As a Health Coach and Nutritionist who works with clients to overcome disordered eating and create their own path to intuitive eating, I get these questions a lot.

How do I know if my relationship with food needs some work?

Are my patterns and behaviors with food disordered?

What is the difference between disordered eating and having an eating disorder?

EATING DISORDERS

According to NEDA, eating disorders are serious but treatable mental and physical illnesses that can affect people of all genders, ages, races, religions, ethnicities, sexual orientations, body shapes, and weights.

Eating disorders are serious, potentially life-threatening conditions that can affect every organ system in the body. They are not fads or phases, and can have serious consequences for health, productivity, and relationships. 

This is the discernable difference from disordered eating, wherein Eating Disorders are life threatening due to the potential to affect every organ system in the body. Therefore anyone struggling with an eating disorder needs to seek professional help.

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The two most common eating disorders are Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa* For warning signs and more information on Anorexia and Bulimia, the NEDA website is a great resource and also includes hotlines under their Help & Support tab to speak with a professional if needed.

Binge Eating Disorder and Orthorexia are two other eating disorders with the latter being only recently identifiable.  Both of these can start with disordered eating tendencies that then become life threatening.

Binge Eating Disorder (BED) is characterized by up to 2-hour periods of eating past the point of being full, and often physical uncomfortableness/physical illness, where it cannot be controlled and is often described as “blacking out” and “coming to” followed by feelings of guilt and shame.

The difference between overeating and bingeing is that during a binge you are not present and all emotions are suppressed. When we overeat, we are present in our behavior and are not using food to suppress

The difference between emotional eating and binge eating is that you are present with your emotions and the fact that you are using food to cope or celebrate, for example eating half a bag of cookies because you are stressed or eating three slices of cake at a wedding because you are happy and celebrating. When you binge eat, it is not emotional, and instead the emotions are suppressed by the act.

Binge Eating Disorder can begin with disordered eating tendencies of eating to cope with and then suppress emotions. It is the suppression of emotions that may likely lead to the Eating Disorder.

Orthorexia is a relatively new eating disorder that is centered around the idea of “clean eating” or only eating foods made with ingredients that are pure or unprocessed. Orthorexia tends to be characterized by a morality of only eating healthy ingredients.

Orthorexia can begin, and often stays as, disordered eating. This includes compulsive checking of ingredient lists, unusual interest in the health of what others are eating, spending hours excessively thinking about what food may be served at upcoming events and obsessive following of food or healthy lifestyle blogs/twitter/Instagram account.

Orthorexia may become an Eating Disorder when it becomes harmful to the persons health – cutting out an increasing number of food groups (carbs, sugar, dairy, meat, etc) which can cause digestive disorders or malnutrition.  

* Note: I do not work with clients with active Anorexia or Bulimia eating disorders.

DISORDERED EATING

I think it would be helpful to first define what “Normal Eating” is, as written by the Ellyn Satter Institute:

1.     Going to the table hungry and eating until you are satisfied

2.     Being able to choose food you like and eat it and truly get enough of it – not just stop eating because you think you should

3.     Being able to give some thought to your food selection so you get nutritious food, but not being so wary and restrictive that you miss out on enjoyable food

4.     Giving yourself permission to eat sometimes because you are sad, happy, or bored, or just because it feels good

5.     Mostly three meals a day, or four, or five, or it can be choosing to munch along the way

6.     Leaving some cookies on the plate because you know you can have some again tomorrow, or eating more now because they taste so wonderful

7.     Overeating at times, feeling stuffed and uncomfortable, and undereating at times wishing you had more

8.     Trusting your body to make up for your mistakes in eating

9.     Takes up some of your time and attention, but keeps its place as only one important area of your life

10.  Flexible; varies in response to your hunger, your schedule, your proximity to food and feelings.

I believe that understanding what normal eating helps to define what Disordered Eating is. Disordered Eating often begins in a conscious, or often unconscious attempt, to solve or camouflage problems in our daily lives. Often someone who first exhibits signs of disordered eating tendencies is also unable to identify or cope with emotions that arise as a result of daily problems.

Disordered eating is first shaped by attitudes, patterns and behaviors around eating that are the antithesis of the list above. Disordered eating usually begins as a result of dieting, whether for one’s own personal desire for weight loss or a coaches or parent’s desire for their weight loss.

Disordered eating might look like the following:

·       Eating is about control and not about the celebration and enjoyment of food. To feel good about eating means it could get out of control and this would be bad for weight and body image.

·       Following a specific diet. Since dieting means restriction and trying not to eat, your appetite can become unbearably compelling and never satisfied. Meaning appetite or enjoyment of food cannot be trusted.

·       Not eating regularly, flexibly and/or reliably. The experience of eating becomes so negative often it is forgotten or ignored, resulting in not trusting your body or know what it truly needs.

·       Eating becomes so engrossing that it distracts from any underlying problems in life that are regarded, likely unconsciously, as being even worse.   

Again, disordered eating is a distraction. I really want to emphasis that. 

Disordered eating is when we move away from normal eating activities. When eating becomes a distraction from stress, anxiety, uncomfortable emotions and other things in life we inherently don’t want to deal with. Therefore, eating to control, restrict or suppress can seem like a better alternative.

Disordered Eating doesn’t mean you have an eating disorder or will develop an Eating Disorder. Again, an Eating Disorder is a mental and physical illness that is life-threatening with serious consequences to your health.

If you believe you are suffering from the symptoms of an Eating Disorder, please contact NEDA for Help & Support.

