Welcome, and thank you for taking the time to learn more!
I am Lynnel, the Director of the NutraPhoria School of Holistic Nutrition, and a practicing Holistic Nutritionist working with clients all over the world.
I have spent the last 15 + years in the alternative health field as a practitioner and teacher, and have built multiple successful wellness businesses from scratch while being a single mom of four. Yes, it was borderline crazy-making at times, but I survived.
I am telling you this because I GET IT. I get the “I don’t know if I can do this” fear because I felt it so many times I lost count. I get the feelings of overwhelm at the thought of adding more to your plate – all I can say here is that it is SO worth it in the end.
Ultimately I get your struggles, your frustration, and your desire to be more, do more and have more control over your life and career. You deserve to do something that you are excited to wake up to each day. It can seem so far away when you are in the ‘just starting’ phase but before you know it, you will be exactly where you are supposed to and want to be.
Serendipity
I remember the day like it was yesterday (honestly, time goes by much too fast!) that I decided to take the leap into the holistic and alternative health industry.
At the time I was working in a corporate sales and marketing job. I was really good at what I did, the money was good – but I was not passionate about it. After a while, I began to dread Mondays, the looming work week, the long hours, the what-felt-like-forever commute, and the time I was away from my family.
I began to resent having to ask permission for vacation, or sick days to be home to take care of one of my little ones. I got tired of corporate politics, and I got tired of feeling unfulfilled with no real purpose. I felt stuck in a hamster wheel.
It may have been different if I was passionate about what I was doing, but I wasn’t. I deeply desired to feel like I was making some kind of difference, to help others, to do something meaningful and rewarding.
I also felt unwell which just made matters worse. I always seemed to have a headache, I was tired, achy, cranky, and had spent half my young life riddled with body image issues, disordered eating patterns, chronic anxiety and panic attacks that were literally taking over my life.
I, like many in this field, happened upon my career in a beautiful serendipitous moment while on a search for personal healing.
I was not satisfied with a dietician telling me to follow the food guide (that ended up making me feel worse), nor was I willing to accept a well-meaning doctor handing me a prescription for medication simply because she did not have another solution other than a bandaid. A bandaid that came with a long list of detrimental side effects that seemed to me to completely outweigh any alleged benefits. That is when I started looking for answers.
I embarked on a powerful journey of self-discovery while becoming immersed in research, determined to find a better way.
It was an overwhelming success and transformative experience that completely changed my health, and my life. That was when my love for holistic healing was born, and that was when I knew I had to share it with the world.
Follow your instincts
You are about to make a pivotal decision about the direction of your life. That is huge and you have to go with your gut.
Before getting into this field, I spent many years researching and reading every nutrition, self-help, and wellness related book I could get my hands on. The more I read, the more I wanted to read.
I quickly became the go-to source for friends and family constantly fielding health-related questions. I used to joke that I would soon start charging for it. I am sure many of you can relate to this?
Then one day, the ah-ha moment hit me.
I knew first hand how life-changing all the knowledge I had learned was and I wanted to share it with the world. I finally instinctively knew this was the career I was supposed to be in. If you feel that too, the best advice I can give is to do it – have faith in yourself, your passion, and your instincts. It is amazing what happens when you follow your passion!
The Universe has an uncanny way of giving us exactly what we need when we need it (ie you being here now) if we are fearlessly following the path we intuitively know is right for us.
Take care in choosing your school
I realized pretty quickly that even though I had already collectively spent many years in both University and College; my psychology and business education wasn’t enough to work in this industry, and I needed to go back to school.
I was both excited and a bit worried about how to make it all work. I knew I did not want to sit in a classroom all day, nor was it financially plausible with a family to support. So I started researching online programs. That is where I began hitting roadblocks.
What does it all mean? What program is the best? What are all these industry associations, designations, and regulations? What about the scope of practice? What do I want to be able to do? The questions kept coming and I couldn’t seem to find any clarification.
There are a few things to consider when looking for the right school for you…
- Do the school and its mission resonate with you?
- Do you feel the passion they have for what they do?
- How do you feel when you look through the program – does it motivate you?
- Does the program provide you with comprehensive nutrition training?
- Has the curriculum been audited by an unbiased industry organization?
- Can you obtain registration status and liability insurance upon graduation?
- Is there a focus on overall mind/body/spirit healing?
- What type of wellness business training do they offer? (because you WILL need it)
- Is there any support after graduation?
- Is the program in-depth enough to give you the confidence to work with not only clients but also peers & medical professionals?
- Is the curriculum clearly outlined so you understand exactly what you will be studying?
- Is the tuition reasonable or overly inflated?
I didn’t ask myself those questions when I decided on my first online nutrition school. I ended up going with the one that didn’t feel right but felt better than the rest I had looked at, and started my program with excitement. My excitement quickly turned into disappointment when I realized that the school was positioned to dictate what the “right” diet is vs just providing me with the facts and allowing me as a practitioner to decide what is right for my clients.
There was no support and felt like I was butting heads with their philosophies. I ended up transferring out, losing my money and felt pretty disheartened. I found another program that seemed to fit my expectations and began again. After graduation, while building my private practice, I also worked for the school in an advisory capacity for nearly 4 years where I was tasked with curriculum development, research, and industry regulations.
Over those 4 years, I became an industry education expert of sorts – I talked to hundreds of students, gained vast industry insight, and researched every competing nutrition school’s curriculum. I realized quickly that there was a huge gap in the training offered at nearly every school. The magic formula was missing nearly everywhere!
What is the Magic Formula?
Nutrition, Coaching Skills, Business Training, and a whole Mind/Body/Spirit functional-based approach
I saw so many amazingly talented graduates failing in business – even with a great nutrition education backing them up. I began mentoring outside of work hours; answering business questions, sharing MY business materials, coaching methods, and providing guidance.
That is when a ‘light bulb’ went off. I had a vision of a program, THIS program that is structured to not only educate top-notch nutrition professionals but to arm them with the coaching and practical business skills needed for the best chance at success in the wellness industry. A program I WISHED was available when I was a student.
When we created our curriculum, it was with a clear vision to teach you, our student, not only what is required by regulatory bodies, but to go above and beyond that and also provide what we know is lacking at other schools.
Let me just tell you right now that the holistic health industry is AMAZING! And has changed my entire life, which is why I have chosen to devote my career to helping you follow your dream and live your Best. Life. Ever.
Feel free to reach out anytime, I would love to hear from you and answer any questions you have.
xo
Lynnel
PS – If you have not already, be sure to take a read through our Prospective Students resource area – it is loaded with helpful articles aimed at helping to arm you with as much information as possible so you can make a decision for your future that feels right for you. Also, visit the FAQ page to find answers to some of the questions that may be going through your mind:
