Gianna Miceli is a disruptor, author, and women’s health advocate. She began her journey of advocating for women when she began to feel the effects of menopause after turning 42. She started putting on weight and feeling so tired she could barely go to work in the morning. After doing everything possible, from joining gyms to dieting, she found that nothing worked. She went to the doctors and spent $18,000 but it also didn’t work.
It was only until another woman told Gianna Miceli about how her “metabolic processes” went “out of sorts” that she began her research into her problem. When began “biohacking” herself, she saw results—she lost 40 pounds and kept them off. This experience pushed her to write the book “Why American Women Are So Far, Sick, Tired, & Angry.” She noticed that doctors kept writing her prescription after prescription, every time you visit their office. For women over 35 and 40, she says their own body processes undergo drastic changes, which will make losing weight more difficult. And she says very few doctors know this.
As a “metabolic genius,” Gianna Miceli has become a thought leader known to thousands of women all over the world. She is a “certified holistic detoxing health specialist,” and has kept her fabulous figure at 53 years old, 8 years after menopause. Aside from her books, she shares her knowledge by creating “The Menopause Weight Loss Master Class” and hosting the “Sexy & Fabulous Lifestyle,” a 5-star rated podcast available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
Check out more interviews with women disruptors here.
Jerome Knyszewski: Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we dive in, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your ‘backstory’ and how you got started?
Gianna Miceli: At 53 years old, I’m in the best shape and health of my life and I show other women how they can do it too.
I do this by showing them how to eat for their over 40 hormone changes.
When I was 40, I was pretty happy with how I looked, but by the time I was almost 42, I was so tired I could barely get out of bed, and I had put on 40 ugly, debilitating pounds.
I saw many doctors to figure out what was going on and every one of them had different answers which means they had no answers.
My parents were both obese and my father had Type 2 diabetes, two liver transplants, and kidney failure, and I had anxiety that I was heading down the same path and there was nothing I could do about it.
I was so afraid to gain another pound.
Every single day my mind was worried about this because obviously, I had to eat. What the hell was I supposed to eat to keep from getting even fatter?
I had no one else who could or would take care of me financially so I absolutely had to figure out how to turn this around.
My life and income depended on it. I was trapped into a corner and I felt scared and alone.
Finally when I was 45, a woman came into my life and in the most random conversation, she spoke to me about eating in a way that made my liver & hormones work optimally.
I had never heard these ideas before, before but she said it would get the weight off me and give me my energy back.
That same day I threw away the food I had in my refrigerator that she told me to, and bought the delicious foods she told me to eat.
In a week I lost 7 pounds, and in two weeks I cleared chronic acne I had for nine years.
I was hooked and felt so amazing!!
I had so much energy I actually wanted to go for long walks.
OMG for the first time in four years I had hope that my future was going to be ok!
I was led down a road that would ensconce me into studying physiology, hormones, menopause, gut health, and food for the next 10 years and write two books, and I put it all together in an easy, online delivery system for you.
Prevention is the new model.
I want every woman to feel as amazing as I do and have the confidence that I do, and feel that she is in control of her future and income and that she’ll be more than capable of taking care of herself into her old age.
Jerome Knyszewski: Can you tell us a story about the hard times that you faced when you first started your journey? Did you ever consider giving up? Where did you get the drive to continue even though things were so hard?
Gianna Miceli: I think everyone can agree, that when you first start your journey, the biggest hurdle is believing in yourself, especially if you have friends and family that are nay-sayers about what you think you can create a
business about. You will feel very alone and you have to be strong in your conviction and intuition that what you are doing will make a difference and that what you are trying to do, say, and/or teach, people will want to hear.
Did I ever consider giving up? Yes! Many times! It’s hard. You want every client to be a success, and to fall in love with what you have to offer and that’s just not reality.
Where did I get the drive? When these doubts come into your mind, to me, it’s like God put someone in your face or into your life that solidifies that the problem you are solving is very needed. When you help someone and change their life, no amount of money can give you the same satisfaction.
I got the drive to continue even when things were so hard because I just have this very strong vision of what I want to accomplish. I wanted to make a one stop location for women entering menopause to get the best, most honest, and helpful information possible that didn’t involve getting a prescription from a doctor.
Jerome Knyszewski: Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lessons or ‘takeaways’ you learned from that?
Gianna Miceli: The funniest mistake I made when I was first starting out was to believe this marketing guru that I would make $50,000 in my eight weeks of working with him. Was it funny? Well it is now, but it wasn’t then. Of course I did not even make back my $10,000 investment in him.
The lesson I learned was to take advice from real people that you know and to find mentors who can prove that they are living the life you wish to live as well.
Jerome Knyszewski: Based on your experience and success, what are the five most important things one should know in order to lead a company from Good to Great? Please share a story or an example for each.
Gianna Miceli: The five most important things one should know in order to lead a company from good to great are:
- Hire with your heart. I’ll take someone with less experience and a big heart over an expert who cares very little.
- When the employees know YOU care, then they care.
- You’re never finished. There’s always more to learn, better ways to do things, and especially in expanding your marketing.
- You absolutely have to know the language of your customers. What are they doing, saying, and thinking. Know those three and you’ll be great.
- Come from a place of service and the rest will fall into place.
Jerome Knyszewski: Extensive research suggests that “purpose driven businesses” are more successful in many areas. Can you help articulate for our readers a few reasons why a business should consider becoming a purpose driven business, or consider having a social impact angle?
Gianna Miceli: The typical response is to know your why, and many people think that means money, or taking care of their family, but I think it has to be a grander “why”.
For instance, my “why” is to end the medical enslavement of women over 40. It’s a huge hurdle to deprogram them into believing the cure to what ails them is in nutrition and not prescription bottles.
Why do I want this? Because my obese mother was probably a very depressed woman strapped with three kids, working full time and by the time she came home from work, she went straight up to her room and was barely involved in her children’s lives.
I didn’t understand this level of depression until I got fat myself, how consuming it can be when you hate living inside your own body. I want women to be the best women, mothers, and wives they can be.
Jerome Knyszewski: As you know, “conversion” means to convert a visit into a sale. In your experience what are the best strategies a business should use to increase conversion rates?
Gianna Miceli: This is one of the most overlooked experiences online. You literally have to leave a simple but very direct breadcrumb trail to guide the potential customer to the purchase, always keeping in mind that the customer is always thinking…..”what’s in it for me?”
Jerome Knyszewski: Of course, the main way to increase conversion rates is to create a trusted and beloved brand. Can you share a few ways that a business can earn a reputation as a trusted and beloved brand?
Gianna Miceli: The way to gain trust is to be consistent in your message and to be seen. Video is the best way for the world to gage the essence of your personality and videos make the best 24/7 employees in the world.
Jerome Knyszewski: How can our readers further follow you online?
Gianna Miceli: My most active social media is Instagram @MsGiannaMiceli but I’m on Youtube, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Parler.
Jerome Knyszewski: This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for the time you spent with this!
