Reinventing Yourself | Christina Fontana, PharmD

This transcript was generated automatically. Its accuracy may vary.

[00:00:12] Mike Koelzer, Host: Well, good morning, Christina. 

[00:00:13] Christina Fontana, PharmD: Hi, good morning. Hey, thanks for joining us. Thank you so much for having me. I'm really excited to have this conversation with you. 

[00:00:21] Mike Koelzer, Host: Yeah. I'm calling you because I'm in Michigan. You're in Pennsylvania. 

[00:00:26] Christina Fontana, PharmD: Oh, yeah. We're uh, we're buddies. We're not too 

[00:00:29] Mike Koelzer, Host: far. No, we must have similar, similar weather.

Are you, are you elevated at all? Or I know there's a lot of Hills around there, but 

[00:00:37] Christina Fontana, PharmD: yeah, I would say so, um, Pennsylvania is really pretty this time of year. And I would say, yeah, we have a good amount of, you know, it's not like Ohio, Ohio, where it's just flat lands. There's a lot of Hills and everything, but Ohio weather's beautiful.

[00:00:51] Mike Koelzer, Host: Ohio flattens out. Yeah. Well, Christina tells, um, a lot of the listeners obviously know who you are, but for those that don't, um, introduce yourself and tell us, you know, right now what's, what's hot. What makes you, who you are at this point in your 

[00:01:06] Christina Fontana, PharmD: career? Yeah, that's a great question. So hi everybody. My name's Dr.

Christina Tarran. I am a transformation coach and intuitive healer, and I really help women to get clear on what it is that they want for their life. That big vision. and all of us, I think, are continually growing and getting to that next level of life. And I teach women and guide them how to accelerate that path.

So I blend hypnosis, a lot of mindset, work, inner child healing, aligned strategy to help women really manifest and create what they want for their life. Um, what I've learned is that. a lot of people will focus a lot on the, uh, mechanics of something rather than really looking at well, what's your mindset because really that's 90% of it.

So a lot of people kind of have that backwards. So, you know, and I'll go into my own personal story, but that's really what I love doing is helping women to transform and create the life that they want. So whether that's losing weight or. , you know, being more financially abundant, whatever that is. Um, I've developed, it's called the lighten up method that helps women really get to that place where they're rocking it in their business.

They're confident, they're feeling really good about where they are in life. So that's really what I do. And I've created, um, you know, I have group programs. I have. retreats and in person experiences for people to really help them, not only think about who they wanna be, but really embody and activate those deeper layers of who they're meant to be in this lifetime.

So pretty deep stuff. Yeah. 

[00:02:43] Mike Koelzer, Host: Wait, what do you mean between the mindset and what they're doing versus the mindset first? Tell 

[00:02:49] Christina Fontana, PharmD: me about that. Right. Right. So I. Using this lighten up method. So not, I believe that 90% of everything that we try to do in life, like a vision or a goal, needs to be about the energetics and the mindset.

So for example, if you wanna have a healthier body, yes, you can go out there and you can. um, do the mechanical things, right? So you can exercise, you can, um, you know, eat better, all those things. But what I have noticed with people is we all know what to do, but there's layers of resistance that build up due to past experiences or failures or all of these other things that, um, are pretty much like beliefs that are foundational to what we do.

As human beings, and this all goes back to subconscious work, which I'll go into, but a lot of it is the mindset and really working on helping you shift those layers of resistance so that you can accelerate the path to getting what you want. Because if we all got what we wanted, we wouldn't need coaches.

We wouldn't need people like you, you know, who are sharing the knowledge and the wisdom we need. That in order to really accelerate and move ourselves to that next level. So we need coaches and mentors and people like you podcasters to help shed light on, well, what is it? Why, why are we bumping up against those roadblocks?

And I've seen that I've been doing this work for six years now. So that's really what I mean about, um, you know, not focusing as much on the mechanics, but really looking at the energy behind. The mindset of who you think you are and how we can get you to that vision. 

[00:04:28] Mike Koelzer, Host: Yeah, the information's there. We can, we, we all know that there's a, there's a carpet right there.

That's begging me to do sit ups and pushups, but I'm not, I'm not agreeing to it because I've got something up here that I don't want to do. Um, alright. So. Your hypnosis. So I'm picturing that you're bringing people on stage and having them sound like chickens and stuff like that. And I know that's not the case.

So tell me that, that, that caught my ear. What do you mean by hypnosis? 

[00:04:59] Christina Fontana, PharmD: Right. So hypnosis is really just an altered state of consciousness. And we actually go in and out of, uh, trance about seven times every day. if you're driving to work and you've driven the same way every day. Sure. You might drive past that, that green light.

And then once you pass it, you're like, oh, was that green or red? Like, oh yeah. You're just so focused on thinking about something else. You went into a trance state and your subconscious mind knew oh, green light means go. Sure. So there are ways that we go in and out of trance every day. So trance is a natural state.

Hypnosis is actually, uh, putting you in an intentional trance so that we're accessing that subconscious mind, which comprises about 90% of our everyday actions. So the subconscious mind is, um, everything that you believe about yourself, your. , um, your worth, how you grew up, the, uh, thoughts that you think about yourself.

