Bonnie Papajohn, health and nutrition coach
Bonnie Papajohn believes in fresh starts, new seasons and the inherent value of each woman she works with.
Papajohn says she has been a health and fitness fanatic for about 30 years, but turned that passion into a full-time career at 50.
She had worked part-time for years as a fitness instructor and personal trainer, but a shift into a new season led her to launch Dahlia Health and Nutrition Coaching. Papajohn had divorced and was going through menopause when she worked to earn her health coaching certification and began working to help women enter their own second halves with knowledge and power. She worked for a local fitness club first, then for a healthcare practice before starting her own business in 2023.
“I said it’s now or never. I turned 60, and I said if I don’t start my own business now, I’m never going to do it, and it’s always been a passion,” she says.
Papajohn says her work focuses primarily on women in menopause and perimenopause, though she can address a variety of health and nutrition needs.
“That’s my niche. I can do a lot of other things, but that’s really my passion and my specialty,” she says. “I started my very first women-in-midlife program in 2018, so even though menopause is the big buzzword right now – we’re here to talk about it where our moms didn’t really talk about it much – I’ve been working with women in menopause and perimenopause for seven, eight years now, so it’s not new to me. But I’m glad that it’s a lot more open, and people are seeking help and guidance.”
Papajohn meets with her clients one-on-one each week, in person in Greenville or virtually, if needed. The program typically lasts for 12 weeks, though Papajohn is quick to note that “program” is not an entirely accurate term.
“I have four pillars that I cover with these women in these sessions, but there’s no modules, there’s no cookie cutter. It’s one on one. I meet the client where they are,” she says.
Papajohn’s health coaching is grounded in proper nutrition, movement, stress management, advocacy and education.
“We work the 12 weeks, and once they’re done, if they need to continue, they do,” she says. “My goal is for them to fly and learn and then meet with me once a month, or maybe every other month to check back in for maintenance.”
Sometimes, clients seek Papajohn’s help when they have hit rock bottom – or what they think is rock bottom, she says. She says every single woman is different, though many finally seek help because they aren’t sleeping well or are gaining weight. She helps them find a new path, which ideally includes managing stress and gaining confidence, advocating for themselves and their health and sitting assuredly in their own worth.
It is the information and support Papajohn says she wishes was available when she was going through perimenopause.
“I went through such a difficult period that I felt like I needed someone to help me, and I couldn’t find the help,” she says.
Now, she can bring both knowledge and wisdom to women walking the same path.
“I feel such a pull or a tug – like if I don’t share this with people that I’m missing what I’m supposed to be doing right now in my life,” she says. “It’s the passion, it’s in my gut, it’s internal, so deeply that I have to share it.”
Learn more at dahliahealthandnutritioncoaching.com.
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