Brainz Magazine Exclusive Interview
Denise Chester is a Mindset & Physical Intelligence Coach who is obsessed with helping women dramatically change the way they think and feel about themselves, so they can live life & do business on their terms. She is a speaker on imposter syndrome and supports women to build and embrace courage, confidence, and self-belief through her digital courses, and one-to-one and group coaching programs.
Share a bit about your journey so far. How did you end up where you are today in your career?
In the late 2000s, when my children were very small, I set up a business as a nutritional therapist and a personal trainer, specializing in women’s health. Full of enthusiasm and energy, I had big dreams and a deep desire to make a positive impact in the lives of the women I served.
Unfortunately, it transpired that I was also full of doubt and fear, with deeply limiting beliefs about my ability to help my clients and grow a successful business. I worked with many clients, yet I never felt good enough and was plagued with feeling like an imposter - constantly worried people would discover I wasn’t any good, never embracing their positive feedback, and believing the success I had was simply down to luck. I struggled to talk about myself and my services, found social media marketing excruciating, and networking made me want to hide under the duvet!
Over time, my confidence completely disappeared, leaving me disappointed, disillusioned, and disconnected. I felt ashamed and isolated, and eventually shut the business down.
I love nature and being outdoors, so I retrained and took a job working as an organic food grower for an environmental charity in central London. Through the charity, I had the opportunity to train as a coach, and, thinking coaching skills would be useful in all walks of life, I started a year-long coach training course. About halfway through, it hit me like a bolt of lightning - I had totally fallen in love with coaching and knew, without any doubt, that I would be a coach and make that positive difference in the lives of so many women. So I carried on working in the garden but started coaching on the side. Eventually, I left the charity so I could coach full-time. It feels like I’ve gone full circle and come home.
What inspired you to specialize in mindset and physical intelligence coaching?
You might think my own experience made it an obvious choice to coach women around their mindset. But to begin with, I wanted to help women into leadership roles. Women are under-represented in many areas, including leadership, and I wanted to be a part of the movement to change that.
However as I went deeper into my own industry, I encountered so many female coaches and entrepreneurs who were expressing the same thoughts and fears I had with my health business. Feeling like an imposter, worrying about what other people might think, and doubt they could ever grow a successful business. So my second lightning bolt was the realization that these were the women I wanted to serve. And what I’d experienced meant I could understand them on a visceral level, as well as recognize their fears and unhelpful beliefs.
Physical Intelligence is defined as the ability to detect and influence key chemicals in the body for better outcomes; it’s about creating an internal state that supports and aligns with our goals and aspirations. I like to say it’s more than mind-body, it’s brain-body too. Physical Intelligence coaching appealed to me because so often we know what we want to do, but we’re frozen with fear and our body runs the show. Like the first time I tried to go live on social media; I simply couldn’t tap the button on my phone - my body wouldn’t let me.
So discovering a way of coaching that helps clients learn to influence their physiology and break through fear using simple techniques like visualization, breathwork, and poses changed everything for me.
What strategies do you offer to help women overcome feelings of fear and self-doubt in their online businesses?
My coaching method, The Empowered Entrepreneur System, is an integrated, symbiotic approach to helping women. We work to uncover the limited patterns of thinking, feeling, and behaving keeping them stuck in their old identity, blocking their growth and success.
By challenging these thoughts, beliefs, and behaviors, women can consciously and intentionally create a new, empowered identity, one that helps them step into a powerful version of themselves and propels them toward their business goals.
Combining this mindset work with simple and effective Physical Intelligence techniques is the difference that makes the difference. It’s what bridges the gap between them knowing what they want to do, and taking action and doing it. Think of it like this; if you only ever work on your mindset, it’s like rowing a boat with one oar - you’ll go round and round in circles. Physical Intelligence gives you the second oar, one that allows you to take action and move forward, each rowing stroke bringing you closer to where you want to be.
What are some widespread mistaken beliefs about confidence based on your experience?
The biggest myth I would love women to be aware of is the idea that confidence is a state of mind. In Physical Intelligence terms, confidence is way more than that. It’s a neurochemical state of being which is directly impacted by, and influences, your physiological state. In other words, women can use their brains and bodies to change the balance of certain hormones and neurotransmitters like cortisol, adrenaline, and testosterone, to create feelings of courage and confidence. How amazing is that?!
Think about it; how do you know you’re confident? You don’t think confident, you feel it. You feel strong, excited, energetic, and determined. These feelings are actually chemical responses in the body. And every woman has the power to learn how to create them through simple and easy tools and practices.
People often ask what it was that made me confident, mistakenly expecting me to share one insight or experience that changed everything. Another important fact about building confidence is that it’s a multi-faceted, ongoing process. It unfolds with intentional action, challenging assumptions, working with the body, and with the support of others who can help us see outside our own limitations.
In your opinion, what role does mindset play in the success of an online business?
One of the biggest barriers to growth for the women I work with is a fixed mindset. Usually subconscious, it’s a hidden obstacle they’re unaware they’re up against. They say ‘I’m not confident/entrepreneurial/good enough’ and ‘It’s just the way I am', unknowingly condemning themselves to stay small, silent, and stuck. The development of a growth mindset breaks them out of this limited thinking. Opening up to possibility gives them a whole new perspective and helps them see a different future and outcome, one not available with a fixed mindset.
Success becomes a whole lot easier to achieve if you’re open to the idea that you have it in you to learn, to grow. Women in particular are very good at seeing potential in others but being blind to it in themselves. When my clients tell me that going from ‘I’ll never be successful’ to ‘I’m going to be a huge success’ is too much of a stretch, I ask if they can be open to the possibility that they can become successful with help. This small mindset shift can be the start of an unfolding that leads to great success in their online business.
It's common for entrepreneurs to face setbacks. How do you advise your clients to bounce back from failure and maintain their confidence in the face of adversity?
Perspective is everything. When you stop seeing setbacks and unwanted outcomes as failure, and instead as feedback and signposts, you can let go of the negative spin your mind puts on these events and scenarios. Your launch flopped? What can you learn? Your social media posts aren’t getting engagement? What can you do differently? No one showed up to your webinar? How can you market it to make it more attractive?
Of course, it can be painful when you don’t get the outcome you hoped for, but you can pick yourself up and shake yourself off (literally) then look for the lesson and move on. Byron Katie said, “Everything happens for you, not to you.” Apply this to your online business. Everything that happens in your business contains information you can use to improve how you do business. What makes it feel like a failure is the meaning you attach to it. Let go of that meaning and see it for what it is - priceless data.
Finally, Denise, what do you hope women take away from your coaching and workshops, and what legacy do you aspire to leave in the realm of mindset coaching for female entrepreneurs?
I believe women are the change the world needs. When women find their voice, power and wisdom, and are unafraid to use them, they reach their goals and help others reach theirs too, improving the lives of many. I want female entrepreneurs to stop hiding and start shining their light, unapologetically. To step into their natural role as leaders; create wealth and provide opportunities for other women and girls, whatever field or industry they’re in. I hope that my coaching empowers women to create the confidence to become their most powerful selves, step out of the shadows, and have the business and the life they want, and so deserve.
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