It's all very deep and kind of in the background. That's the way I would, uh, describe it. Or you can think of it like an iceberg, you know, you can only really see five to 10% of it. Everything else is below the surface. So hypnosis is really targeting that subconscious mind to reprogram towards more positive behaviors.

Say that you wanna be more financially abundant, but you have an internal belief system in that subconscious programming of lack or scarcity, or you saw your parents struggle. There's all of those little subtle nuances that are kind of in the background blocking you from moving forward and maybe being seen in your business or showing up powerfully when you give a speech or a talk.

So it really depends on the person. As far as what I'm targeting and what the hypnosis is gonna involve, but sure. Um, all of us have it, right? Yeah. We all have those things that kind of block us from our full potential and that's really the work that I do. So you're 

[00:06:54] Mike Koelzer, Host: getting down into that deeper, that deeper layer of, of things that are, you know, preventing people from, from subconsciously, from wanting to, or being able to make moves like 

[00:07:05] Christina Fontana, PharmD: that.

Right. Right. Absolutely. Yeah. 

[00:07:08] Mike Koelzer, Host: All right. Well, Christina, tell, tell me, um, right now don't gimme figures, but this is a, a part of your income, a significant part, all of your income, what you're 

[00:07:20] Christina Fontana, PharmD: doing. Yeah. So I would say it's kind of, like I said, in the beginning, it's a blend. I use a blend of tools. Um, like if you think of a toolkit, you know, you have a hammer, you have a wrench and different things that you use for different things.

I hate to use the word problems, but like things that you need to fix. Right? Yeah. And so I kind of, um, intuitively know, okay, this person. Resisting something that I'm recommending and I can apply that. 

[00:07:49] Mike Koelzer, Host: Let, let, let me backup. Mm-hmm what, I'm what I'm asking about. Just digging quickly, deep and rudely into 

[00:07:58] Christina Fontana, PharmD: it's okay.

I'm an open book. 

[00:08:00] Mike Koelzer, Host: Tell me about your, tell me about your personal income, how you pay your bills and so on. Yeah, don't give don't gimme numbers. Mm-hmm but gimme a percentage of where your coaching is now. Is it part-time or medium? Is it full time? It's full time. Yeah. It's full time. Congratulations to 

[00:08:19] Christina Fontana, PharmD: you.

Yeah. Yeah. That's fantastic. Thank you. Yeah, I'm not working as a pharmacist anymore. Um, I. Three programs. So the one, um, my base program is the lighten up Kickstarter program. That's a group program. It's an eight week container. Then I have, um, my next level program is the lighten up transformation program.

It's a one to one, um, experience over three months. And then I have my highest level program, which is the lighten up mastery. And that's a four month program. And then, like I said, I have, um, like an upcoming retreat that I'm doing. And I, um, I do individual hypnosis sessions for people who just want that quick.

You know, I know what my problem is. I know what the block is. Let's go dive right in there. So does that answer the 

[00:09:01] Mike Koelzer, Host: question? Yeah. That answers the question. How, how much of this is live versus like what we're doing, talking over the internet and. 

[00:09:08] Christina Fontana, PharmD: Yeah. So I used to do a lot of my consultations in person, which I love.

I think that it's great to have that, um, that ability to be able to, you know, have the in person conversations. But what I've also found is. To be honest, people are living busy lives. So if I can jump on a zoom call, you know, that just makes both of our lives easier. We don't have to worry about traffic. I can take clients out of state.

I have, you know, right. Clients all over the place, so, right. Um, it's really convenient to just do that. So I would say I do, um, work with people, I would say like five to 10% in person as far as the coaching aspect. Yeah. If I need to do any kind of, um, You know, but I can do hypnosis over zoom as well, so.

Wow. 

[00:09:52] Mike Koelzer, Host: That's cool. Well, so we're talking, so I'm setting it up here. We're talking to a pro here. thank you, right? That you're not da, you're not dabbling in this stuff. No, this is, this is 

[00:10:02] Christina Fontana, PharmD: it. This is my life's work. 

[00:10:04] Mike Koelzer, Host: Yeah. This is your life's work. Bring us back then. Where did you, you, you obviously. Started as a pharmacist.

I maybe in some ind in community pharmacy of 

[00:10:14] Christina Fontana, PharmD: some sort. Yeah. So I actually started sweeping floors in my dad's pharmacy when I was, oh, your dad's pharmacy? No kidding. Yeah. Yeah. So Joe Teran, he was, uh, he was such a big influence and it is still such a big influence in my life. Um, he was a pharmacist and had a drug store in Kings park, Long Island for, I think it was 32 years.

So I really grew up seeing him. You know, interacting with patients. And I was really humbled because I saw it from literally sweeping floors all the way up to being a pharmacist. And, you know, I just learned, he was just so charismatic with people and made them feel better because as we all know, there's, uh, there's a lot of, um, there's a lot of illness, obviously people are coming in sick, right.

