Happy National Health Coach Week! To celebrate, we’re featuring inspiring stories of Health Coaches who are doing amazing work in their homes, workplaces, schools, and communities. Today we’re pleased to feature Marra St.Clair, Class of 2013! She’s taking over our Instagram account today – follow along here to see what she’s up to!
Ever dreamed of launching a business that’s aligned with your passion and deepest beliefs? Take a page from Marra St.Clair, Class of 2013. Marra is the co-founder of Ritual Wellness, a company that sells 100% organic, non-GMO, and cold-pressed juices and cleanses. In what has become an exploding industry, Ritual Wellness juices are a favorite of celebrities and fashion magazines alike.
So how did Marra get her product into the hands of Kim Kardashian and Sofia Vergara? The short answer is: lots of hard work! Once a personal trainer, Marra saw the need to make nutritious foods accessible and convenient, and Ritual Wellness was born.
Read below to find out how Integrative Nutrition helped Marra find balance, her advice for other entrepreneurs, and the morning ritual that sets her up for success.
On expanding her nutrition knowledge: I was a private fitness trainer specializing in Pilates and functional exercise. Seeing my clients one-on-one revealed to me how much people can benefit from personal coaching. People’s mental, spiritual and physical well-being are intricately linked, and I knew Integrative Nutrition would be a great asset to my ability to help people find joy in all parts of their life. My intention behind enrolling was to further establish my knowledge base of nutrition and to enhance my coaching skills.
On launching Ritual Wellness: I was privileged to work with a wealthy class of business executives, affluent families, and athletes. My clients were the people that seemed to "have it all." Yet, it was clear that the simple concept of fueling your body with nature's finest organic produce was still missing for many of them. Engineered nutrition, eating on-the-go and a general lackluster feeling of lethargy was rampant among my clients. Ritual Wellness offered a solution for helping people to bridge the gap between convenience and real nutrition.
On finding balance in her own life: Integrative Nutrition allowed me to take a deep dive into my own personal growth. As a personal trainer, I was teaching over 60 private sessions per week and as a business owner of Ritual Wellness, 90-hour workweeks became the norm. I was trapped in a perpetual mindset of: "If I can just get through this week, this month, that project, the next milestone…" Being stuck in a mindset of living for a future event or to get through a current crunch time was sucking the joy out of my life.
Integrative Nutrition resonated with me in a way which encouraged me to walk my talk. Exploring the concept of 360 degrees of well-being, I began to look at my own primary food plate. The result is that I live a more joyful and mindful life every day!
On her greatest accomplishment: I feel honored to have had a book published by Random House last year, The Juice Cleanse Reset Diet. I believe that my education at Integrative Nutrition contributed to this opportunity. I have been obsessed with reading nutrition and healthy lifestyle books since college, so it is quite rad to see my own book on shelves in Barnes and Noble and other outlets across the country.
On her typical day: My days at the work are different every day and can include anything from team meetings, writing for our blog, recipe creations, paperwork, business development and the list goes on. Regardless of what is on my to-do list for the specific day, my morning ritual does not waver. Upon arriving to work, I organize my work space, set an intention for the day (it can be something simple like expressing gratitude at each opportunity), burn yummy incense, turn on my favorite SoundCloud station and enjoy a big cup of green tea and a Ritual green juice. Having this morning ritual helps me to stay centered despite the craziness that may unfold!
As much as I love my work and my team, my favorite part of my day is coming home to my awesome husband. He is my greatest teacher.
On advice for others launching a business: First, make a comprehensive list of your values and reference this list for each of your major decisions. In dynamic businesses, there are big decisions made daily and if you do not keep your value list close at all times, it is super easy to veer off course without realizing. Your business is part of the ecosystem of your life and it needs to fit in with your value system.
Second, celebrate the small successes. Pause and notice your accomplishments, instead of always charging forward to what is next. Mini moments of celebration will keep you and your work joyful.
Connect with Mara