Today we’d like to introduce you to Michele Cuffe.
Hi Michele, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Most people know me as Michele the Happy Healthy Human Coach who is always working out and does alot of TV and podcasts. The funny thing is, is if you knew me in High School you would not have thought this would be my path. I have two passions now in my life, God and fitness. The faith piece only came five years ago when I went through a painful time in my life. God got me through it as well as my fitness. But let me circle around to how I got into fitness. I have three grown daughters and after my third daughter was born I was able to become a stay at home mom. I joined a local gym here in Tampa, mainly to get an hour to myself as they had a kids club. They would babysit your child so you could workout. It was wonderful to get that break. I took a few cycling classes and enjoyed them. One day there was a sign that they were looking for instructors to teach the class. I stared at that paper and a voice from deep within told me you can do this. I had zero desire to teach fitness classes so I couldn’t believe that I even had that thought. Well as the days went by there was a nagging in my spirit. I decided to try it and well I ended up teaching spinning for over 20 years all over the Tampa Bay area. Was I scared? Yes, I was petrified to get in front of a group of people and try to motivate them but thank God I listened to that voice because it sent me on a journey to where I am today. I ended up teaching all sorts of classes at the gym and my classes were always full. I made so many friends and I absolutely loved it. I was a natural at teaching and I never knew I could do that. I eventually did fitness competitions, half marathons, and triathalons. I also became a speaker and traveled. My talk was called Happy Healthy Human and it was a three hour live in person talk to business executives on how to live to 100. It sadly came to an end when Covid hit. I then became a personal trainer and did that for many years. I now see how God was setting me up for a path I never knew I wanted. I started personal training a woman named Martha who would always try to share Jesus with me and I had zero interest. In fact, I really liked her but the Jesus stuff was annoying to me. Well it turns out that God put her in my path and when my personal life came tumbling down, I called this annoying woman and she helped me through one of my darkest times in my life and turned me to God. That was five years ago and she remains a spiritual mother to me to this day. Since then I started doing television here in Tampa on a show called Bloom. I do fitness segments, cooking segments and discuss many topics on all things health. I had another nudging in my spirit 2 years ago and that was to write a book. Here is another thing I never in a million years thought I would do. As I was writing it I decided to add a chapter on God’s plan for our health. I incorporated everything I have learned over the years as a health and wellness coach, fitness instructor, and a Christian to help everyone live to 100! The book is out and it is called Health Revival. It also has a 30 page cookbook inside. I am so proud of this book and I am so glad I listened to that voice many years ago telling me I could do something that I thought I could never do. Public speaking and Television is scary but teaching all those years prepared me for it. Sometimes we pass up something amazing because we are scared but I am here to tell you that you must at least try. I had many people tell me along the way that I was not meant for teaching or speaking but I did not give up. I wonder how many people have missed their calling because of fear. God tells us not to fear 365 times in the Bible. He is with us in all things and he sure has been with me.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I will tell you that although it may sound like I have many good things going on, I can tell you that nothing has gone smoothly. I have suffered many setbacks and heartbreaks. My childhood was also very difficult. I have had many failures along the way. One example is when I got certified in spinning, there were a few different supervisors that told me I was terrible at it. Turns out the opposite was true. I also have suffered with Vertigo for 14 years and although It has gotten better, there have been no answers. Vertigo has plagued me and has had me in the hospital many times. But I refused to give up and have found many natural ways to keep it at bay. I still get bouts of it but they are not as often and not as severe. I lost both my parents due to “lifestyle diseases” when I was only 40. My mother died of Ovarian cancer and my father of alcoholism. Both of these illnesses could have been prevented. That is also why I wrote this book. I want everyone to grow old with vitality and a sound mind.
We’ve been impressed with Michele Cuffe Wellness, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I am self employed and take clients for overall wellness consulting. My passion is women’s health. I also can be hired to do corporate talks and have even cleaned out people’s pantrys and taken them grocery shopping. I also love doing podcasts and television. My plans for the future include writing another book.
Alright, so to wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
I want your readers to know that their health is absolutely in their hands. 90% of our DNA is determined by our thoughts, movement, and food. So that means only about 10% of your health is your genetic makeup. We can control our destiny. If you look back just a few years, there was barely any cancer or Alzheimers. Auto-immune diseases are also on the rise mostly for women. There are 6 major pillars of health that we can work on today and turn our health around:
Stress management (70-90% of all doctor visits are due to stress)
Sleep (Everyone needs 7-9 hours a night)
Water (100 ounces of water a day)
Nurtition (Eat the food God gave us, Plants and Animals). He knows what he is doing.
Exercise ( 10,000 steps a day and lift heavy things 3x a week)
Sauna (Lot’s of research here on how sweating 3-7x a week can help you live longer)
I would also add that we need sunshine on our skin and in our eyes for 15 minutes a day. We also need to have faith, family, community, and tribe. Without these 4 things the rest is meaningless. I will close with a quote from Albert Einstein. “You can look at everything as if nothing is a miracle or you can look at everything as a miracle”. I want you all to be Happy Healthy Humans and know that God is very interested in your health! I am currently a grandmother of 3 beautiful babies and I have no plans of slowing down. No matter how old you are you can start over and follow your dreams.
Pricing:
- My book is only $11.oo on Amazon if interested
Contact Info:
- Website: https://michelecuffewellness.com
- Instagram: michelecuffefitness
- Facebook: michelejonescuffe
- LinkedIn: michelecuffefitness
- Twitter: michelecuffefitness