So he really showed me, you know, how to kind of put myself out there. Um, you know, not be afraid to take chances and that's really, I think, and it probably wasn't what he wanted, because I think he wanted me to stay in his community pharmacy, but, um, he wound up selling it. So, uh, back in, why did 20, how 

[00:11:20] Mike Koelzer, Host: old was he?

How old was he? Roughly? Why did he 

sell 

[00:11:22] Christina Fontana, PharmD: it? So that was 2014. So he was about 62 ready for retirement. Um, I wanted to go off and kind of do my own thing. So I did a residency in, at an independent pharmacy in Brook. and, um, yeah, he just kind of wanted to relax and now he enjoys tennis and he is doing all sorts of things.

So, and, and 

[00:11:43] Mike Koelzer, Host: you knew your own thing was not there. It was more, what, more medical, more patient based or something, 

[00:11:51] Christina Fontana, PharmD: or, right. So I kind of knew. I saw all of the years that I worked there, that there wasn't much time for that one on. Uh, connection. And so I really wanted that. So I thought, uh, you know, let me pursue a residency.

Let me go through that avenue. And I started to teach diabetes classes in that residency, and I started to see how much I loved nutrition. So I went and took and got another certification through the Institute for integrative nutrition. Um, in the meantime I was going through my own health issues, so it made it even more compelling for me to, um, To really master that because I had an eating disorder and anxiety and I started to see, I guess this is really where everything opened up for me was I started to see that, you know, pharmacy was great and I think that medications have a place, but at the same time, we're whole beings.

We can't just look at the physical aspect. I started learning about, you know, all of the things that I do now hypnosis and the things that help me shift. And heal myself. So I started to really want to go into that avenue of entrepreneurship and coach people like I do now. So like I said, it was really that vision of seeing well what's possible for my life.

And I think that's really where it all started was really, um, you know, that residency and everything just kind of followed after that. How, how 

[00:13:18] Mike Koelzer, Host: long between. Your dad selling the store, you having these ideas. H how long did that take for you then to wean off a pharmacy wage? Did you just drop off and do this stuff, or did you work part-time during 

[00:13:37] Christina Fontana, PharmD: this mm-hmm or what?

Yeah, so I was really, uh, blessed that I was able to work part-time at a pharmacy in Queens. For about three years. And then, um, I actually moved to Pittsburgh. What was it? 2016. So kind of, yeah, I've always worked part-time and then kind of built my business up on the side, but it was primarily health coaching before.

so that's what I was doing before a lot with lifestyle change and diet and nutrition mm-hmm . But I started to see, like I said, that mechanics part of like telling somebody, this is what you need to do. Wasn't enough. Like I wanted people to get deeper results. And so I started to look into the mindset work and that's really the transformation work I do now.

It developed into. The, the health 

[00:14:23] Mike Koelzer, Host: coaching, when that started, was that like a one on one thing? Like, Hey, I can do this and, and we'll set up a meeting and then eventually you're charging these people and then that kind of 

[00:14:33] Christina Fontana, PharmD: thing. Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. I actually started off, um, speaking at, because I didn't know how to speak.

I actually did really poorly at speech in, um, in college. I was shaking. I was literally 

[00:14:46] Mike Koelzer, Host: shaking. Yeah. That's a common theme among, I think. Yeah. But, you know, be before they know 

[00:14:51] Christina Fontana, PharmD: they can. Well, yeah, and I started, you know, like I said, I was at a, I think it was an assisted living or nursing home.

And these, these elderly people were literally falling asleep and I'm like, I don't care. I just need to practice, it doesn't matter. It's all right. And, 

[00:15:06] Mike Koelzer, Host: and, and there's an old, there's an old, uh, saying that says, uh, if you're nervous, picture people in their underwear, but in your case, it was probably true, you know?

Yeah. With, with the elderly. 

[00:15:16] Christina Fontana, PharmD: So, yeah. Yeah. So, um, and I started doing just YouTube videos and they were really bad, bad quality and lighting and all that. And then you just, it's like a muscle. You just build it over time. 

[00:15:28] Mike Koelzer, Host: Yeah. I'm gonna get back to your YouTube things. I got a couple questions on that. Yeah.

So when do you start? So. There's gotta be some enjoyment or like, wow. Like a wow factor in getting your first payments for something outside of the pharmacy. When, when did that happen? Like you were just charging people and, and they paid, and there's gotta be some like satisfaction in that, like, boy, I'm doing something that my dad never did, or I never even thought I could 

[00:15:53] Christina Fontana, PharmD: do.

Yeah. It was definitely a stretch because when you're used to getting paid hourly and you don't have to actually ask. Hey, can I get my, can I get paid today? Like your boss, just, you know, direct deposits your check and now you're reframing to, wow. I actually have to say, this is my price and this is my value.

Yeah, it's definitely a shift. And I think a lot of entrepreneurs when they're just starting out, there's a lot of fear around that because it's like, well, how much do I charge and what am I worth? And I'm used to getting hourly pay and rights. So it really required a lot of just, uh, internal work. And I yeah, got some coaching with that as well, but, uh, yeah, it was, it was a big shift.