If you believe that your eating behaviors and patterns have strayed from Normal Eating as defined above, and you find yourself in a cycle of calorie counting, dieting, restricting, emotional eating to suppress, obsessive food thoughts, etc. you can contact me to see if my health coaching services may help to heal your relationship with food.

**Please note that the information in this blog post is based off of my own research and is not meant to diagnose or treat an Eating Disorder. Please consult your physician or mental health provider for any Eating Disorder Treatment.

Getting to know Lex has been such an immense pleasure after following her for some time on Instagram. She is such a ray of light and you can feel her radiating warmth and her kind soul that comes through with each of her posts. She is opening up on her story, her food freedom journey and raising (almost) two littles to make their own choices with food (hello future intuitive eaters!). I know you are going to enjoy this week’s Q&A with Lex as much as I did!

Hey Lex, so for those who haven’t met you just yet can you tell us what it is that you do and one thing about yourself that may surprise people?

Hi, I’m Lex! I live in Richmond, VA with my husband, almost 2 year old boy and I’m pregnant with our 2nd boy. I’m the one behind the IG @restoring_radiance and I’ve actually been doing it for almost 7 years now! I started my account as a private account back in the day when I was struggling with a binge eating disorder! It was more of a personal/ food and exercise journal. It’s changed a lot through the years, but through my healing and recovery I’ve become passionate about sharing that light with others. To encourage others struggling that they aren’t alone in their struggle. That life can come after an eating disorder, and that if I can be healed I believe anyone can. I hope to inspire others to have a healthy relationship with food and to not let it control their life, because this life is so much more than the food we eat, the clothes we wear, and our bodies.

A fun fact about me: I lived in Barcelona, Spain for 2 months after college and almost moved there. If it wasn’t for my now husband that started pursuing me back home at the time, I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t have left! 

Take us through a day in the life for you! 

A day in my life these days looks a lot different than it used to with a toddler and a baby in my belly. I used to wake up at 5am and take on the day. I go to bed early though haha! Now, I’ve been needing more sleep in this pregnancy so I typically wake up around 6am. I drink a big glass of water and have my coffee while I read my Bible and pray. Then, if I can I’ll do a little movement of some sort (so either an at home workout video, a walk outside, or Pure Barre if I have time which I haven’t recently. I typically do house chores like unload the dishwasher, start the laundry, make the bed, and get breakfast ready for my son. If I can squeeze it in, I’ll do an email check in or IG check in to answer some comments and messages! 

My son gets up around 7:30am and we have breakfast! I try to reserve my time with him off screens if possible. So in the morning, we play, sometimes run errands or go outside, do other fun things. My husband works from home too so if I’m able to squeeze in lie 20-30 minutes of IG and prepping my content for the day, working on a blog, or answering emails, etc then I’ll do that!

We have lunch around 11:30/12pm and then my son goes down for a nap. It’s usually 2-2.5 hours! This is when I literally get all my work done. Content planning/ shooting, recipe creation in the kitchen, cleaning, emails, DM’s, comments, catching up on social, etc. It’s usually a crazy race to try to get done as much as I can before he wakes up!

He’ll wake around 2:30/3pm and I try to do something outside in the afternoon if it’s nice. We usually have a snack and then go play. Again, I try to be off my phone as much as possible when I’m with him! Then, we start making dinner and usually eat around 5:30/6pm. We play, clean the kitchen, start the dishwasher, prep the coffee for the next day, pick up the toys, then give T a bath, do our bedtime routine, get T down. 

Once he’s down, I try to do a quick 10-20 min check in with anything I didn’t get done for the day. Then, I wash my face, get ready for bed, and my husband and I usually hang together. We talk or read (trying not to watch TV right now) and hangout until we go to bed. Usually around 9:30pm and then we go to sleep and do it all over again. It’s a lot of the same thing everyday. Of me trying to balance mom/ work life which can be so hard. Everyday doesn’t look the exact same but that’s our general day! It’s not always exciting, but I wouldn’t change it for the world! Of course that’s our day-to-day now, but once we have baby number 2 within the next month, I’m sure everything will change and we’ll find a new day-to-day! 

How did you discover Intuitive Eating and how do you practice it in your daily life? 

I ended up discovering intuitive eating about 3 years ago! I think I learned more about it from Robyn at @thereallife_rd. She was so free from food rules, but yet a dietitian and it intrigued me. I was mostly recovered from my eating disorder, but still didn’t have a very healthy relationship with food overall. The more I learned from her, the more curious I became, and ended up reading the original Intuitive Eating book! It was so helpful for me and I found the more freedom I gave myself, the less crazy I felt around food. I started to really enjoy it and had a completely different perspective around it. It was amazing and so freeing! I practice it daily still, and I don’t always get it perfect. We aren’t supposed to! I’m able to actually listen to my body and what it needs and recognize that rather than give it what the world tells me it needs. I’ve found it’s helped my digestion and mind so much!

What is your
definition of Food Freedom?

Food freedom to me is being able to enjoy food without stressing about it. To eat with a grateful heart rather than stress or restriction. It’s being able to enjoy a family pizza night with no regrets and just beautiful memories with my family. It’s eating all the foods my son eats too without him wondering why mommy never eats what I eat. It’s enjoyment, it’s fellowship, it’s community, it’s joy. It’s not always getting it right, but instead enjoying the journey and having a good relationship with food again.

What advice would you give someone on where to start with healing their
relationship with food/finding food freedom?

