INTERVIEW WITH MODEL AND FOUNDER OF INMEOUT COACHING AMÉLIE LATOURNALD
AUGUST 28, 2017
Model and founder of InMeOutCoaching Amélie Latournald tells us about her company, what it is and how she started it!
Nationality : French
Profession : Model and founder of InMeOut Coaching
Milestones : Early modeling career, a life between Cape Town, L.A. and Istanbul, motherhood in New-York, life turn in Paris and finally the blooming of a long-time idea: InMeOut
Current location : Paris, France
You are the proud founder of In Me Out Coaching. Can you tell us something more about the company ?
I founded InMeOut in 2016 in Paris. It is a full service coaching agency focused on women’s image control, well-being and lifestyle. It was created for women taking a life turn, whether professionally or personally, but it actually is of interest for every woman feeling in need of a change and a rebound of self-confidence. InMeOut brings together major and inseparable aspects of our appearance: style and wellness. Today in France, InMeOut is a pioneer in this market, as all topics that I propose for coaching (style, nutrition, fitness, and relaxation) are combined and interrelated.
How did you come up with the idea to start In Me Out Coaching ?
Today, more than 70% of western women are active workers and juggling between their professional and private lives. An increasing number of them are willing to go for a career while having an accomplished family life. In this hectic environment, finding time for ourselves becomes difficult, and the idea of finding and maintaining the right image and a good way of living is a real challenge. Let alone the constant pressure of social media, and our need for exposure and social reward about how we look, what we eat and what we do.
Currently, in France, people seeking style counseling, nutrition advices and/or physical activity recommendations just have to see as many professionals as there are topics to be covered, although their need is not driven by health issues, a simple will feel better. And such fragmentation of services is crazy because they all are connected and inseparable. You have to go to several professionals to get resources (plus the time to find the right advisor), who will not work in cohesion, neither according to your daily way of living.
Nowadays, only the people in show business or in constant public exposure, such as models, can actually have access to that kind of coaching. In that sense, I wanted to democratize this service, where all women can have a personalized support and learning opportunity in style, nutrition, and physical exercise.
What is the meaning of the name In Me Out ?
My idea is that InMeOut represents every possible way of bringing your inner self to the outside. Indeed, many women are not quite who they appear or wish to appear to be. A lack of self-confidence restrains your ability to simply be yourself, and InMeOut aims at helping women feel and look as genuine and beautiful in public as they are inside. It’s like making sure that the best of you (both physically and personality wise, they cannot be dissociated) is the first thing people will notice while interacting with you. A second idea, linked to associating style and wellness, is that you cannot really take good care of your outside without taking care of your inside too. It is the key.
You are talking about elements who will improve your life like nutrition, a great skin, exercises, a new wardrobe etc. Can you explain the benefits people have once going under your wing ?
Women coming to InMeOut feel a need of improvement about either appearance, fitness or as a general feeling. But there is always an interesting pattern: They are all looking for help on one specific area, whether it is nutrition, style or fitness. The two others, they will take care of it later. But slowly they understand that they are all connected and that working in one area without taking care of the others cannot bring long lasting results. Of course, they will feel more aware and in control of what they are doing. But ultimately, I want to ensure that all my clients gain in energy, beauty, and self-confidence in the long run. InMeOut is not a temporary “feel good” activity (although it is always fun), but rather a deeper dive in your daily routine and a little personal revolution with long lasting effects on your body and behavior. My clients are not supposed to come to me twice, or maybe with a 5 years gap in between!
Some aspects of your coaching mean they will need to change their lifestyle radically. How do you know for sure your clients are following the right In Me Out schedule ?
For example how do you control the clients are working out as much as you advice them to or even a tougher part to control; the eating part?
One important thing: they will not need to change their lifestyle radically, although this is what most people think they should do. That will never work. They would at some point be going back to their old lifestyle. It is like starting a drastic diet. That is not by creating frustration that we root better habits.
Bringing long lasting results requires me to understand the way each of my clients lives, to advise them and discuss thoroughly what needs to change and why, and to accompany them in implementing such changes on a step by step basis. This is also why InMeOut services are spread over an entire month. We all need to win small battles to move forward…! But of course, changing your habits or your style can be difficult, so motivation is the key for women looking for a change, and this isn’t something I can bring on a platter…
Is three months enough in order to have changed your clients lifestyle? And what happens after these first intensive three months ?
Thirty days are usually enough to cover all topics, yet I don’t leave them alone afterward. That is the point of spreading the coaching over a month. It is not a one shot training where you’d rather take notes. it’s a real coaching. After one month, my clients have integrated the basics and have already started to implement new habits. However, the biggest part is yet to be done, that is to hold onto this new direction. To help them in this task, I provide each client with her own personalized booklet (CARNET INMEOUT), covering everything we have learned and discussed about (including personalized body analysis, colorimetry, nutrition basics and tailor-made healthy recipes according to their needs and life pace, etc.). I wanted to create a customized, complete handbook for every one of them, where they can find an answer to questions they might have once our collaboration has ended. This is what my clients are usually really excited about!!
What do you enjoy most of your profession ?
To see women glowing again and the new look they have over themselves. We all have ups and downs, but we need to keep it up as much as possible. And my job allows me to help people getting back up and to be there to witness it. They are rediscovering themselves, seeing everything with a different perspective, they are more excited and more open to pushing their limits. That’s really amazing in comparison to my job as a model, where the sole image is at stake.
Where can we follow you, how can we get in touch with you ?
You can follow me on Instagram or Facebook, get in touch with either of those social medias or via my website www.InMeOut.com
What is your favorite thing to do when not working ?
Playing with my son, sleeping when I can and cooking!
Take us through a typical day in the life of Amélie Latournald.
Well, motherhood leads me to prepare and bring my son to kindergarten every morning. Until he gets past the school door, my life is on hold! I am sure this rings a bell to many of us. Then I work from home or outside with a client. I head for the gym if I can, or go to shootings if my job as a model so requires, get back to home working until I realize school time is over. Eventually, I work at night or read one of the dozens of books piling up next to my bed… Being a woman, somehow..(!) I am always amazed by people depicting their daily life between art galleries openings, fashion shows, and social events… Occasionally, fair enough. But daily…When do those people work?!
Next to an entrepreneur, you are a successful international fashion model. Did the modeling industry influence the building blocks for the vision of your company ?
Of course, after more than 20 years in this business, I have been living in many places all over the world. Cape Town was my favorite and the launch of my career. I discovered a lot about myself there, and this is where I started to work on my inside. When you are exposed to different places, cultures, and people, especially in vibrant spots like Los Angeles or New York, you are totally influenced. You see a different lifestyle, with pros and cons, but where exercise and good nutrition are a part of your everyday. And you are being taught about all of this, in a way or another. I probably started to work on InMeOut at this time of my life without knowing it.
What is your vision with In Me Out Coaching ?
Clearly is to bring women to their maximum potential, enhance their genuine beauty. I work in collaboration with specialists when required. But I am working by myself on InMeOut, so I am quite busy. But I already have future development plans, and looking forward to new projects with the right partners, at the right time.
Give us 5 fun facts people might not know about you yet.
I am a workaholic and combine entrepreneurship with being a mother of a 4-year-old, so I know exactly what my clients are going through!
My mother is white from northern France and my father black for the Caribbean (Martinique);
I was working as a full-time model when I was 16 and finally went back to school to get my bachelor’s degree;
I have super cool tattoos..!
I too like my couch more than my gym matt…
I had the chance to learn photography, makeup art, fashion design, and had culinary courses all over the world while modeling (The French culinary school of New York, the Leiths School of food and wine in London…).