[00:16:36] Mike Koelzer, Host: what, what was the, um, what was the impetus of. Going to your first larger, you know, what was the impetus of moving from the elderly falling asleep in the nursing home to a, to a more mainstream. And I know you have some, like you said, you've got some videos. I know you have at least a couple books.

Mm-hmm um, were those instrumental in giving some. Background to you or credence to you when you would go, you could refer back to those or, or how did that, how did those mesh? 

[00:17:10] Christina Fontana, PharmD: Yeah, I feel like when you, it's literally building, when you build a business, you have to lay a foundation. So for me, it was like writing has always been something that I've been drawn to.

So I, you know, wanted to share my story. That's really how that started. And then. You know, expressing ideas. I feel like, um, I forget what I saw somewhere, but it was, it was talking about, I think it was the law of multiplicity. I saw it in a YouTube video and it talks about being able to be at multiple places at one time.

So if I can make a YouTube video, right. If I can write a book, I can be in multiple places at one time and I can conserve my energy and be. i enjoy my life pretty much. 

[00:17:55] Mike Koelzer, Host: Well, well, that's exactly right. And, and you know that, you know that, uh, your dad and my dad at the pharmacies in the old days, people would come in and they'd wanna say, well, where's Jim, you know, and where's, where's Joe kind of thing.

Yeah. And I think the first thing that allowed us to, well, there was radio and things like that, so that people could hear voices. But the first thing that allowed that was which, which I. Realized like 10 years ago was being able to, um, to, to say, wait a minute. Now I could put a little video on here and see the same people, you know, see thousands instead of 10 or 20 and I can do it and I can do it at a later time.

And, and I, and then if they, if they wanna respond, they can text me or message me and I can do it back. So, yeah. So it was starting to spread your, spread yourself out with, with the, the media. Yeah, absolutely. Nice, 

[00:18:48] Christina Fontana, PharmD: nice step mm-hmm . Yeah. So like I said, I think it's just, um, like building, you know, you write blogs, then you kind of, then someone else reaches out with a new opportunity and then you, I went and wrote books and it just kind of builds on each other and you look back and you're like, oh my gosh, like, how did I do all of that?

But it's just, it's just one thing at a time. Yeah, and really staying committed to, well, why am I even doing this in the first place? Because to be honest, I could just go to any chain pharmacy and make a hundred thousand dollars. No problem. Right. But for me, it's so much more than that. I feel like, um, not only do I wanna surpass that, but I wanna make such an impact that my children and their children are like, you know, Wow.

Look what this person did. Look what an impact they made. It's like leaving a legacy. Yeah. For me, it's so much deeper than just, you know yeah. Getting the money and going. Right. You talk 

[00:19:50] Mike Koelzer, Host: about the, um, the, um, little jumps through the social media. One of your, um, YouTube posts has 44,000 views.

Yeah. . And tell me about that. I mean, that's, I mean, we, we could call that. Viral, I think at this point, I dunno if there's a yeah. An official definition of viral, but what, what was that like? And I know, you know, then you had one with first, you had like 24, 5,000 views and you probably thought you may not repeat that again.

And then you're up to 44. Um, what does that do to your mind and is that 

[00:20:25] Christina Fontana, PharmD: cool or, yeah, I've always, you know, it was really interesting. Um, When I was 18 and I don't know where this thought came from, I just got this knowing in my heart that like, I wanna reach thousands of people. So when that came to fruition, it's almost like what I said in the beginning.

It's like I had this vision and then I'm taking the steps and the actions to get there. And then once, once it's there, it's like, wow. You know, it's the impact that really. it's astounding to me, you know? Yeah. 

[00:20:56] Mike Koelzer, Host: So some and, and some click and some don't. Do you, do you get a, um, I, I think we all have that. I know I have that thing where it's like, you always want to improve, and if you've gone from a hundred X, whatever X is, um, mm-hmm, , you know, views or.

Or viewers or something else out in life, you know, how many apples your farm produced or something once you hit a hundred, then you want a thousand, and then once you hit a thousand, you want 10,000. Um, do you fall into that trap? 

[00:21:30] Christina Fontana, PharmD: I think we all do in a way. I think we all do. Yeah. Yeah. And it's, it's important to anchor back into, I think, realize.

Now is the time to really just be grateful for yeah. All of that gratitude, you know, like you have to keep moving and having targets and goals and all that, but also being grateful for where you've been. 

[00:21:51] Mike Koelzer, Host: Yeah. Where you've been. And, um, and, and, and then you always have to keep going back to, what do you, what do you like to do?

And if you're maybe spending too much time on that, it's nice to have the. Those metrics come out, but if you're spending too much time on that, and that's your real joy, it makes you question. Could I be doing something else that's more joyful or more impactful to me that that would not make as you know, big of a difference 

[00:22:18] Christina Fontana, PharmD: to me.