Everyone’s journey is going to look different and that’s normal. No one will have the exact same experience and your healing journey usually depends a lot of your current relationship with food. That being said, something that really helped me with finding a more balanced life with food was being around other people that had a pretty normal relationship with food. Being with people that didn’t constantly talk about diets, or good/ bad foods, their body, etc. Not that we can’t still love those people, we’re all allowed to have our own opinions, etc, but more just because it was really triggering during that time for me. So that’s one thing, another is to seek help or read some books/ blogs about it. I love all the content from @thereallife_rd, @simibotic, & @nourishingmindsnutrition. I truly talk about those three all the time, but they have been incredibly helpful on my journey! Their blogs have a ton of free information and they all offer coaching as well. I think having someone help guide you through it whether 1 on 1 or through their blog advice is really helpful. I remember I couldn’t get enough of the info they shared. Also, to find food freedom, you really truly have to let go of food rules. Not just kind of, but you really do. It’s hard but practice everyday. Every time you have a negative thought with food or your body, shift your mindset and turn it positive. You won’t always have to do this because eventually it’ll be more second nature but changing your perspective is a huge starting point!

What advice can you give on raising kids as intuitive eaters? What has been difficult in this process?

One of my biggest hopes with my son was trying to let him lead the way and be an intuitive eater. It’s actually been so interesting to watch and honestly such a joy. To see his food preferences, what he likes and doesn’t like, how he eats and how much. His days all look different, some days he’ll eat a huge breakfast and some days he won’t eat that much. I don’t stress about it, because I know it’ll all even out. Some days he’ll devour vegetables and others he won’t eat one. That’s part of the beauty of it all, because no one meal or day makes your overall health. Also, our bodies are incredibly smart and that has proven true with kids! When T is sick, he typically barely eats or literally just wants fruit and he’s typically a pretty big eater. This is always so interesting to me because it’s his body truly knowing what it needs!

As far as letting him be an intuitive eater, I really try to let him guide most of the way. If he’s all done and barely eats it could be because so many factors: he hasn’t gone to the bathroom yet, he’s distracted from what’s going on, he’s just not hungry, he doesn’t like what’s being served, etc. I don’t ever not give him more if he asks for more. He’s so smart and always stops when he’s full. I don’t worry about that even if it’s more than I eat sometimes haha. He’s super active and needs fuel and his body knows that!

I think one of the more difficult things has been when he’s hungrier for a bigger snack and doesn’t want to eat dinner with us. I do try to always sit down and eat a family dinner each night so it’s hard if he had a bigger or later snack and isn’t hungry at that time. I try not to stress, but I also don’t like spoiling his appetite for meals. So my biggest challenge is letting him have snacks but not overdoing it so that he won’t eat his meal! 

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The word I immediately think of to describe Sammi is REFRESHING. As a Registered Dietician Nutritionist who believes that all food fit, she offers such an easy and approachable view of food and nutrition. She believes in listening to your cravings (eat the chocolate when you are craving it!) and also that eating and cooking food should be enjoyable, easy and not complicated.

I couldn’t think of a better person to interview to kick off my Food Freedom Q&A Series which I will be featuring every Wednesday on my blog this Spring. Hooray!

Hey Sammi! For those who haven’t met you just yet can you tell us what it is that you do and one thing about yourself that may surprise people?

I’m a Registered Dietitian with a private practice in NYC. I meet with clients individually for nutrition counseling and work with food brands as a spokesperson. Most people are surprised to find out that my job is split pretty much 50/50 between the two!

Take us through a day in the life for you!

On any given day, I could be doing a few different things: meeting with clients; creating recipes, shooting photos and editing them; researching and writing blog posts; working on my online program, All Foods Fit; or working on a number of other projects. It’s what I love the most about my job – no two days are the same. I love working for myself, but it also means that there’s always work to do! I typically try to be at my desk to start work between 7:30 and 8:00 AM. I usually catch up on emails and computer work first until about 9:00 AM, and then the day always changes from there.

How did you discover Intuitive Eating and how do you practice it in your daily life?

Like many people, I struggled with my relationship with food and my body for a while, especially as a teenager. When I finally saw a dietitian for myself in college, I learned that we need to eat all foods in order to be healthy and that healthy eating should be easy. It started me on a journey of understanding that all foods truly can fit into a healthy lifestyle. Over the years, the more comfortable I became with myself and my body, the easier it became to let go of food rules that were – consciously or not – controlling many of my eating decisions. Right now, the way I eat is second nature. I know that I naturally crave nutrient-dense foods like veggies and whole grains. At the same time, I also love chocolate and dessert and make sure to eat some every day. I don’t think too hard about what I eat (unless I need to make the plate pretty to share on Instagram!) and don’t stress about it either. I love eating out and pretty much never cook on the weekends. There are truly days where I don’t eat one vegetable at all. None of this makes me unhealthy, and I know that it’s my diet overall that matters most. It’s a really freeing feeling that I try to teach to all my clients.

What is your
definition of Food Freedom?

Like I mentioned above, food freedom involves not only allowing yourself to eat all foods, but also being able to enjoy them without guilt or thinking twice about it. It’s when you can easily figure out if you’re craving a salad or pasta when out to dinner – and feel satisfied and content with either choice. There’s no black and white or good and bad – it’s when everything easily fits into your diet.

What advice would you give someone on where to start with healing their
relationship with food/finding food freedom?

