Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in health and wellness but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Vincent Nuzzo, Founder, and CEO of Stress Undone™️, located in Nesconset, NY, USA.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

Stress Undone is a coaching business - virtual and in-person 1-on-1 training. I'm currently working on creating a few courses for more people to have access to the information. Being in the health and fitness space all of my life, I came to the realization that after our "peak" years, exercise is about slowing down the rate of decay. Once I understood that exercise is nothing more than a physical stressor that we subject ourselves to chronically, I knew exercise could certainly do more harm than it does well if it wasn't relevant and appropriate. This goes beyond physical injury but also includes adrenal fatigue, allostatic overload, GI issues, and mental health issues. I teach people how to mitigate stressors in 3 main pillars of stress. That being nutritional, psychological, and structural stress. My customers are people who need to utilize exercise as a vehicle to obtain health, but exercise in and of itself is a threat to them because they have trauma stemming from one of the three aforementioned pillars. The phrase "health and fitness" is specified in the sense that health must precede fitness. In my experience, many people attempt to "get fit" on top of unhealthy circumstances rendering exercise unsustainable.

Tell us about yourself

Prior to launching Stress Undone in January of 2022, I was in the corporate fitness world for almost 15 years, where I excelled greatly. I was the Top Coach and 4x Trainer of the Year for all of my tenure at UFC GYM. The pandemic hit, and like so many, I experienced a great deal of tragedy and loss. I lost my aunt to pancreatic cancer the month prior to the country shutting down, and a few months later lost my grandfather to COVID. At the same time, I was going through a heavy bout of depression. I became hyperaware of the impact tragedy, and depression have on the nervous system. Ultimately, chronic stress = chronic inflammation, and chronic inflammation speed up the rate of decay. Chronic stress is unique to the human experience. So, Stress Undone was born in hopes to be to provide people with an understanding as to why their health and fitness goals are exceedingly difficult, why exercise has been harmful to so many, and the right tools to make it relevant and appropriate for them. That's my motivation - alleviating someone's struggle.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

My biggest accomplishment is restoring joy - being able to help someone out of pain and back to playing with their kids or grandchildren once again. With regard to a personal accomplishment as a business owner, it would have to be just starting. I never wanted to have my own business. It's intimidating. It's a lot of work. I much preferred the safety net of the corporate world. I'm happily married with two beautiful boys, and taking a risk when it could affect them also, makes you count the cost more carefully. I have no regrets, though.

What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?

Deciding what to let go of. Some things have to be outsourced, and identifying which those are can be difficult because it might be something that you like doing. It might be something that carries the greatest risk.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

  1. Count the cost: how can you build something if you don't first count the cost of building it? Time, money, energy, patience... will all be required of you.
  2. Be resourceful: you don't have to know everything, but you have to be able to find someone who does.
  3. Be willing to change the dream: plans change, things change, and what you want may change. Don't just stick to the plan because it was the plan. Reevaluating is not giving up. What makes you happy today might not make you happy five years from now. Maybe now it's revenue you value, but in 5 years, it's time.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.stressundone.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mr_stress_undone/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vinnynuzzo/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

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