Yeah. And it, you know, what's funny is I didn't even that wasn't even my goal to get 44 or 50, whatever it is, it was just kind of like, I wanna deliver this information. People I know. Patients are out there Googling oh, Topamax and drugs and oh, what, what can this drug be, what are the side effects? So I'm like, let me just be up front and be like, Hey, I'm not, you know, affiliated with this company, but.

This is what you're gonna be expecting. Cause I know you're out there Googling it anyway. Yeah. Right. 

[00:22:48] Mike Koelzer, Host: So right. I talked to, uh, Tony, uh, Guerra mm-hmm , um, a couple weeks ago and he was mentioning his, um, how things took off with his audiobook. Do you have your book in audio at all? Or have you ever thought of 

[00:23:00] Christina Fontana, PharmD: that?

One of them? I do. Yeah. It's the, the first one mm-hmm 

[00:23:04] Mike Koelzer, Host: okay. Does that, did you see any jump in that or was that kind of, you know, I'm I know his stuff is more. Study based and things like that. So I can see people listening to that in a car and so on. Did you see any success with that over, over and above your books and so on?

[00:23:22] Christina Fontana, PharmD: Um, I think that there's nothing better than. And you're gonna laugh at this. I have books in my car, like in the trunk of my car. not laughing. So, you know, there's, uh, well, I'm laughing for myself cuz I think it's, it's just so interesting that, you know, you can have all these, um, you know, mediums and ways of selling books and it's like I'm I'm back here, the old school way, just like selling it out of my car.

Good for you. Um, But yeah, I, I definitely noticed that. Yeah. I mean, some people like the tangible book, like I actually like highlighting in, in a book, but yeah. Right. Some people love holding that. Yeah. It's just like different mediums and ways to get the message out there. So yeah. 

[00:24:03] Mike Koelzer, Host: How, how did you know, um, Christine, how did you know from, um, it always seems.

This never happened to me, but I always feel like I'd be like the birthday kid. Like no one shows up to my party. yeah, always. You always read those, like in mail online or these things where this kid, he invited his whole class and one person showed up. And I think I always have thoughts of that if I were ever to do a crowd kind of thing.

Mm-hmm how did you know when you scheduled your weekends, that you were going to have more than. You know, one person or three people in the crowd mm-hmm did you do an RSVP with the ability to cancel if things went belly up or how do you, how do you know when, when, when you're gonna get enough crowd to, you know, I, whatever for me, it would be, I guess I would, I would Embarrass myself.

If one person showed up and I had a hundred shares set up. So how do you 

[00:24:58] Christina Fontana, PharmD: deal with that? This is a great question, because this goes back to that initial thing. I talked. Having the vision and then all of the resistance comes up. Right. So you're like, all right, I wanna have this big event, but then your fears come up.

And you're like, oh, I remember that time when I was, when I was four on the playground and no one showed up for my birthday. And it's like, when you're clearing, this is what I do with people. It's like clearing that crap out, honestly. Right. And helping you accelerate to really visualize, like, if you were a client of mine, I would say, all right, well, like how many people do you wanna have and what does it look like?

And how do you feel like attaching that feeling right to that vision? Like, you know, what is it like, are you confident? How do you look? What are you wearing? All this stuff, really painting a picture, getting rid of that and then saying, having you take action. So that might be reaching out to people, um, in your local community and saying, Hey, listen, I thought you might enjoy this event.

Being able to take that action based on the, the. The belief in yourself that this is my vision, and this is, this is the action I'm gonna take to get there. So I think a lot of it it's, it's natural. Right? We all have that, like, you know, imposter syndrome or like, I'm not, yeah, I know you. Yeah. Like, you know, so many of that, you know, resistance comes up and the fears, but.

I think, um, and I've had those fears too, with my most recent event, I've noticed such an influx of people just gravitating. It's kind of like a magnet there when you have your messaging very clear and you have, um, a really nice to me. I think that this helps is like a landing page. Like, Hey, here's what you're gonna get.

And you know, if this is the result you want to come to this event, people will naturally. You know, magnetized to your message. Yeah. That's the way I see 

[00:26:49] Mike Koelzer, Host: it. And you're getting, and, and you're getting probably some, you're getting some numbers ahead of time, even so, yeah. Oh yeah. It's not like you're showing up and you don't know you're gonna, you're getting some of that ahead of time coming 

[00:27:01] Christina Fontana, PharmD: in.

Absolutely. Yeah. And I do, um, you know, early bird pricing and they get like, I, I have attached bonuses. Like you have to incentivize people to sign up for those, you know, events a little bit early, but. It's proven to work for me. So, yeah. 

[00:27:16] Mike Koelzer, Host: That's great. Do you, do you, I know like your more recent event now is gonna be in Pennsylvania.

Yeah. When, if ever comes the time where you are then going out a little bit further because your crowd might be getting bigger because of social media and so on. 

[00:27:32] Christina Fontana, PharmD: That's such a great question. I think that I'm actually going to a retreat in September for myself to help me embody more leadership. Um, I think.

Entrepreneurs just naturally you wanna get to that next level and you wanna continue to grow. And I think that my next level of growth is exactly what you said. You know, really getting out there and creating a retreat and maybe having it in a nice sunny place, you know? So, um, that's really where I'm stretching myself and where I see myself going next is having.