Start by getting rid of judgement – both on yourself and of food. This is where I start with a lot of my clients too. Knowingly or not, a lot of us classify food as “good” or “bad.” We say things like “I should get the salad,” or “I’m so bad for eating that!” Instead, start to notice when you label foods and behaviors as good or bad and try to slowly stop yourself from doing it. By removing these labels, you’ll start to allow yourself to eat what you want – and not what you “should” have – and also remove some of that guilt associated with eating the “bad” food. No food is good or bad – food is food.

In your practice, where do your clients struggle most with intuitive eating?

A lot of my clients struggle with letting go of control. It’s a common fear that we’ll automatically start to gain weight when we listen to our bodies instead of our food rules. And I get it – when you’ve followed rules most of your life to try to control your body, it’s super scary to think about letting go. I work with clients to slowly let go of some of those rules and control. I can confidently say that pretty much all of my clients feel amazing when they’re able to do that. So many of us have food rules that we don’t even realize we have. Letting go of those rules frees up space to focus on so many other things in life. Our bodies are smart. When we listen to them and eat in a way that feels good both physically and mentally, they’ll go where they’re naturally and healthfully meant to be.

For more resources check out the following:

Sammi’s Ebook: 7 Days to Make All Foods Fit (without guilt)
Sammi’s Cookbook: The Essential Vegetable Cookbook

Four Steps to Food Freedom
8 Steps to Mindful Eating

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Woo hoo! Email marketing is one of my favorite topics.

Why you ask?

Since Instagram changed it’s algorithm earlier this year, resulting in a drop in follower growth and engagement, I have been shifting my focus to my email list. By growing and nurturing my subscriber list, I know that I am directly reaching those that want to hear from me, and potentially buy from me. I spend a lot of time creating both my free and paid content, and to scale my business I want to make sure it ends up in the hands of people who want it!

The Instagram algorithm is a crap shoot in terms of any guarantee that your followers see all of your content, most of the time you are only reaching 10% of your audience. Yikes!

I love sending emails to my subscriber list because it goes directly to their inbox, so you know they are seeing it, and if you are delivering amazing content week after week, it is likely that they are opening it!

So how do you grow a list of subscribers who care about and want to read your content?

Here are my 3 steps:

1. Choose a provider: I started with Mail Chimp which offers a free membership when you are just starting out. You can use MailChimp to send out weekly newsletters with template options. I suggest watching a YouTube video on how to do this. I found MailChimp to have a bit of a learning curve. If you are ready to graduated from MailChimp to a platform with more capabilities, I would recommend ConvertKit or Kartra.

2. Send a Weekly Newsletter. Commit to showing up once a week for your subscribers. Use social media to take polls in your stories and ask about the content that they would like to see from you. Use this to build out your newsletter. I would recommend including a template with a few or all of the following:
   • Life update
   • Business update
   • Recipe of the week
   • Product/service offering of the week
   • What’s coming up for you next week
   • Any promotions or sales

3. Create an Opt-In Freebie. Based on the feedback you get from your social media audience or your subscribers on the content they want. Build one or two freebies to offer in exchange for someone’s email address. Offer freebies that tap into your own story and what makes you special. Here are some ideas for freebies that work well:
   • Create a quiz using Interact
   • Host a challenge
   • Shopping/Meal Prep Guide
   • A free chapter of your Ebook
   • Step by Step “how to” Guide

   Place your freebies everywhere: on your social media platforms and on your website. Add a banner to your website. Add pop-ups in your blog. Have a link in your profile in Instagram (you can use LinkTree for multiple links). Talk about freebies in your Instagram Stories. On your Facebook feed. The more places that people can find them, the better! And remember, it is all about giving them something VALUABLE in exchange for their email address. And then sending them valuable weekly content so they stick around ;)

A lot of the clients I work with in my one on one health coaching practice have the health goal of wanting more energy. Most suffer from what I call “the afternoon slump.” You know the feeling, come 3pm you are ready for that afternoon coffee or a nap under your desk. Your energy is zapped.

I ask these clients what they are having for lunch and most of them reply that they are eating a big salad. And when I ask what ingredients are in their salads, it turns out that most of them are lacking sufficient protein.

Not having a sufficient amount of protein in your breakfast and especially your lunch will typically lead to that afternoon energy slump. Protein contains B vitamins that our bodies use to balance our nervous system and particularly B12 in animal protein sources that give us energy*

Adding protein to your morning smoothie or nut butter to your oatmeal or other warm breakfasts is a great place to start. For lunch I like to add a good protein source along with a healthy fat to help satiate me until an afternoon snack and give me energy until dinner. My favorite way to do so is on a salad for lunch.

Scroll for my 5 favorite protein toppers for your salad.

If you are stumped for what protein to add to your salad and how much, look no further! I got my 5 favorite toppers and how much to add, all with ideas for fats to add as well. Can I get a woot woot?

1) CHICKEN. Surprise surprise, but chicken is one of my favorite protein toppers in terms of variety for what salads you can make. I suggest a 4 - 6oz. piece of chicken, or enough shredded chicken that would fit in the palm of your hand. My favorite combinations are a classic chicken caesar like the one pictured above with my easy homemade caesar dressing and avocado; or a chicken salad with sliced almonds, strawberries and olive oil and balsamic vinaigrette.

2) EGGS. I love both hard and soft boiled eggs on my salads. It’s so easy to bring with you to work and add on top of your salad. Eggs are the perfect protein as they contain all nine essential amino acids that our body can’t produce on it’s own. I suggest adding two eggs to your salad, or doing one egg and also 1/4 cup of quinoa (a gluten-free grain that is high in protein) or chickpeas. I love me a good chopped salad with romaine, tomatoes, avocado, eggs and chickpeas.

