Name: Lauren Berlingeri

Location: Austin, Texas, United States

Instagram: @laurenberlingeri and @higherdose 

Website: higherdose.com

Q: What inspired you to enroll at IIN?

A: I had a passion for health and fitness from a young age, but working as a model for 10-plus years, in a career that was dependent on my body and fitting the mold for jobs and clients, my mental and physical health were left on the back burner.

I was confused and hooked on following fad crash diets rather than listening to my mind and body. Eventually, after years of feeling poorly in my skin, I listened to my body and decided to make the change to feel my best by learning everything I could about the art of nutrition and how best to take care of myself by listening to my body’s needs. That led to my enrollment at IIN.

Q: How are you using your Health Coach Training Program education?

A: IIN was an amazing introduction to nutrition and different wellness philosophies, as I gained a wide range of understanding of the industry and what drives me.

With my certification in holistic nutrition, post-IIN, I started a career as a Health Coach at Wilhelmina Models (my old agency), teaching young models how to eat, take care of themselves, and work out. I then switched roles to become a product development manager at the then start-up Aloha before cofounding HigherDOSE.

Q: How did your understanding of spirituality expand upon taking the program?

A: I don’t believe that my understanding of spirituality expanded through the program, but I do believe that having gained knowledge of nutrition and taking care of myself, I was able to embrace my spirituality and enhance it through the “power” of feeling my absolute best and connecting more to my clean and clear-of-conscious self ‒ which was hard to do before, when I was not feeling good.

Q: Did IIN help you find a way of eating that works for you? If so, tell us more about that journey.

A: Being healthy is a lifestyle, and I’m constantly changing my goals and what I’m looking to get out of my diet.

IIN helped me open myself up to the idea of being curious, trying out different variations of eating, and always listening to my intuition, especially body talks, like how different foods make me feel. That’s one of my most valuable takeaways from the program

Q: How do you nourish yourself beyond your plate with primary food?

A: In many ways ‒ I focus on long-standing connections and building new ones, with family, friends, and colleagues. I practice hot and cold therapy, and I always get eight-plus hours of deep, restful sleep. I set boundaries for social media and screen time, and I use red light therapy and sun gazing every night and morning to balance circadian rhythm. I work out to feel good, curate my eating, and stay intuitive based on my cycle, and I do things that get me high naturally. Most importantly, I try not to fall victim to things that are quick highs, like alcohol, coffee, and Instagram.

Q: How are you living a life you love? How did the program help you achieve this?

A: IIN launched my career in wellness, and after years of hard work, listening to my body, and a lot of self-discovery, I’m now a thought leader in the space. And I couldn’t be happier about where I am today.

Q: Health isn’t a destination; it’s an evolution and a journey. How does this resonate with you?

A: Health is a lifestyle, and that’s the number one thing I tell myself and others. My passion is to help people understand that it’s not about fad diets or taking on a diet for a few weeks; it’s a daily effort you adopt, an evolution of consistently learning and growing with your body’s needs.

Q: If you could tell your pre-IIN self one thing, what would it be?

A: I’d tell myself that the more you take care of yourself, the more you can take care of others. I can now make better decisions on how to care for my family, my friends, my community, and the Earth. In today’s day and age, it’s immensely important to put self-care and health as number one, always ‒ and that way, you naturally do the same for others.

Q: What’s your morning routine?

A: My morning routine is not the best because I have kids, but I try to always start with warm water and lemon, I wait 90 minutes before having my coffee, and when I have time, I squeeze in a few moments of movement before my kids wake up.

Q: What music do you play to get out of a funk?

A: My kids love Sing 2, so I know the whole soundtrack and love to sing along with them. It’s always guaranteed to put us all in the best mood.

Q: What's your favorite on-the-go snack?

A: My favorite on-the-go snack is a handful of organic raw cashews. It’s like taking a healthy Prozac, because of the amount of serotonin in them!

Q: What's one thing you can't run your business without?

A: Katie, my business partner!

Q: We’re calling our IIN graduates and community members Well BeIINgs. How do you embody well-being?

A: I embody well-being by listening to my body, having a deep relationship with myself, making self-care a priority, and inspiring others around me to do the same by just doing it and not preaching.

You can start living a life you love, right now. Take our free Sample Class to dive in.