Meet Haley Weigman | Graphic Designer & Health Coach

We had the good fortune of connecting with Haley Weigman and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Haley, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
Risk is necessary to achieve anything great. I’ve been known to take risks a lot in life, but it always has a way of working out and elevating me in some capacity.

Creating my business was a risk. It started as my senior thesis project for undergrad in 2018. Students spend a lot of time and money on these projects, but I took a risk in making a project into an actual business. It cost a lot of money to do that, but I looked at it as an investment with return. I built my website and within my first few weeks I hit $200 in sales. I knew then I had something special that people resonated with.

After I graduated, I packed everything I owned into my car and moved to Arizona by myself. I had no job or apartment lined up. Another big risk, but by moving across the country to an entirely new place paid off and eventually led me to Los Angeles where my career took off even more.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
After I graduated college and had just started my business, I packed everything I owned in my car and moved to Arizona. I didn’t have an apartment or job lined up and I didn’t know anyone. When I got there, I hit some bumps but soon smoothed it all out and got my first graphic design job and my own apartment.

I spent a year in Arizona before moving to LA, where I’ve been for three years now. Finding a job in LA was not as easy as I had hoped, but eventually I got a job in design and marketing at a local production company. I learned a ton about marketing at that job, which was extremely helpful in landing me my next and current position at Rad Coffee, a punk/horror/skate themed coffee shop where I am the Head of Media & Design.

When I look back at my professional life, while some of the experiences I went through seemed rather pointless and mundane at the time, I see now how they were all stepping stones. My internship in college gave me enough experience to get my first job as a junior graphic designer in Arizona. That job essentially taught me Photoshop, which is my favorite tool for graphic design now. My job at the production company in LA taught me marketing, which led me to my current position at Rad Coffee. It’s all one step at a time, and the steps become bigger and more fun as you go.

Now, I have been at Rad Coffee for over a year and I am starting a new chapter again. This time, I am switching gears to become a health coach. It is totally different from anything I’ve ever done, but it is what I feel drawn to. In July 2020 I was officially diagnosed with endometriosis after dealing with symptoms since age 17. I had surgery, started exercising, and stopped drinking. Overall I lost about 30 lbs, and have put on about 20 lbs of muscle since losing weight. I was healthier, but still dealing with constant pain. When you decide to “become healthy” it is so challenging to know what foods are actually healthy and which exercises are actually useful. I went through this discovery phase of health for nearly two years before it clicked. In April of 2022, I had the worst endometriosis flare up of my life while on a trip back home to Michigan. I was in extreme pain for two weeks straight. I knew that I needed to drastically change my diet and take my overall health much more seriously.

Now, I can confidently say I am the healthiest, strongest, and happiest I have ever been. Since switching my diet, I have been able to dramatically reduced my symptoms, and I’ve never felt better. I now want to help others avoid the struggle I went through trying to figure it out on my own. Everyone deserves to live their happiest and healthiest life!

With this new path, I plan to expand Fifth Wheel Wear more. I will be resigning from Rad Coffee to pursue my health journey in helping others, which will allow me to spend more time creating art for me and my business. My next step is to integrate health and fitness related stickers into my brand, as well as sell merchandise at more in-person events.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
My answers will probably be basic, but of course you have to stop at Porto’s for some amazing cuban coffee and pastries. No matter how many times I go there, I’m always enamored!

After Porto’s, you must head down to Topanga. You can’t go wrong driving through the canyon roads, site-seeing the mountains, shopping at the boutiques, and eating at Inn of the Seventh Ray.

From Topanga, obviously you must go to Malibu! My favorite beaches in Malibu are Point Dume, Leo Carillo, and Broad Beach. The hike at Escondido Falls is always amazing too.

Leave Malibu and head up to Santa Monica to grab a churro and see the ferris wheel lit up at night, and that my friends, is a perfect little romantic day for an out-of-towner!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would like to shoutout my graphic design friends who helped me get started. When I was putting this project together, we were spending hours together every week working long nights on our thesis projects. They offered critiques, design help, laughter, support, and so much love. To this day, they still make me a better designer and are some of the best friends I have.

Website: fifthwheelwear.com, hweigs.com

Instagram: @hweigsdesign @fifthwheelwear

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/haleyweigman/

Twitter: healthysolhaley

Image Credits
Jenn Norman, Meghan Magoun, Eva Morlock, Matthew Tam