3) BEANS/LENTILS. Plant-based protein from legumes back a big punch in your salad. I love a mexican-themed salad with romaine, 1/2 cup black beans, avocado, cheddar, tomato and a lime +cilantro + olive oil dressing. I love making this a warm salad with 1/4 cup kidney beans and 4 oz. of ground turkey sautéed in olive oil and taco seasoning.

4) STEAK. Don’t shy away from red meat, but do make sure it comes from a local source that is grass-fed. Red meat is high in iron, selenium, zinc and B-12. I like steak salads for when you are going out to lunch with co-workers or clients for work. It’s an easy menu choice when you don’t want to fuss and someone else has picked the place to eat. If ordering steak, I suggest skipping dairy to help with digestion. Chew your steak thoroughly and a 4oz. to 6 oz. portion the size of the palm of your hand is the perfect amount.

5) SHRIMP. The underdog for salad toppers. Here is one of my favorite shrimp salad combos when you are looking for something quick and tasty. I also love making my own shrimp louie salad using a good ranch dressing like this ranch one and also this thousand island dressing.

*if you are a vegan or a vegetarian I recommend getting a blood test to see where your B vitamin levels are and substituting as needed.

OK you want to become a health coach! First step, yell hooray and jump up in the air a few times. Or, put on your favorite song and dance it out in celebration. Becoming a health coach is the most rewarding career, in my opinion. It has changed my life since the day I started coaching full-time. And maybe you only want a side-hustle coaching practice. That’s cool, too.

Whether you are side-hustling, or want a full-time practice, looking to enroll in school, are enrolled in school, or just graduated - you will need to create a website. SO WHERE DO YOU EVEN START? I am walking you through how to build a health coaching business website in 10 simple steps.

Health Coach Website Checklist - LET’S DIVE IN!

1.     Make an inspiration board for your website Go through Pinterest for ideas and start a board. Include other health coach websites, nutrition coach websites, and nutrition/food blogs that you love in an inspiration board for design ideas.

2.     Take photos! You don’t have to hire a professional photographer, have your friends take photos of you with an iphone or find a friend with a dslr camera. Take a few flat lay photos of food. I still use my iphone food photos on my current website. Taking photos will also give you inspiration for the design of your website.

3.     Write your navigation bar What will your links be? Check out my website and other health coach websites from your inspiration board. Write them down and start with at least these three below and add more if needed:
About Me
Services
Contact

4.     Pick a URL I used GoDaddy.com to check to see if the URL for my business name was available. You can purchase your URL through GoDaddy.com.

5.     Pick a host Check out SquareSpace, Wix, WordPress or any other host for your website. I chose SquareSpace because I love the layouts with a built-in blog. I also like how I didn’t have to hire a developer on the back end, and instead I make my own edits (with the help of a few YouTube tutorial videos at the beginning).

6.     Choose a template (Wix or Squarespace). Start with five favorite templates, and play around with these templates. Drop in a few of your photos from Step 2 to see which one looks best to you!

7.     Write out content! Start with writing content for what’s in your navigation bar.
About Me: this is where you tell your story and why you became a health coach
Services: more on how to choose the services you will offer in Module 5
Contact: Add a contact form or simply add your email and a photo of you!

8.     Add photos and written content to your website template. If you are working with a website developer this will be done by them! Again, I loved SquareSpace because of the drag and drop template but have never tried out Wix!

9.     Start your blog. If you are using SquareSpace, all templates have a build in blog page for you to use. Or have one built for you in Wordpress. Start blogging once a week to engage your audience!

10.  Add as you go. Now that you have the basics in place for your health coaching website by following the steps above, you can add as you go!

Maybe you add a link for Group Coaching or Corporate Wellness or your Ebooks. Remember your website doesn’t need to be PERFECT and include EVERYTHING at the beginning.

My website is still a work in progress and I am constantly making updates, which is why I chose SquareSpace and taught myself how to use it so I can add as I go! Do what works best for you and gives you space for creative freedom whether that is hiring a developer or learning the ropes as you go!

LOOKING FOR MORE DIRECTION ON SETTING UP YOUR WEBSITE AND BUSINESS?

My Online Course for Health Coaches on How to Build a Profitable Practice will set you up for success by laying the foundation and dishing all my secrets to growing a multi-stream income practice.

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This is a question I get asked a lot, and so I wanted to take the time to write out exactly how I got my first paying Health Coaching clients.

I have launched my Health Coach Masterclass on How to Build a Profitable Practice, which breaks down the exact steps you need to take to get your own first paying clients, and also consistent clients after this to build a successful practice. Although I feel that everyone’s journey to getting their first paying clients is different, there is a crucial step that you need to take before you start this journey, and that is to SHARE YOUR STORY.

 Yup, in order to get clients, you need to be comfortable sharing your story. People want to work with you because they relate to your story. If you aren’t currently sharing your story – on your blog, on Instagram, on Facebook, on your website, with friends, with new friends, with friends of friends, at events, at conferences – then you aren’t connecting with potential clients.  I share my story almost every day on Instagram, in my blog posts, and on my website.

HOW I GOT MY FIRST CLIENTS
My first five health coaching clients came to me through Instagram (when I had under 5,000 followers) and a partnership with a Pilates studio here in San Francisco. I had paying clients before I graduated from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition as a certified Health Coach. In doing so I was able to pay off my tuition before I graduated.

