours daily on business goals.

I still make time to get in a workout, spend quality time with loved ones, and sleep. Yes, I have a social life, but most of my social activities are done on the weekends. Moreover, I spend a big chunk of my weekend podcasting, writing, vision casting, and executing business goals.

11. What was the biggest obstacle you’ve faced so far in the process of pursuing your goals?

The biggest obstacle I’ve faced so far in the process of pursuing my goals has been getting in my own way. In other words, there was a point where the fear of success paralyzed me. My dreams are so huge that they can sometimes overwhelm me, and I used to talk myself out of doing the necessary work to make things happen.

Sure, I prayed and hoped, but God is not a genie in a bottle who grants wishes. I learned that I had to put in the hard and smart work to bring forth the change I wanted to be and see, and I needed to do that despite my fears.

““Life is like the ocean with high tides and low tides. Some waves have knocked me down, while others have simply tickled my feet.””

— Alethea Felton

12. What is the best piece of advice you have received?

The best piece of advice I’ve received is “Be your authentic self.”

13. When do you get your best ideas?

Ooh! I love this question! I get my best ideas when I am outside. Nature speaks to me, and I hear God’s voice so clearly as well as the vibrations of my creativity when I am outside regardless of the time, setting, climate, or temperature. I do a lot of walking and running on nature trails, but I also grew up by the ocean, so I have always been one with nature.

14. Can you share with us one time that you failed and what you learned from that failure?

I failed once when trying to achieve National Board Certification in teaching. Earning such an honor was the hardest academic challenge I’ve had due to it being tedious in the way I had to write my submissions. I was more along the lines of a creative writer at the time, so I was too descriptive and subjective with my writing as opposed to being concise, analytical, and objective. However, when I submitted the second time I achieved and earned it.

The lesson I learned from that failure is that I can always learn how to do something more effectively and there is always room for improvement.

15. How do you unwind?

I like watching something randomly on YouTube or on my Firestick. I don’t watch a lot of tv, as I am a nonfiction Audible reader and podcast listener, so binge watching something occasionally is a treat for me. I also love to cook and CAN cook like a Southern old school granny, so despite my healthy lifestyle, I still enjoy comfort food in moderation. In fact, I’ve learned to make many southern comforts healthier. However, as I am writing this it is around Christmas, so a sista has been indulging in some good eats although I am still keeping up my workouts and will definitely detox. Hahaha!

16. What did you want to be as a kid?

When I was a kid I wanted to be one of the following (in order of interest):

a sex therapist (I loved listening to Dr. Ruth so she was my inspiration);
an actress (I was theater trained as a child and performed in multiple plays as well as a short film even in adulthood);
or an astronaut (I’d still travel to outerspace if I could, but I’m not paying millions of dollars to do so though).

17. Can you share a sacrifice you have made to pursue your dream?

Hmm. This is REALLY good. Okay, so, when thinking about this I would have to say that I’ve made the following sacrifice: I have sacrificed caring about the judgments from others.

What I mean by this is that the pandemic particularly took me to another level in my own growth. When I turned 40 in 2021, it’s as if a lightswitch inside of me turned on. I released the concern of caring about what others thought about me or those who agreed with me.

Before, I used to be a bit more concerned about perceptions from others but time is wasted doing that. I’ve always done my best to live with integrity, so I figure if what I am saying is not diminishing or degrading another, then I am doing just fine.

Holistic health gets to the root of matters, and the digging process of getting to those roots inevitably brings discomfort. So, there will be times on my podcast or in other arenas that a topic may ruffle some people’s feathers, but that is their problem, not mine.

I have had to sacrifice keeping up appearances for the sake of making others comfortable. I am called to help people shift and evolve positively, and in doing that I cannot worry about those who do not like my message. Their issues are theirs to work out - not mine.

18. What would you tell someone else who is interested in entering your field?

I would tell someone who is interested in health coaching or life coaching to first invest in therapy to not only heal from trauma but to also get a greater understanding of themselves. Then, look into an accredited and reputable program to get further studies towards certification. You do not need to be certified to be a health coach or life coach, but certification increases your legitimacy, reputability, and knowledge base in the field.

I would also encourage the person to talk to others who are already in this field if they have questions or desire a mentor. My holistic health coach (James Tate) is the one who helped inspire me to enter this field, and I received my certification through the school from where he got his.

Lastly, I would tell someone interested in entering my field to know their “why”. It is one thing to want to do something, but the path is much smoother when there is a driving reason behind pursuing it.

19. What do you hope people take away from your story?

In the past I had my share of sickness, grief from deaths of close loved ones, romantic heartbreak, financial issues, work stress, family drama, friendships that have ended abruptly, and more. While I’ve experienced the hard times of life, I’ve had good health, new and strengthened friendships, healed from heartbreak, shared good times and bonds with family, have a career I love, developed financial fitness and stability, and more.

You see what happened? Things turned around. Life is like the ocean with high tides and low tides. Some waves have knocked me down while others have simply tickled my feet.

I hope that people take away from my story the ability to not only get back up when life has knocked them down but to stand firmly and move forward assuredly no matter what. I hope people realize that they have the power within themselves to be the change they wish to see if they took the chance to not only believe but to do the consistent work to create that change.

I hope that my story gives someone continued hope for their own story.