How Following Your Passion Can Change Lives

I have known Keri Glassman for over 10 years. We met when I was working at Women’s Health.   She was an Advisory Board member and contributing editor with two regular columns. Since that time, Keri has grown her own company into one of the most respected lifestyle and wellness brands, helping individuals discover and live their most nutritious lives. She’s launched products, appeared on countless national television segments, and helped thousands of people build and grow their own wellness careers through the Nutritious Life Studio.  I sat down with her recently for an Instagram Live to talk about her journey to becoming a leading registered dietitian, how Nutritious Life came to be (including all the bumps along the way), and the upcoming launch of the next Become a Nutrition Coach (BNC) class for those who may want a career in nutrition, too.  Read on to get inspired by her epic career path, and how you can take your wellness career to the next level.  Keri, how did you get started in wellness, and I want you to dig deep for me. Were you always healthy? Tell me the truth! How do I even answer this because the answer to that is, no!  I was not always healthy; but, I was always interested in wellness. I was the person that loved candy and sweets probably more than anyone you know. But, at the same time, I also loved healthy foods. I was always super interested in how food fueled the body. I was a gymnast when I was younger, and a swimmer. In high school and college, I played soccer and lacrosse. I knew I needed to fuel my body, and I knew I felt good eating healthy foods. But, that didn’t mean my relationship with food was always good. Did you go to school for nutrition? No, not initially. I went to Tufts University undergrad. Tufts has an incredible nutrition program; but, I was a political science major with a concentration in philosophy which seems so funny to me now. There was a time I could speak Nietzsche, Locke, etc. I had a great interest in nutrition, but I didn’t major in it because I was actually scared of science! I thought, “This is going to be too hard. I’m not a science girl. I’m a philosophy and English person.” My fear of the sciences was so ironic because when I went back to school for it, I crushed those classes and loved them. I’m obsessed with science now. How did Nutritious Life start? I always say that the origins of Nutritious Life actually started in college. I gained a lot of weight, but I was playing sports and remember thinking, “OK, when I eat healthy, not only do I perform better on the athletic field, I sleep better. When I sleep better, I am just happier. When I’m happier, I’m more motivated to eat well.” I always say that was the origin of the 8 pillars of Nutritious Life (Of course, I didn’t call it that at the time). So fast forward … I was working at Sports Illustrated when I graduated from college, and decided to go back to school for nutrition. I took Nutrition 101 at New York University, just to try it out. I loved it, and threw myself into it. I got my Master’s in Clinical Nutrition, and then got a job at a startup online nutrition company. After working there for a couple of years, I knew I wanted to help people in a bigger or different way by working with them one on one. I started seeing some clients as a side gig, and then I decided I was going all in and I started my own private practice.  What did you want to do differently?  At that time, much of the field was focused on diet and exercise. I knew when I started my practice, I didn’t want people to just focus on that.  I knew that did not bring success or lifelong healthy eating habits. I had studied how nutrition, exercise, sleep, stress, hydration, and self-care all affect our overall wellbeing.  I wanted to educate my clients in this manner, and didn’t want to just focus on food and fitness alone—it’s so much more than that. You have this amazing website with science-backed nutrition and lifestyle content. But, you also have an impressive certification program. There are a lot of people interested in working in the wellness space. Can you tell us a little about the Nutritious Life Studio? When I started my practice about 20 years ago, I knew nothing about being an entrepreneur. I had worked in a startup for a couple years and gained some knowledge there; but, I didn’t take a course, didn’t have a mentor or study business in school. I knew nothing about running my own business.  There was no roadmap for me to follow. I had all the science knowledge that I learned in school, but I didn’t learn anything about speaking to people or to consumers. I also didn’t learn anything about translating that science into consumer friendly language, and I didn’t learn about running a business or marketing … any of that.  So, I started a binder with every element I needed to create my business to hold myself accountable. It outlined my exact method for seeing clients as a way to keep me organized. I put in everything—education and counseling tools and forms, marketing ideas and the latest research. In the Nutritious Life Studio, you learn from all my mistakes AND you learn from all the things I’ve done right. I always say that the Nutritious Life Studio is that binder PLUS two decades of experience brought to real life. This course is where you get everything you need to create your own business and practice: the science, the counseling, and the business skills. What is the time commitment? Level 1 is three months; but, it is all self-timed

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