But let’s go back in time.

I quit my banking job back in April of 2017. At this time, I was 5 months into my 12-month Health Coaching Certification program. That same month I got introduced by a friend of mine, who was a Pilates instructor, to the owner of MNT Studio who was looking for a Health Coach to offer nutrition services to their members. You know how that happened? Because I shared my story with her of how I was about to quit my job in Corporate Banking to become a Health Coach. Once she heard my story, she immediately said she needed to introduce me to the owner of the Pilates studio.

The introductions happened, then a formal interview and I got offered a partnership with MNT Studio. I would be offering my health coaching services to their clients and I could keep autonomy with my pricing and scheduling. I would do the client intake and would pay the studio a % every month.

I went on a month-long solo trip to Colombia in May 2017. I would explore during the day and work at night on my website and marketing materials. What was important for my website was to have my story on there. I wanted people at the studio who picked up my business card at the front desk, to go to my website and read my story. I was also on the Pilates studio’s website with my photo and my story as well. It wasn’t just about what I offered, but WHO I AM and my health journey. And this paid off. Because in June 2017 I came back and officially launched Balance by Molly. I dropped off my business cards at the studio and I started to come by weekly to work out and talk to members.

 Within a month I had two people reach out who wanted to work with me. And if I am being totally honest I was SO SURPRISED that they want to work with me. But I knew I was ready; despite my fear and self-doubt, I found my confidence from my knowledge and ability to do it and kick some health coaching ass.

I treated those first two clients of mine like they were gold. I showed up at their work, their home, or wherever was most convenient for them for our sessions. I bent over backwards for them and within another few weeks I had my third client. All in the month of June. They all said they connected with my story on my website and my blog of my gut health journey as they also were struggling with digestive issues.

In July, I changed I added my website link to my Instagram profile and started to post more personal stories about my journey and my relationship with food. By early August I had gained more followers and I had two people reach out to me via Instagram DM. I conducted phone consultations with both of them and immediately took them on as my fourth and fifth clients. One of these clients was Ali Bonar of @avokween who said I was relatable and connected with my story that I shared on Instagram.

HOW I KEEP GETTING CLIENTS
I continued to treat my first 5, then my first 10 clients like gold. I was taking Lyft across the city to new client’s homes and offices. I was working weekends, early mornings, whatever I had to do to make them happy. I knew that my first clients would become my sales force, and if I treated them well, then they would tell their friends, their family, their spouses, partners, co-workers and followers about me.

To this day, about 30-40% of my clients come from past client referrals, 50% come from Instagram and 10-20% come from corporate talks, my 10-Day Balanced Gut Reset, by finding my blog or website in search, Yelp, etc.  

And even though I have an office now where I see clients, and since have passed the torch on my Pilates studio partnership, I still treat all my clients like the rare and beautiful gems that they truly are. I learn so much from their stories that they share with me. It reminds me every day how important our stories are, and how we should never hold back from sharing or connecting.

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I GET Asked this question quite often, so i wanted to answer it for you here on my blog. As we navigate our relationship with food and heal any disordered eating tendencies, it’s easy to get caught up in what is “right” versus “wrong.” Truth is there is no black and white answer, or perfect relationship with food. But learning how to differentiate between normal and disordered eating will help you along the way. Because we all should be enjoying our food and creating a safe space for ourselves to have a loving relationship with what and how we eat.

The answer to this question is simple. YES. There is a difference between the following:

1)    Binge eating

2)    Emotional eating

3)    Eating when you are not hungry/past the point of being full.

It is important to know the difference and separate them. They can also go together, so it is important to know that too.

Binge eating, as many of you know, is damaging to both your physical and mental health. Binge eating is tied directly to the urge (not the emotions) to binge. Bingeing feels out of your control and usually is "emotionless" and results in you "blacking out" and eating to the point of not being able to stop so that you feel sick and physically ill afterwards, often until the next day. Binge eating is often followed by feelings of guilt, shame and sadness which can often continue the cycle of binge eating.

Emotional eating can be categorized as normal eating behavior. But it is important to note only if this is separated from and does not lead to a binge. We eat when we are sad, lonely and also when we are happy and feeling joy. It is ok to eat when you are emotional if you are AWARE in the moment and is consistent with present thoughts that might say something like "yes I am aware I am eating because I am emotional, and I can stop when I want to." It is also important to be aware that binge eating is emotionless. When you binge eat, the urge is strong and present but your emotions then fall way during a binge and you are not aware or present. 

Eating when you are not hungry or eating past being full can also be categorized as normal eating behaviors. The difference is that you have control over the urge and you can stop if you wanted to. These can also be defined simply as "mindless eating" and not binge eating. We often eat when we are not hungry because we are bored or to fill the time. We can become mindful of this by mentally checking in with ourselves when we are bored, and ask ourselves "Am I hungry, or just bored? What else can I do to fill this space?"

Eating past being full can also be categorized as normal eating. When this takes place we are able to identify that we over ate and also listen to and trust our body that it will balance itself out. We aren't able to intuitively listen to our bodies all the time because of well, life and all it's wonderful distractions, and therefore we normally overeat or under eat. When eating past the point of being full or eating when you are not hungry leads to a binge (as explained above), this is when it is categorized as ED behavior.

I work with clients on separating these three behaviors and overcoming the binge/restrict cycle. It is important to note that the journey to full recovery is difficult and working with a health coach like me to form new habits with food will be beneficial for your mental, emotional and physical health in the long run.

