Nursing has been my life for the past 16 years. I’ve worked in various specialties such as wound care, palliative care, long-term care, telemedicine, outpatient care, pediatrics, home care, and holistic health. However, my biggest strength is caring for and creating a positive experience for others, even if they only need a warm smile or a gentle touch. Maybe it’s my instinct because this is also a quality of motherhood that signed, sealed, and delivered my fate of becoming a nurse for life! My name is Tonya D. Lewis, LPN, NBC-HWC, and this is my story.

I became a nurse fresh out of high school and knew immediately that it was something that I wanted to do for the rest of my life. Caring for others puts me on a natural high that I can’t begin to explain. Making someone smile or being fully present with them while rendering good care became a standard for me. With every interaction, I had a goal. To create a positive experience, even when tensions were high. My patients and their families knew I was there with and for them.  

After being a nurse for over a decade, I was afforded the opportunity to train to become a health and wellness coach while keeping my nursing role. I didn’t know what to expect in the beginning as I was learning a new way of doing things. My conversations with my patients shifted as I began to get to know them more intimately. Instead of focusing on their symptoms, I learned what matters most to them. Instead of focusing on the problem, I explored their strengths and values and why they needed their health. I quickly learned how rewarding it was to journey alongside another on their path to better health and well-being.

During that time, I also trained to become a certified mind-body medicine skills group facilitator through the Center for Mind-Body Medicine. This model allowed me to dive deeper into a process of self-awareness and self-expression. As I learned, I began to incorporate coaching techniques and mind-body medicine skills into my personal life—myself, my marriage, my parenting, and my work as a nurse.

2020 was a difficult year for us all with the Covid-19 pandemic. However, it was a year that was life-changing for my family. I contracted Covid-19 in June of 2020 as a bedside nurse. While recovering, I lost my best friend to a pulmonary embolism. Within hours of her passing, my husband and I became the parents of five amazing children. We had our challenges, of course. Three of the children were dealing with the trauma of losing their mother, and two of our children had to adjust to life with new siblings and support for our sons on the autism spectrum. But we began to pick up the pieces one by one.

My work as a bedside nurse never stopped. I would pick up extra shifts with an agency to make ends meet. I continued to coach patients and provided mentorship to other nurse coaches. Depression crept in, and processing my traumas using mind-body medicine skills groups combined with therapy helped me to cope.

Let me tell you something, starting a business was never a dream of mine. I never had the desire to do anything else but clock in and do what I was called to do which was to create a positive experience for my patients. Before losing my best friend, I passed my exam to become a nationally board-certified health and wellness coach; she was my biggest cheerleader. After she passed away, it was coaching and mind-body medicine skills that gave me the tenacity to get through the most difficult time of my life. I knew I had to pay it forward.

As I was seeking ways to bring in more income, I had the overwhelming desire to bring my coaching work and mind-body medicine skills into the community. As I researched, I discovered that starting a business would help me achieve two goals- providing for my family and paying it forward. I couldn’t think of a name for the business that wasn’t already taken and got discouraged for a while. Going out for seafood was my favorite thing to do with my late best friend. One day, as I was driving home from our favorite seafood restaurant, the name for my business came to me. It was so clear I pulled over to search for it! Motivation Magnified was open on all platforms! Within a matter of days, I was a new business owner.

Motivation Magnified is fueled by love, hope, and determination. We partner with you in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires you to maximize your potential. We empower you to take steps towards your vision of optimal health and well-being through strengths-based Health & Wellness Coaching that incorporates mindful awareness, mind-body medicine groups that use evidence-based techniques to relieve trauma and build resiliency, and motivational speaking. I still work at the bedside and bring these skills there.

Motivation Magnified allows me to pursue my passion for empowering others while working at the bedside fuels my fire to care for others. What’s my secret sauce? Walking the walk. I don’t just do this work; I am this work. I still meet with my health and wellness coach to set my goals. I practice mind-body medicine skills regularly, and I’ve learned to prioritize my self-care. I can’t pour from an empty cup; I’d rather pour into others more abundantly from my overflow. Above all, I am surrounded by the love and support of my family.

As a nurse, it can be easy to get stuck in caring for others and remember to show up for yourself. Burnout is real, and the antidote may look different for everyone. Our work together is not a “one size fits all.” Allow me to meet you where you are, give you the space to create the vision of where you want to be, and build the road map for how to get there.

Fun fact: I am a daddy’s girl from the age of paper maps. My dad used to drive our old Ford Taurus to our destination while I rode excitedly in the front seat, holding the map and looking for ways to get there. My job as a coach isn’t to tell you where you need to be. You’re the driver of your journey; I’m the one riding in the front seat, holding the map, helping you to explore your path to get there.

As a nurse entrepreneur, I am dedicated to increasing self-efficacy through health and wellness coaching, building resiliency through mind-body medicine skills groups, and empowering others through motivational speaking.

“The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step” -Lao Tzu

I can’t wait to work with you.

-Coach Tonya