Clancy Tucker's Blog: 25 August 2013 - HELEN ZENIOS

25 August 2013 - HELEN ZENIOS - Special Guest

HELEN ZENIOS

- Special Guest -

G'day guys,

Today I welcome another successful woman - Helen Zenios. Helen is the Managing Director of Slimmerlife Ltd, distributing the Cambridge Weight Plan in Cyprus,Greece and Australia. Her responsibility is to protect and promote the brand through quality assurance strategies, by implementing continuous improvement programmes throughout the selling and distribution process. Her responsibility is to also manage all marketing campaigns to promote their strengths in the market place. To date her company has won 7 worldwide awards of which Helen is very proud.

Welcome, Helen ...

TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOURSELF AND YOUR PROFESSIONAL JOURNEY.

I originally started out as a teacher and for most of my career was Head of Business Technology at a Secondary School in the UK, teaching Business Studies to post-16 students. I later progressed to a tertiary college where I continued teaching business studies and vocational courses for students embarking upon university degree courses. After losing weight with Cambridge Weight Plan, I was so impressed with the results that I trained to become an Accredited Consultant, so that I could help others the way that Cambridge had helped me.

After 3 years as a Consultant, I then became a distributor in Cyprus, winning 9 international awards over 7 years. This year the pinnacle of my career was being nominated for the ‘Woman of the Year’ award in Cyprus for helping 30,000 people lose weight healthily with Cambridge Weight Plan.

WHY DID YOUR FOCUS CHANGE TO HEALTH? WAS IT SOMETHING SPECIFIC?

When I reached ‘a certain age’, the weight started to pile on and I knew I had to do something about it. I tried the Cambridge Weight Plan and was so delighted with the results that I wanted to pursue a career more oriented towards nutrition and health, so that I could develop my skills and knowledge in this field. I am very proud to be associated with one of the most successful diets in the world and also winner of the Queen’s Award for International Enterprise. It is one of the very few evidence-based diets on the market and the most researched diet in the world, sold only through accredited Consultants and health practitioners.

Helen - ’Woman of the Year’ nominee.

WHAT DO YOU DO?

As a distributor I am responsible for bringing Cambridge Weight Plan to the country for which I have a licence to sell the products in. As I am a qualified teacher, I also devise the training programmes and organise further development sessions for Consultants, so that they are constantly learning and improving their knowledge and skills base. I also organise marketing campaigns to try and promote the brand, as well as run ‘Slimmer of the Year’ events to help recognise the achievements of our slimmers – a great motivator.

WHAT DO YOU ENJOY MOST ABOUT YOUR WORK?

I love seeing the transformation of the lives of successful slimmers. Not only do they look good and feel great, but they have also overcome life-threatening obesity-related medical conditions, such as heart disease and diabetes. It is wonderful to be able to make a difference like this.

WHAT IS THE HARDEST THING ABOUT YOUR WORK?

Co-ordinating so many activities is never easy – especially if I am not always in the country when problems occur. Also dealing with a large number of consultants means that you have to deal with many different personalities and must learn how to manage people effectively. Regularly travelling long distances also has its toll on your body clock, so sleep patterns are always disturbed.

WHAT WERE YOU IN A PAST LIFE? BE SPECIFIC.

An opera singer. I love all types of music but have an operatic voice. When I was younger I sang with the London Choral Society - not many people know that! I always fancied myself singing in front of a large audience - but not as Helen Zenios!

WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO CHANGE DIRECTION?

I am very driven and I always wanted to prove that I could practise what I preach - ie, as a business studies teacher I should know how to run a successful business. So I set myself the task of proving this to myself by becoming a distributor. I am very relieved to say, that I have been happy with the way things turned out.

WHAT IS YOUR GREATEST ACHIEVEMENT?

Being a mother and now grandmother! I am very proud of the way my children turned out and hope that I have provided them with a strong work ethic and been a good role model. My baby granddaughter is the love of my life. Career-wise, being nominated for the ‘Woman of the Year’ award made all the hard work worthwhile, so I am very proud of this recognition.

HAVE YOU ACHIEVED MORE SUCCESS THAN YOU ANTICIPATED?

Most definitely! I never dreamed I would be winning awards and receiving a nomination for my work. My reward was always about making a difference and I am so lucky to have done this and more. if I have any spare time I am usually reading a newspaper

DO YOU HAVE ANY TIPS FOR US UNHEALTHY PEOPLE?

Sometimes people say that they don’t want to follow our weight loss plan because buying replacement meals is too expensive. They don’t look at all the medication they are taking for obesity and how they are risking their lives with unhealthy eating. I always ask them how much is it costing them to maintain being overweight? That costs a lot more than buying Cambridge meals to lose weight and become healthy. Usually, they have never thought of this before and really take stock when they try and actually calculate how much they are spending to stay overweight.

WHAT’S THE GREATEST COMPLIMENT YOU EVER RECEIVED FROM A CLIENT?

It was a student, actually. I bumped into a student one day who had become a successful businessman. He told me that I had been his inspiration and that everything he had become, he owed to me. That was the defining moment in my career as a teacher.

Helen and her husband winning International Slimmer of the Year

for Cyprus again. The slimmer in the middle, lost 107 kg

and has maintained his weight for nearly 2 years now.

WRITERS ARE SOMETIMES INFLUENCED BY THINGS THAT HAPPEN IN THEIR OWN LIVES. ARE YOU?

I can thank my weight problem for bringing me the success that I am enjoying today. If it were not for Cambridge, I would not have become a distributor, which totally changed my life. Otherwise, I would still be teaching, that’s for sure.

OTHER THAN YOUR WORK, WHAT ELSE DO YOU LOVE?

My husband and children and now, grandchildren. I don’t have any particular hobbies so I cannot say that I am really into any interests – although I am famous (or infamous) for my love of shopping!

WHO DO YOU ADMIRE MOST? WHY?

As I am from the UK, my role models are from the country where I grew up. I had a wonderful head teacher at school who was very inspirational. She was the original Jean Brodie, who never married because teaching was her life. She taught us values that are still with me today.

Also, whatever opinion that people have about Margaret Thatcher, I still really admired her guts and that she stuck to her beliefs and didn’t let anyone influence her judgement. Not many leaders can say that.