You can book a consult call with me here. 

Pricing for all my programs is found here.

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Do you work for yourself? Want to develop a better routine for work? As an entrepreneur, mastering your time for efficiency and productivity can be simple, but it is important to discover what works best for you!         

Before I started my own nutrition practice I worked in corporate America as a banker in technology finance. I used to have weeks where I felt like no matter how many items I checked off of my to-do list, they would keep piling up and the list would get longer and longer. Some mornings I would come into work and stare at my to-do list not even knowing where to start, thus triggering bouts of high stress and anxiety.  Anyone feel me on this? Simply put, I wasn’t managing my time well.

Fast forward to quitting my banking job and setting out on my own. One of the unexpected hurdles that came up during the first few months of working for myself was, how the heck do I manage my time? I had a million things I wanted to do. Client scheduling, sessions and follow ups. Marketing on social media, newsletters and blogs. Partnerships and community events. Corporate wellness, office hours and nutrition talks. The list goes on and on.

It took a lot of time to figure out my new routine, when to schedule clients, how to schedule clients, and even things like when my brain was most focused and efficient and also my sleep schedule. Now that I don’t work a 9 to 5 I am able to maximize hours for when my brain turns on (late afternoon and evenings) versus when to focus on more menial tasks that don’t require a lot of brain power (mornings).

I have put together my 3 tips for managing your schedule as an entrepreneur like a pro.  These have worked tremendously for me and I highly recommend trying one or all three to see how it works for you!

ESTABLISH A MORNING ROUTINE

As an ENFJ I need structure and as “the most introverted of extroverts” I also need quiet time. I understand that what might work as my routine can be very different for others, but what is important is establishing your own in the morning.  Setting a routine in the A.M. is so important for how we spend the rest of our day.  As an entrepreneur, it is likely that you will have many opportunities thrown in your direction at once, so having a daily routine can help to ground you and give you some much needed time for yourself.

I am a late riser.  My internal alarm clock is set to 8am. My boyfriend is usually up in the morning and on his way to work by then. Most days I don’t leap out of bed right away. I take some time to stretch my body laying down or I do a quick 1-2 minutes of Dr. Andrew Weil’s breathing exercise which helps to center me before starting my day.

My first stop in the morning is the kitchen. I heat up water on the stove to pour into a big 16 oz. glass with a giant squeeze of lemon.  Warm lemon water is my “coffee” and gives me energy, cleanses and alkalizes my system and gets me ready for the day. I then sit on my couch and enjoy this warm cup of goodness while I check my calendar to prep for the day and time-block for the next day (see below). I then answer any urgent emails and leave the rest for later.

Back in the kitchen I am making a smoothie for breakfast.  This work for me as it is such an easy way to get a dose of vegetables, protein and healthy fats in the morning. I take this smoothie to my desk in my home office and dive into my emails first thing. Clearing out what I can in the morning helps me feel like I can concentrate on other tasks for the rest of the day.

The last part of my morning routine is getting exercise. I usually take a 10am yoga class a couple blocks away from my house. On days that I am taking clients at MNT Studio I will take an afternoon class there. Exercise is such an important part of my routine and if not yoga or pilates I am walking around San Francisco for at least 20-30 minutes a day. 

TIME-BLOCKING

To be honest, I don’t know how I would function without time-blocking.  Never heard of it?  No problem, let me break it down for you. A big part of creating a daily routine is to block time for certain tasks.  If you are like me, and struggle to stick to a routine and find your mind wandering from one idea to another then time blocking will help balance your time.  Sometimes I even schedule a time for when I just let my mind wander! I put this down on my calendar as “do not work.” But I have to admit that structure doesn’t always rule my day, so being flexible is important as well.

Here is how it works:

Time blocking is the act of scheduling sessions of work and different tasks on a calendar. By deliberately assigning work time on your calendar, you automatically acknowledge the immutable resource of time. Here is an article I love on time blocking from Fast Company.

Some people schedule every planned task throughout the day and completely fill their calendar.  Others, like me, allow for flexibility if other things pop up. Flexibility and buffered time are part of my planning process as is the time to do the planning itself. I also find a huge benefit in time blocking tasks that require more brain power for later in the day when my brain is more turned on.  This is also why I take my clients in the afternoon and early evenings.  

I do not time block every day. When I find it most useful is on days when I don’t have clients and I am left to my own devices. Here is a sample of my Friday that helped me stay focus towards the end of the week so I can relax and take my mind off of work for the weekend.

Also, a final note on time blocking if you plan to try it out. I would recommend figuring out a way to become productive with your work before you start time blocking your work. In order to do it well, you need to work first on time management, and honestly what I find works best with time management is cutting yourself some slack. Know how to adjust and buffer throughout the day. Don’t schedule to many tasks.  Stick to 2-3 important ones. Practice acknowledging interruptions from the self and the world and have a sense of what exceptions work and don’t work for you. 

SETTING BOUNDARIES

Deciding to limit how much I work has been key for keeping my sanity. When I first launched my business, I didn’t set boundaries on when I worked and what I did when. This eventually led to being frustrated when I found myself working on weekends and also guilt whenever I had any free time and I wasn’t working.

When I put limit on the hours I worked, this changed everything. Time-blocking my day helped me immensely with setting boundaries since they literally became tangible tasks on my calendar. Establishing a morning routine that didn’t involve me opening my computer or phone first thing was key as well.

