From pregnancy and the postpartum period to menopause, coach Amanda Lim specialises in helping women through it all.
We love entrepreneurs and small business owners at Honeycombers, which is why we’ve created Launchpad, a comprehensive digital networking platform (with IRL benefits, too) that encourages connection, business support and community. It’s a privilege and pleasure to learn from so many talented and inspiring folks, so we’ve decided to share the love by interviewing some of the lovely Launchpad members. Looking for inspiration? Check out how coach Amanda Lim gets it done like a boss.
What is your backstory and why did you decide to launch your business?
I’ve always been athletic. Gymnastics and diving as a kid and teen, triathlon and marathon through my young adult years, and now a “hybrid” athlete. At 40, my routine is a mix of weightlifting, metabolic conditioning, mobility, and callisthenics.
In graduate school, I was writing papers on women’s and metabolic health when I realised that my actual passion – and talent – lay in helping real women achieve the goals I was researching and writing about in their lives. I got certified as a personal trainer in 2006, opened my first business (boot camp and personal training) in Los Angeles in 2009, and have since owned and/or operated four studios here in Singapore.
My current business, Lift Clinic, is co-owned by my physician husband. It’s where I now coach, counsel, and connect my clients with on-site exercise testing, hormonal health screening, and myriad weight management and medical aesthetic services.
What has been your biggest challenge so far and how did you overcome it?
After working so hard to establish and cultivate my specific brand of coaching for nearly a decade in the saturated wellness market of Los Angeles, the thought of moving to a different continent and restarting it all from scratch was daunting. But I dove headfirst into the Singapore fitness community as soon as I landed, trying every class and gym and connecting with every instructor and trainer I could find.
I worked in a variety of settings over my first two years here, which helped me build a solid client base and understand the nuances of the industry. By 2017, I was able to open my first studio.
Change is tough, but it’s also growth. Without being plucked from my LA “comfort zone”, I’d never have made the jump from trainer to studio owner-operator. And without that, I wouldn’t be able to fully help my community in the personalised, holistic way I’d always intended.
How do you stay motivated and energised?
As a fitness and nutrition coach, energy is my specialty. For anyone who’s met me, you know I’m never short on it. I rely on my healthy habits to get me through even the longest, toughest days. And as a mum of two toddlers with a newborn on the way, I have a lot of those.
Regular strength training, lots of walking, protein-focused nutrition, a rock-solid bedtime, quality time with my husband, and plenty of mindfulness practices (journaling, meditation, and Stoicism, to name a few) keep my mind and body firmly in the game.
How do you deal with self-doubt or criticism?
One of my biggest moments of self-doubt was when I moved from in-person to exclusively online coaching. It’s a move which had many of my trainer friends, and of course my clients, aghast! But, I had a vision for how my brand of online coaching could and would be different from the rest of the market, and I never deviated from it.
Managing self-doubt relies on having a clear, defined vision of what could be, even if it differs wildly from what is, and being able to remind yourself of that vision whenever you second-guess yourself. I find that journaling and keeping tactile vision boards are particularly helpful here.
Criticism is also part of the game. When constructive, it can make you and your business better. But, I personally choose to put “earmuffs” on against Luddites, energy vampires, and curmudgeons. Who needs that kind of energy when you’re trying to truly thrive?
Favourite places to work?
Lift Clinic, Starbucks, and home (but only after the kids are asleep!).
Can you share a work mantra that you use?
“Done is better than perfect.” I always joke that I’m a type A-minus, not a true type A, since I don’t have that perfectionist gene. But the to-do list always gets checked.
One thing you can keep talking about for hours?
The importance of sleep, protein, and strength training for women of all ages and all stages.
Your go-to self-care activity?
Sleep! If naps were sold in pill form, we’d “prescribe” them to nearly every patient at Lift Clinic.
One piece of advice to your younger self?
Keep doin’ what you’re doin’ gal. What seems like a “drag” now (getting up early to work out when all your friends are sleeping off the night before; learning how to cook healthy meals; and being the first to leave the party so you can get enough sleep before work) will actually be the cornerstone of your future health. Oh, and your stance on never having kids? You’re gonna be really surprised about how that all turns out.
Get in touch with Amanda Lim online.
Launchpad is a comprehensive digital networking platform (with IRL benefits, too) that encourages connection, business support and community. It is designed to make the entrepreneurial journey not only easier, and more successful, but also a whole lot more fun. We offer almost daily activities for members to connect, along with weekly masterclasses, member networking roulette, small-business mentoring and media profiles on Honeycombers. Check it out and join us!
