Health Coaching Blog and News | Institute for Integrative Nutrition

The IIN Community of Well BeIINgs: Nicole Aivazoglou, on Turning Career Dreams into Reality

Written by Integrative Nutrition | Jun 8, 2024 3:15:32 PM

Name: Nicole Aivazoglou

Location: Miami, Florida, United States

Website: thelivingfuel.com

Instagram: @thelivingfuel

Q: What inspired you to enroll at IIN?

A: My fiancé, Manoli, had completed the course a few months prior and absolutely loved it. It was the catalyst for him to start the business, and he encouraged me to look into it myself. Seeing him genuinely enjoy the course made my enrollment a no-brainer!

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

A: Manoli and I founded The Living Fuel Consulting, a wellness consultancy, and we have helped more than 10,000 people transform their health. The education I received from IIN gave me not only the information I needed but also the tools to start the business itself. If it weren’t for IIN, I wouldn’t have been able to create this amazing business and follow my passion.

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

A: Having gone through traditional schooling and college, learning about spirituality through IIN was such a breath of fresh air. I think it’s a topic that’s so overlooked and is incredibly important, so it was a piece of the program that was meaningful to me. I liked how the program prioritized spirituality as a primary food and described it as something that can take many different forms, based on the individual.

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

A: IIN dove deep into all the different styles of eating, but I think the most impactful piece it highlighted was bio-individuality. Everyone is so different when it comes to food that makes them feel good. It’s easy to get wrapped up in whatever the Internet tells you is the “best diet to follow,” so I loved that IIN really dove deep into the concept that food must be individual to the person.

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

A: Primary food is incredibly important to me! Movement is an important part of my day – whether it be Pilates, strength training, or a long walk, I always get moving. My spiritual practices, like meditation and breath work, are also very important to me. Lastly, my personal relationships really nourish me day to day, and my friends and family mean the world to me and really fill me up daily.

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

A: I’m absolutely living a life I love! I’m so grateful to IIN for being a catalyst for me to take control of my life. I was in a corporate job, doing work I didn’t care about and feeling extremely stuck. IIN showed me that I could do something I loved and also make a business out of it. As cliché as it sounds, it made my dream into a reality.

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

A: That deeply resonates with me. I don’t believe I’ll ever reach this perfect state of health ‒ I really believe I’ll forever be learning and growing in so many ways. Every day, I learn something new that challenges my perspective, and I’m always self-correcting.

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

A: I’d tell myself not to be afraid to take the leap. I feel like it’s so much more comfortable to follow what’s “normal” or seen as “correct,” but to me, that isn’t fully living life. Doing what makes you truly happy, even if that’s seen as different, should be celebrated and encouraged.

Q: What’s your morning routine?

A: My mornings start with a tall glass of warm water and a squeeze of lemon. I then usually go on to my journaling and gratitude practice and finish with a light stretch or meditation. I don’t turn on my phone for the first 30 minutes of my morning, and it’s a practice that’s absolutely changed my life!

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

A: I’m obsessed with disco music! I must have lived in the 1970s in my past life, because no one can lift my mood as quickly as the Bee Gees.

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

A: My favorite go-to is Barnana plantain chips! They are so delicious and a great healthy chip alternative.

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

A: My partner and fiancé, Manoli. He’s truly incredible, and our business would be nothing without him. We bring completely different perspectives and skills to the business. It’s so rewarding and fulfilling to build this business and help so many people together!

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

A: I believe I embody well-being because I truly cherish my body and my health. I see my practices ‒ meditation, healthy food choices, and movement ‒ as a way that I respect and show love to my body for all it does for me. Having gone through chronic Lyme disease, I found that these practices completely changed my life ‒ and I will forever cherish them for that.

 

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