Setting boundaries also includes setting a schedule for each week that works for you. As an entrepreneur, you have to make money in your business to survive and to keep on doing the work that you are passionate about. To me this meant taking clients when I could get them, any day of the week and any time. What I realized after the first couple of months was that this wasn’t efficient for all the other work that goes into running a business and didn’t help me maximize my time. After trial and error, I settled on taking clients only three days a week in certain time blocks and used the other two days of the week for marketing, writing, meetings or to relax over a long weekend.

As a nutritionist and wellness coach who also wants my clients to be successful, I allow for unlimited emails in my programs. In the beginning, I would reply to emails as they came through, even if I was out to dinner or after 11pm. Setting boundaries like responding within 24 hours to all emails allowed me to be more present in my life.

Take the time to play around with what works for you with setting boundaries, setting a schedule and setting up a routine. Make time to be present in your life and find balance for getting work done and spending time with yourself and those that you love. After all, if you have also left the corporate world to become an entrepreneur, isn’t that what it is all about?

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This is a post that I have been wanting to write forever, but first, I actually had to leave my career in banking.  To be honest, this wasn’t an overnight decision. Instead it lingered in the back of my mind for many years.  It started as a “wouldn’t it be cool” idea if I could actually build a business doing what I love – helping people eat nourishing food to improve their health.  I never thought it would be possible to turn my passion into a business.

I worked in corporate banking for 13 years underwriting and structuring debt for technology companies in San Francisco and Silicon Valley. It was the longest “relationship” I had ever been in, and breaking up was hard to do. Because for a long period of time I loved banking. While other young girls dreamed of being veterinarians and ballerinas, at a young age I dreamed of being a business woman wearing a black suit and carrying a briefcase down Wall Street (just ask my mother about this). I didn’t make it to NYC, but climbed my way up the ladder in Los Angeles and San Francisco as a woman determined to break the glass ceiling. I loved the pay checks, I loved the bonuses, I loved the perks and I especially loved the creativity of structuring debt and proving myself to rooms full of white-haired men over and over again.   

Overtime, as with anything painted in glittery gold, the appeal of banking lost its shimmer and I began to see the cracks in the pavement as I continued down the road of my corporate career.  Three years ago I landed at a large institution, one of the biggest banks in America (by assets), and this is where my long term relationship with banking began to reach its imminent end. Compounded by my marriage that ended during my tenure here, I started to re-evaluate what it was that I truly loved about my career.  I noticed that things that were once important to me – money, status, nice clothes, expensive trips – were no longer my priority. They were no longer ME. Or maybe, I thought, just maybe this lifestyle never really was me.  It was time for a change.  It was time to become me again.

I have always been a hippie at heart. I actually hate using a hairbrush, I never really enjoyed wearing a lot of makeup, I could eat crunchy granola, beets and kale every day, and horoscopes and moon phases are pretty much my favorite things to talk about.  But my absolute favorite topic, that lights me up and will get me talking for hours, is about the power that eating whole foods has to change our health. I won’t crowd this post with my own story about my health and wellness journey, but I have seen firsthand the effects that food can have on your body and your mind. I have suffered through the negative effects of a diet based off of processed foods and have since discovered the health benefits of eating a diet of real food.

I have always “coached” family and friends on their own diets and how to make healthier choices, and people started to encourage me to make this into a career. After many years, I started to listen and then used the power of Google to find the Institute for Integrative Nutrition in New York.  They offer an online certification for health and wellness coaching and I knew this was the next step that I needed to take. I also started to spend most of my time on weekends writing my business plan and materials for my own practice. It took me one year to finally enroll in IIN, thanks to a huge push from a friend of mine, and then it took another six months to convince myself that I could actually do this.  I starting practicing on coworkers and friends, using my own health forms I had created and my personal knowledge I had built over 10 years of how to formulate a diet of whole foods without restrictions, calorie counting or portion control.

I started an Instagram account for fun to document the food I was eating and to share with friends. This is when things started to change. I met an amazing group of like-minded individuals who cared about the real food movement as much as I did, and for the first time in a while I felt understood by my peers.  In banking, I never felt wholly accepted or comfortable in a world dominated by men, long hours and unhealthy habits.  Whenever I brought a green smoothie into work with me in the mornings, or ate a kale salad at a group luncheon, I always received strange looks and back-handed comments disguised as jokes. Another huge reason to move on from your current career, is when you start to struggle with how to relate to your peers.

Me in my office on my last day of work, can you see the joy radiating on my face?!

One of the most important things, and what I always tell others who are trying to leave their career and start a new one, is to immerse yourself in a community of others who are currently in your dream career. Don’t be afraid to ask for help, for advice and for lunch dates to pick someone’s brain.  People who are equally passionate about what they do, will open up and share their stories and offer you amazing advice and help. I am truly thankful for everyone who has been my supporter on this journey.

Having support is one thing, but believing in yourself and that you have the ability to create something out of your passion is what is most important and key for making the leap. At first, I was so fearful of not being able to be successful in another career. I was questioned by those close to me how would I make money and support myself? I second-guessed myself for leaving what others thought was a great career. I began to question myself and self-doubt reared its ugly head for the first few months.

The I remembered what an older female colleague and mentor told me once, “Do what you love and the money will follow.” So step one, BELIEVE IN YOURSELF. If you are good at what you do in your current job, imagine the possibilities in a job you love.

Step two, here is a worksheet and video with my top tips before you make the leap.

And with that I will leave you with a quote from Mr. Steve Jobs: “The only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you will know when you find it.”