We were lucky to catch up with Meichle Latham recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Meichle, so great to have you on the platform. There’s so much we want to ask you, but let’s start with the topic of self-care. Do you do anything for self-care and if so, do you think it’s had a meaningful impact on your effectiveness?
I value an early morning routine- it’s established “Me 1st” time to prep for my day, create a tone of productivity and accomplishment before the sun rises, and cultivate an abundance mindset that benefits me and all of those I encounter in my day.
I am up at 3 or 4 am, outlining the best use of my time for the day, prepping my healthy meals, setting out my day’s tasks, preparing essential accessories, and tackling some low effort tasks (laundry, drafting and scheduling emails, brainstorming my social media posts, etc.)
M-F, I am at my 5:30 am strength class, pushing myself beyond “what I am capable of”, and nurturing both a “PR” mantra and an abundance mindset. It energizes me for my day ahead.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
Greetings! I am Meichle, a mission-driven, people-focused Wellness Strategist, with deep passion for and mission to educate, guide and support individuals, groups, and small organizations/companies with tools to optimize their wellness.
My unique forte as a former C-level executive in the nonprofit sector, decades of leadership coaching and mentoring mid-level and senior-level leaders, thirty years as a licensed clinical social worker professional, and my continued investment in health and wellness has positioned me well to offer Professional/Career Coaching, Wellness Coaching, Workplace Wellness Consulting, Non-Profit Consulting and Mental Health Counseling across New York State, into Arizona, throughout the United States, and internationally.
I treasure one of my favorite wellness offerings- “Pedi-Purpose” (Coaching while Walking (https://meichlelatham.com/pedi-purpose/), the revolutionary model of coaching I developed that combines movement, nature, and guided connection.
Designed for those seeking Wellness and/or Career & Professional Coaching, my signature walk-based coaching paradigm — “Pedi-Purpose Coaching” — leverages scientific principles and taps into the integrated benefits of the mind, body, and emotions. It creates space for strategic stress recovery, fosters mindfulness and creativity, and promotes clarity, co-created innovation, and solution-building for lasting, impactful results.
Pedi-Purpose Coaching — walking side-by-side — softens the hierarchy in the coaching relationship. It cultivates connection, fosters a collaborative coaching alliance, promotes reflection, and helps clients experience a greater sense of interconnectedness between the mind, body, and natural world.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
In Fall 2023 I pivoted from a nearly 30-year career in nonprofit service and launched my business at meichlelatham.com
As I reflect back on the last two years, as well as my current business development initiatives, I appreciate how essential a strong combination of personal attributes, skills/competencies, and relationship management are for establishing and growing a business.
My recipe for my success has included:
* Infusing bold and courageous thinking and action- Living bravely! When we act successful, we’re experienced as successful, we believe we’re successful, and we manifest our success.
* 30 years of meaningful and effective experience is priceless. Leveraging my well-developed skills and abilities has afforded me the confidence to embark upon unchartered territory as an entrepreneur.
* Nurturing and stewarding network relationships and partners has been instrumental from business planning and design, to business launch and marketing, to business refinement, growth and expansion.
My advice for anyone exploring a launch of their passion:
1. Maintain your integrity- be true to your values and priorities.
2. Avoid intimidation and DO NOT compare yourself to others or their way of doing things.
3. Don’t compromise or short-change your value- trust in the value of yourself and what you have to offer!
Awesome, really appreciate you opening up with us today and before we close maybe you can share a book recommendation with us. Has there been a book that’s been impactful in your growth and development?
I highly recommend two books for those wanting to reclaim their time and energy.
In February 2018, I read a book,
Make Time: How to Focus on What Matters Every Day by Jake Knapp & John Zeratsky, that fueled my investment in personal and professional wellness. I highly recommend this easy, thought-provoking read with digestible realistic action steps to systematically design your days, choose what you want to focus on, build the energy to do it, and break the default cycle so that you can be more intentional about the way you live your life.
The framework that Knapp and Zeratsky present is a simple four-step (Highlight, Laser, Energize, and Reflect) daily framework that includes tips, effective tools, and strategies for creating sustainable rhythms and habits.
This book was the trajectory to a transformed me! I recognized (just as my Executive Coach at the time had highlighted) that I was inadvertently stealing time and energy for me and my goals because I was investing more in others and making accommodations that were singularly serving them. Making time for what matters most, I’ve since shed the extras- the extras that caused distraction from the activities that were my true joys, my places of peace, and my sources of fulfillment. A clearer perspective, habitual “book ending” my days with my priorities and preventing obstacles, and improve – laid the foundation for my later career pivot.
In January 2023 I discovered another book that I read in one day. (see irony in the title?) AMAZING book- super relatable, “makes sense” concepts, and realistic action steps.
John Mark Comer’s The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry: How to Stay Emotionally Healthy and Spiritually Alive in the Chaos of the Modern World, highlights that our consumer-driven, rat-race culture leaves us stressed, sad, and disconnected. Comer promotes being present, grateful, and narrowing our focus down to what truly matters to us. Comer introduces slowing down, living simply, savoring silence and solitude, and spending time with others (and God). Similar to Knapp & Zeretsky. he encourages creating space, while rejecting clutter and a harried pace that comes with the endless accumulation of “more”.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://meichlelatham.com/about/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meichlelatham/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/meichlellathamlcsw
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meichle-latham-~coach-counselor-and-consultant-~-241952135/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@MeichleLathamWellness
- Other: Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/meichlelatham/
Psychology Today: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists/meichle-l-latham-lcsw-pllc-west-seneca-ny/1106468
Image Credits
Professional headshots- Isaiah Bullock, ICB Creative
