Today, we’d like to introduce you to Charlotte Tonneaux.
Hi Charlotte, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Born and raised in France, I’ve always had my eyes on this country across the Atlantic Ocean: the United States of America.
I had the chance to travel , live and work abroad from 19 to 25 years old in London, New York and New Zealand. In 2014, at the age of 25, I experienced a big trauma in my life. That brought me into a big depression. I hit rock bottom hard. One day in early 2016, I found a little bit of strength to get my life back on track. I honestly don’t know how I did it. I think part of it was my wanting to live to honor my mom. That’s when I decided to start taking care of my mind and body. I’ve been introduced to holistic nutrition, yoga, and even more.
At that time, I was a travel agent in Paris and went on a trip to Hawaii. It was love at first sight for me, I’ve been introduced to more spirituality, nature and the Aloha spirit. It healed my soul, I felt like I belonged here and something bigger was waiting for me there.
Indeed, working in an office all day and receiving orders from my boss wasn’t what resonated with me anymore. I began to build more of an entrepreneurship mindset. Unfortunately, in France, entrepreneurship is not something that is encouraged, or given a chance.
At 30 years old in 2019, I finally took the leap of faith, I decided to move to Maui to open a wellness business. I already had created an LLC to purchase an investment property on Maui but created my DBA and launched the wellness business. this is when “Chalohawellness” was born.
Through my company. which now has 3 employees, I offer online health and nutrition coaching sessions, yoga & meditation sessions including spin, Vinyasa, and Power sculpt, as well as all-inclusive wellness retreats with in-person packages and accommodation on our Maui property to guide and empower people in their wellbeing journey
It’s been now almost two years since we launch on Maui and have helped a lot of clients around the US. I finally feel aligned with where I am. The USA gives so many more opportunities to an entrepreneur than France.
After a few years on Maui, as I am from Southwest France, I guess I was missing the mountains and the snow. I went on a snowboarding trip in February 2013 in Salt Lake City. I got the same feeling as Maui, I felt in love straight away with Utah.
I was speechless that you could have a city surrounded by so much nature (first ski resorts or hikes in a 30-minute drive or all the national parks in 3 hours). Utahns are just so nice and welcoming and remind me of the same values as Hawaiians. It felt like home.
After six months considering another investment opportunity, I finally decided to invest in another investment property in South Salt Lake to expand the company’s activities in Utah. In the future, I want to open a fitness studio there, as I see a lot of opportunities there and ways to grow. I am very excited about what Utah has to offer to me and cannot wait to expand Chalohawellness there.
Can you talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
As a French expat, I am not going to lie. It wasn’t easy at all. I had to surround myself with an amazing team of immigration lawyers and accountants for my Investor Visa. It’s a lot of stress and investments. My tip is to take the baby step by step always remember the big picture, and be clear on what you want.
I had a lot of time, and I wanted to give up again. I was doing everything on my own; all my family was in France, and I could feel very lonely. But I hold on to my goals and my visions. When I finally got my visa, a big weight over my shoulder was lifted, and I could begin to work and expand my experiences and creativity.
Chalohawellness is now a renowned wellness and health coach in Maui, and I have managed to keep the company working despite the terrible natural disaster we had last year on the island. Only eight months after my investment in Salt Lake City a lot of work opportunities are opening, I am beyond grateful.
I learned along the way that you have to know which areas you are good at, where you need help, and how to hire people. Your focus needs to be only where your strength is, and surround yourself with good lawyers, accountants, or anybody else who can succeed in those areas. You cannot do it all, but the foundations of your business have to be strong, so don’t hesitate to invest in people and hire.
I also discovered that I love the challenges in my life, and this is why I enjoy entrepreneurship so much. It gives you more freedom but also a lot of stress, so be ready to know the tools that work for you to manage it.
Finally, always diversify your investments. I have the fitness and Holistic nutrition business on one hand, but also the real estate investments on the other hand. I like to have funds in different currencies such as euros or dollars. Try to always reinvest what you earn, thinking that if one market crashes, you can have another one working for you. Don’t put all your eggs in the same basket.
At the end of the day, it is worth it a million times for me, and remember, it’s never too late to begin.
Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about Chaloha Wellness?
I created Chaloha Wellness in 2021 after being certified by the Institute for Integrative Nutrition School in New York but also from 200 Hours Astanga – Vinyasa Teacher.
I wanted to be able to help people with their diet and lifestyle to feel better so I created a wellness consulting business. People do not realize that everything is about balance. Lifestyle and your Nutrition diet have a massive impact on overall health in order to heal a lot of chronic diseases. You could eat as much broccoli all day and work out seven times a week; if you don’t know how to manage stress at work or if you’re in an unhealthy relationship or have financial issues, your body would react to give you a signal (it’s a computer).
Chaloha Wellness offers fitness classes both online and in person by giving Spin, Power Sculpt, and Power Vinyasa classes in studios and in our Maui property. We help identify personal health challenges, support them with ongoing practices, a plan, and feedback, and find and explore what works for clients to stick to it and have sustainable results in the nutrition area.
I organize retreats on Maui where we combined yoga, nutrition, and the energy of nature to feel more grounded and balanced. I have also been invited as the President and Executive Manager of Chaloha Wellness to host spin or yoga classes or talk about holistic nutrition around the USA.
I love sharing my story or being able to help people along the way. It’s my biggest reward if I can resonate with someone, remember I came from a long way.
What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
What I love the most about Salt Lake City is that it is surrounded by nature. It is such a privilege to be able to hike or snowboard in a 25-minute drive. I also love how it is safe, especially when you’re a woman.
As far as the business side goes, I feel like Salt Lake gives you so much more opportunity. There are a lot of companies here. You meet a lot of CEOs and entrepreneurs with amazing success, people that I feel inspired and lift me up. In Utah I always feel like everything is possible, I learn to dream big and believe in yourself even more. The network is endless there, and the people are so nice and welcoming.
There is a lot to do. As a woman from the Southwest of France and Maui, I miss Salt Lake the most; it is the ocean for sure.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.chalohawellness.com
- Instagram: @chalohawellness
- Other: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charlotte-tonneaux-701a4ba0/
