Radiant Living Guest Expert: Julia Fischer & Living a Balanced Life

I am so excited to share with you today another guest interview!!  Welcome Julia Fischer, to the Radiant Living Guest Expert Series! Julia is a Health and Wellness Coach on a mission to empower women on the path to a happier and healthier and more balanced life!  Her own personal experiences from binge eating, insomnia to candida lead her through her own wellness journey and now she can better help and understand her clients even better! Julia is a graduate of Institute of Integrative Nutrition and currently lives in Germany…but is on her way to move to the UK!!  She is regularly on Periscope so definitely catch her LIVE over there @blossomyoursoul .

So let’s jump right to the interview….

Q: Julia, Tell us a little bit about your story and how you came to be a health coach.

A: About 2 years ago, I started taking paying attention to my diet and I switched to a plant-based diet. I realized how much better I felt when I ate healthier and took care of myself. I was going through a rough time in my life and after I overcame my struggles, I got more into nutrition and mindset.  I learned how much of an impact that the way we eat and live really affects your life.  I really wanted to share my experience and help guide others through their own struggles.  I enrolled in IIN and I decided that is what I wanted to do for a living!

Out of curiosity, I decided to try a plant-based diet. I did a 30- day challenge because I had heard so many good things.  I really liked it and my sleep got way better, my overall mood improved, and I lost some weight. I also was able to learn about so many other different foods that I didn’t hear of before and my taste buds changed a bit.  And then I just decided to keep going because I liked it!  I don’t eat a super strict diet though sometimes I do eat cheese and milk like once a month or special occasions.  I like to call it plant-based diet instead of vegan because vegan is so strict. I definitely listen to my body and sometimes eat an egg if I feel like I need it.
Q: What has been the biggest hurdle you have overcome since starting your own business?

A: Don’t take the opinions or doubt of others personally – especially family. But that was the hardest thing I had to overcome was listening to everyone’s thoughts. I would say, don’t lose focus on what you want to do and your passions. But just get over it and do not let others stop you from chasing your dreams.

Q: What is one piece of advice that you have for busy entrepreneurs trying to start a healthier lifestyle? 

First, I would say don’t freak out or try to be 100% perfect in the beginning.  I thought I had to cut everything out right away, but it just doesn’t work because it is way too much change.  So start small and build up each day, but push yourself and take some risks.  But most importantly – learn to listen to your body.  And of course drink lots and lots of water!!

Q: How do you balance taking care of yourself and working on your business?

I make time each day even if it is only 30 minutes.  When I first started my business, I struggled with not taking breaks and I was on my computer 24/7.  Then I was like – wait – I am a health coach I have to take care of myself now!   Now I aim to take breaks regularly and get off my computer/phone at least ½ hour before bed.  I also do meditation to help myself re-focus.

And it is so important to reset your brain and so I don’t look at my phone right away in the morning and it’s really important to take that time away and be more present with your time.  It is so important for creativity too.  My favorite thing to do is go on walks without my phone and take a few moments to clear my brain.

Q: What is your favorite go-to recipe that you cook when you are in a hurry?

My favorite is when I just look in my fridge and I just put everything in the pan.  I am a huge fan of avocados – so that always goes in my meals.  A good combo that I like….has brown rice, avocado, lemon juice, tomato or anything that I can chop up really quick!  And lots and lots of greens – spinach is my favorite.  I typically make a half cooked – half raw dish especially when I am in a hurry.  So it turns into like a warm/cold salad.   I always make sure to have healthy fats with my meal.

Here is one of my favorite recipes from my free plant-based recipe book.

Quinoa Dish

Start by cooking the quinoa. To do it properly, pour under some water before cooking it, to get rid of the bitter compounds. Cook with  approximately 2.5 cups more water than quinoa.

While waiting for the quinoa to be ready, start to get the leaves from the kale off of the stalk, wash them and put into a bowl. Start to massage them. Yes! you heard right. Massage it. This is a great way to get the leaves a bit softer and helps you to digest it easier.  When ready, season it with some salt and pepper, some olive oil, some herbs ( I love basil, it adds such a fresh taste to everything) and lemon juice.

By this time your quinoa should be ready (when all the water is gone and its texture has  changed). Mix it with some turmeric, cumin, add some garlic and layer on the kale. Top it with some tomatoes , sprouts, sweet corn, and avocado. Squeeze some more lemon juice on it and if you are hummus addict like I am — feel free to add some of that as well. 🙂

Q: What is your #1 piece of advice that you can share revolving around transitioning to a more plant-based diet? 

Educate yourself and get rid of the thoughts that it is expensive and takes a lot of time.  Like I mentioned before – I am lazy sometimes and the truth is that it really doesn’t take that much time.   And don’t worry about being 100% perfect right away in the beginning. Talk and learn with people that have done the transition before.  Surround yourself with people that you like and that have the same interests so it makes it easier for you too.

Q: Share with everyone a little bit about your programs and what you do for your clients.

I help my clients find a balance with lifestyle and I help clients with emotional and binge eating. I help them feel more comfortable with transitioning to a plant-based diet and make smarter choices.  Overall the goal is to live a more balanced life.

Q: Any last words you want to share with everyone?

Just do not forget to take care of you!  It is important for us women to do more for ourselves.  Take a shower, get more sleep, take a hot bath, you need to feel good to take care of others.

Julia has an awesome FREE e-book Reset your Health: 5 Steps to More Balance & Energy. You can download it here.  http://bit.ly/getHealthy

AND – Julia is being so awesome to offer you all a FREE 30- minute session with her, you can sign up here. bit.ly/BlossomYourSoul

Hope you enjoyed the interview and have a beautiful week!