Creating more of an in person experience, like an immersion experience to help people. Sure. 

[00:28:08] Mike Koelzer, Host: And, and my dad used to always joke. It's like, why do they always have conferences in, uh, you know, such and such? Why don't they ever do it in Detroit or something like that? You know? So, no. So that's, that's kind of the whole experience.

Mm-hmm um, what was I gonna say to you? Um, 

[00:28:26] Christina Fontana, PharmD: these are great 

[00:28:27] Mike Koelzer, Host: questions. Oh, well, thank you. I, these are, these are ones that people get upset with me through life. Cause they're like she shut up. Just let's keep driving or something like that. um, If, if, if you could strip away any of this stuff, the, the, the things that you have to do on your own and, and you may have some assistance and so on, what are you finding as your, um, you know, most joyous part of this and what part is like, I gotta do this again.

I gotta, I gotta. You know, I gotta get the reservations out or this or that. Mm-hmm what, what, what part is, what part is fun and what part are you? Are you ready to have a huge staff that you can give to the little people? 

[00:29:10] Christina Fontana, PharmD: Oh, well, I actually, I just hired on an assistant about a month and a half ago, so she's really helpful just in, you know, scheduling people and getting the zoom links.

Um, you know, all just that mechanical stuff that it's like, I wanna just be able to show up. She's gonna be there helping me at my event with registrations and, and all that kind of stuff. But I just see myself and I've seen this vision since I was young, maybe like five or six years ago of just being with a group of women and facilitating that transformation experience, causing breakthroughs, having people.

Um, just really get, uh, the fact that you can make anything happen in your life. You know, you're a conscious creator. You can, there's a thousand possibilities. And I think just having people realize that that's possible, cuz I think so much of it is. You know, we're surrounded by a lot of, you know, negative news and people, you know, even, you know, to be honest, my own family, they're like, you're crazy.

What are you doing? You know, you can't do that. There's so many limitations we put on ourselves that we don't think we can have that vision, that dream life, whatever it is. And I wanna facilitate people having those possibilities actually be created in their life. 

[00:30:31] Mike Koelzer, Host: Yeah. It always helps. It always helps when your family stands behind you, by telling you you can't do it on your trip.

[00:30:37] Christina Fontana, PharmD: Yeah, but my dad knows that that makes me push harder. So 

[00:30:41] Mike Koelzer, Host: yeah, he knows it. I, I, I, I had a question that slipped me earlier and I remember has, has the pharmacy been a pharmacist ever. Ever affected your image. Will there be a time when you think, or are there times when you say I don't wanna put myself in that hole and even label myself as that, because people are going to think a certain way or have you always used that and you think you'll always use that?

I 

[00:31:12] Christina Fontana, PharmD: think that there's definitely a. Like people kind of turn their head when they hear a doctor. And I, you know, like Dr. Christina, you know, that's it, it's just this, um, that's how we think, right? It's like we're associated with titles and, oh, you're an author and this and that. And that's just the reality of it.

So I think that that definitely adds a certain element of expertise, you know? And so I don't regret, you know, anything that I've done in my past, as far as going through pharmacy school, I Don. I'm not ashamed of it. I don't disassociate from it. I think it's a great asset to, again, it, to me, it's like the building of the house, right.

It was part of my foundation and it led me to where I am now. So, um, I think that the people who are following me now understand that that's who I was, that's where I started. And now if they really see the content and what I'm creating. It's not really a part of it, you know, obviously, but I think that it was definitely foundational from where I, for my roots and where I came.

[00:32:20] Mike Koelzer, Host: Yeah. So you don't, so you think you, you don't think you'll ever, I mean, picture this Christina, you are on, uh, the today show, 

[00:32:31] Christina Fontana, PharmD: you know? Wow. You have big visions for me. 

[00:32:33] Mike Koelzer, Host: I do. I think you're gonna do it. I think you're, I think you're. Doing great. I've looked back and, um, you know, you've, you've refocused yourself.

I know that you were the nutty nutritionist back in the days on YouTube. 

[00:32:47] Christina Fontana, PharmD: Um, well you really dug back 

[00:32:50] Mike Koelzer, Host: So now you're, but now you, you are yourself and I think that's a good move. So then you're on the today show there's some of the kids coming down the steps . So now you're on the today show. Um, and I'm just curious.

Do pharmacists enter into that conversation or not? 

[00:33:09] Christina Fontana, PharmD: I'm gonna say no, because it's not in the scope of what I do now. Right? 

[00:33:14] Mike Koelzer, Host: It's not in the scope. It's your history, but what, you know, you don't have to bring up your whole, you don't wanna bring up your whole history all the time. Mm-hmm . . Yeah. Yeah. You know, I, I, I was, I was thinking about your, when you were talking about your vision of the, the, the people in the crowd and so on, I'm imagining that that vision is so strong because you've got people then coming up to you and saying how they've, you've changed them and you've done this for them and they wanna thank you for this.

