Her Story
About Ann
I've been a nutritional health coach for 4 years, but I've been in the health food industry for almost 10 years, and I've lived the lifestyle for about 30 years. My main area of expertise is bringing nutrition education to the community - I teach my staff and go out to places like senior centers, expos, and high schools to get the message of health and wellness out there. I also do nutrition consultations and personalized shopping experiences, helping support people on their journey to optimal health. My typical day involves prepping for nutrition education presentations that I perform either in my place of business or out in the community. I'm always creating new collaborative relationships with my community partners - I do a lot of referring and they refer to me as well. I sit on two chambers: a holistic health chamber and a cause marketing chamber, where I work with practitioners and also non-profits that help support our community. I attend a lot of conferences and do science-based education religiously throughout the week. A lot of my work is just working with the general public on helping them understand what optimal health looks like for them and how I can help guide them on their journey, meeting them where they're at because we're all so different. I work with a lot of people, from spiritual practitioners to doctors, nurses, bodywork people, sound healing - you name it. It's mind, body, and spirit. When I give my presentations, I address things from that perspective. It's not just one thing, but I believe that everything starts with the fork.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Ann
01What do you attribute your success to?
I don't really know what success means - I don't feel like I'm there. I just keep doing what I do, whatever my calling is, and wellness is definitely my calling. I think the universe, God, just keeps me excited about helping people and being part of the solution and not part of the problem. I can't care more about people's health than they do, but I'm surely gonna walk with them as much as they'll let me. I just can't do the work for them.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
Do the thing that sets your socks on fire.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
It's not all about education. It's about experience, it's about relationships, it's about seeing people where they're at. We don't tell people what to do - I don't tell anybody what to do. I bring them good science, solid science-based information, and they are free to do with it whatever they want. Don't beat people up with science and trying to tell them what is best for them. We're all different. We're all very unique, and what works for one may not work for the other. And seasons change. When I was younger, things worked different at different ages. Every season is different.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The challenges are old ideas and old information. People are still stuck on old information, so the challenge is helping them to embrace that there's different ways and it's broader than we thought it was. We need to embrace both sides of the healing spectrum - the allopathic and the holistic. Those two work together. People tend to be on one side or the other, but when we bridge both of those, we can really help to get to optimal health. Our mental and our spiritual health is just as important as our physical health. If we're not addressing the mind, the body, and the spirit, we're just not gonna get there as optimally as we could.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Practicing these principles in all my affairs - meeting people where they're at, having compassion and understanding, and being supportive. These are some of the things that I've learned and I've had to refine, definitely. In my role as a health coach, this is gonna sound odd, but it's a mentality I've had to take on: I can't care more about people's health than they do, but I'm surely gonna walk with them as much as they'll let me. I just can't do the work for them.
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