And so on. I imagine that's a tremendous feedback loop of having that live. You know, tho those live things. 

[00:33:49] Christina Fontana, PharmD: Absolutely. And to me, that's really what it's all about. That, that feeling. I think that the reason why we as humans do things is for a feeling, you know, we want more money because it's gonna help us feel more secure or, or calm or centered or whatever it is.

We wanna lose weight to feel confident. I do this business for that feeling of like, I help someone and they give that feedback and I feel a sense of purpose. Yeah. Like that's my core feeling that I. I'm like, wow. You know, 

[00:34:21] Mike Koelzer, Host: I can imagine. And that's something that, you know, I, I get, um, I've had in the past in the pharmacy, but, um, you know, people are probably not in the condition of, but coming into your pharmacy and like breaking down and crying and thanking you for that medicine, you gave them.

But you're kind of in the position where people can, you know, let loose a little bit more. What, um, what kind of things. Keep you up at night now with this career, um, what, what, what worries or concerns do you have that you have to fight through? 

[00:34:56] Christina Fontana, PharmD: I think that what I've recently, one of the lessons I've recently kind of worked through was this.

I was leaning in too much. Like whenever, if someone would say, oh, I'm interested in working with you. I'm like, all right, let's go. Like, you know, really getting too involved. And it's, I think for me, it's about taking a step back and realizing everybody's at a different stage of readiness. And you know, this goes back to motivational interviewing like a model, but mm-hmm, just being able to kind of sit back and be like, okay, you know, here's my.

Here's my, uh, calendar. Here's when we can set up a time and not be like, so, oh, like, yeah, like it's good to be excited, but at the same time, there's a groundedness that I've cultivated. And I think that's important to stay in my, in my power so that I'm not just constantly, you know, no one likes to be, feel like they're chased or like if you're dating someone, no one wants, wants that desperate person.

Right. So it's really right. For me, it was anchored into my power and. My value and my setting boundaries, because that's a lot of, of the personal growth journey is just, you know, owning who you are, not in a cocky way, but just being able to respect yourself because people will try to, you know, get free information or, you know, test your boundaries.

So I think. For me. I mean, there's so many lessons I could draw upon, but that's the biggest one. Yeah. 

[00:36:26] Mike Koelzer, Host: So, so for you, so, so, without jumping, like I'm so excited, you asked and let's do that. that sets you up business wise by not giving stuff away for free and maybe your value goes up and you're showing your confidence for what you, what your market is worth and so on.

Does it does, is 

[00:36:47] Christina Fontana, PharmD: that right? Right. Yeah. It's and again, it's back to the energy. Like who I am when I'm. Am I owning my stuff? Or am I just being like, oh, well, you know, I'll take anybody. No, yeah. I'm going to work with people who are ready and who are ready to invest and, and that's it. Right. And it's okay if you're not, I think that there's this, um, especially with new entrepreneurs, it's like, well, I'll just take everybody, you know, everybody's my ideal client and it's really right.

It's a specific, you know, niche of people. 

[00:37:22] Mike Koelzer, Host: Yeah. So have, have you been hurt by that before with, with someone, with someone, um, being too with you jumping into soon and before, you know, it, you're talking to a, uh, you know, an a men's, you know, army veteran or something like that. I mean, have, have, have you been stung by doing something too fast and not.

[00:37:45] Christina Fontana, PharmD: Absolutely. And I think too, not having clear boundaries on time. Like if you, if I say, you know, I'm gonna have a 30 minute consultation and it goes on for an hour, you know, that's where it is, you kind of kick yourself and you're like, oh, why did I do that? Right. So it's really, um, setting up those expectations in the beginning of the call, like, okay, this is gonna be 30 minutes.

We're gonna dive into this, this, this, any questions. And so just, I think for anybody out there, who's an entrepreneur. This is important because. What you show to the world is gonna reflect back to you. That's so if you don't respect your time yeah. People aren't gonna respect you either. So yeah, that's exactly right.

It's a tough lesson to learn, but 

[00:38:28] Mike Koelzer, Host: but, but it's learned. Yeah. It's all good. So if you let's say you have to continue to work to fund your life and so on, what would you, what would be your highest ideal in the job? Right now, if, if, if you had to have a job, what would it be right now? Would you be like the world renowned this or that?

Or what, what is that dream? Um, in the business still 

[00:39:00] Christina Fontana, PharmD: it's, like I said, it just keeps coming back to that vision of like me being in the front of a room with a bunch of women and having my books in the back, you know, I have a staff full of people who can help to. You know, if someone needs assistance, they can go to that person having just a, a supportive network of people who can help me facilitate this experience and have it be that immersive, maybe like a two day experience where people can experience that transformation, that coaching in person.

Um, so that would be the ultimate, you know, 

[00:39:37] Mike Koelzer, Host: how big, how, how big could that room be? Could it be a stadium? 

[00:39:43] Christina Fontana, PharmD: Would it be too bold to say Tony Robbins? 

[00:39:47] Mike Koelzer, Host: what to Tony with Tony Robbins or 

[00:39:49] Christina Fontana, PharmD: that kind of, that kind of, yeah. Yeah. I, I mean, I've met him. I would love to 

[00:39:54] Mike Koelzer, Host: work with him. I saw your picture. I saw your picture with him.

[00:39:56] Christina Fontana, PharmD: Wow. You , you really dug 

[00:39:58] Mike Koelzer, Host: deep . I mean, I gotta dig deep a little bit. um, so, so big, it could be a big stadium. Yeah. What's your stadium in Pennsylvania? 

[00:40:11] Christina Fontana, PharmD: Uh, Pittsburgh plays outside. Don't they? PPG, PPG. They have, yeah. What is that? A basketball thing or, um, they have concerts there. They, I think they can, I don't know if they can turn it into like a basketball court or, you know, they have those, I like ice skating ranks, so it's pretty big.

All 

[00:40:29] Mike Koelzer, Host: right. So you can picture yourself 

[00:40:30] Christina Fontana, PharmD: there. That's really huge. You're really causing me to stretch my mind here today. Well, if, 

[00:40:36] Mike Koelzer, Host: if, if you're not gonna go there, I'm gonna have to charge you and hypnotize you, so you'll get there. um, so then let's say that you made it and made it let's say in a financial sense where you never have to be anywhere again at anybody's, um, scheduling.

What do you see yourself? Doing, is it still being in front of this, doing this? Or is it something like, no, I did that. Yeah, it was great. I did that, but I also did it to sustain myself to do X. Is there an X or is being who you are despite the money? The final, the final X. I 

[00:41:19] Christina Fontana, PharmD: I feel like what naturally comes to my mind is some kind of Phil philanthropic work, like having other Pharmac.

Helping maybe create this like a similar model and having people all over the United States, um, helping, I don't know, helping do something. I don't know what, what exactly the demographic would be, whether it's homeless people or, you know, just. people who are disenfranchised. I don't know what that would look like, but that's like the thing that comes through right 

[00:41:52] Mike Koelzer, Host: Now, lifting, lifting anybody up and not necessarily women, but maybe your, maybe you are spreading this.

So I, a male counterpart yeah. Would want to do this for men and so on. It would be taking your methods and then moving that into D. Into different 

[00:42:13] Christina Fontana, PharmD: areas. Right. And I, but I think also even, even deeper is like, I know that there's a lot of impoverished people out there who probably want this work, but they can't afford it cuz they're not financially able to.

So somehow helping those people too, you know, if someone really wants it, I wanna be able to, you know, fund a scholarship or whatever it is. I want people to be able to have this, this. . 

[00:42:39] Mike Koelzer, Host: Yeah. And, and I know, I know Christina for, for the listeners, I know Christina's not blowing smoke because you've got, you've done a lot of, um, at, at where, at your level where you were, you did a lot of philanthropic and, and donating of your time and efforts to the, um, those less fortunate, um, through your career.

So, so you're, you're putting your, um, you're putting your mouth here where your, you know, where your history was. Will you always be focused on it? Women. Is that a real special thing? Or would, or would you take this to the masses of the of the, of the dark 

[00:43:18] Christina Fontana, PharmD: side, ah, with men. So with men? Yes. So I used to work with men specifically with lifestyle coaching.

And what I've found is that men are not as open to it. Like they think it's, they're like, oh, well that's that's. Woo, woo. That's not practical enough for me. Sure. Right. So I've just found I've just gravitated to women cuz they're more naturally open to it. Yeah. Yeah. And I have actually noticed that they're more open to hypnosis as well.

I've tried to hypnotize men and the results are not as striking so they don't wanna let go of the male ego. Yeah. 

[00:43:54] Mike Koelzer, Host: they don't wanna let go. Uh, Christina, how can our listeners. How should they get in touch with you and, and like, why, why should they get in touch with you then? 

[00:44:04] Christina Fontana, PharmD: Yeah. So if this message, you know, if our conversation resonated with you, I would love to actually have you join our lighten up community on Facebook.

And that's really supportive. Tight knit network of women who wanna see you grow and shine in whatever it is that you wanna do in life. Um, I do Facebook live in that group that is unique to tailor the needs for whatever the topic is for the week, um, that people wanna learn about. So, um, or you can just find me on Facebook under my name, Christina tar.

And, or you can visit my website, www dot enlightened wellness, pa.com. 

[00:44:47] Mike Koelzer, Host: Yeah. And Christina you're you're Def you definitely have the chops to be in there with Tony Robbins. And I was joking about the Today show, but that's not a joke. You've got the chops for that. And, um, and, uh, like I say, I'm not gonna charge you for this one.

I'm not gonna charge you for this one, but I wanna see that as being your, um, I want you to know, at least one person sees that and wants you to, and want you to be 

[00:45:12] Christina Fontana, PharmD: there. Thank you so much. That means a lot. 

[00:45:15] Mike Koelzer, Host: That means well, and I, and I mean that seriously, so, um, pleasure to meet you, Christina. I look forward to talking again.

Thank you 

[00:45:21] Christina Fontana, PharmD: so much.