Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in health and wellness but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Christiane Panesar, founder of Heart-Food Holistic Nutrition, located in Edmonton, AB, Canada.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
I help overwhelmed women navigate the maze of nutritional information so that they move beyond the mess to find clarity, deep nourishment, and enjoyment in their relationship with food. As a Board Certified Holistic Nutritional Consultant, Certified Life Coach, and mama of two, it's my passion to support women on their journey. Because when they thrive, their family does too.
I'm coaching locally in Alberta, Canada, and internationally online. I'm offering 1-on-1 consulting, workshops, and online courses. I'm trained in a psychotherapeutic approach called Compassionate Inquiry developed by Dr. Gabor Maté, a renowned author and expert on addictions and childhood trauma. I'm guiding clients through a process of deep inner listening where they're able to uncover self-sabotaging patterns. My approach is gentle yet powerful.
I'm helping clients find kindness and non-judgment within themselves, nurturing their inner resources so that they may bring forth a shift from the inside out.
Tell us about yourself
During my M.A. in German Literature, I faced health challenges that prompted me to change my orientation completely. I began to dive into holistic health. It was fascinating to learn about the connection between what we eat and our physical, mental, and emotional health.
Through rigorous searching, which included different diets, I came to the realization that so many modalities address only the symptoms instead of really listening to what the body is communicating. Everybody is so different; the answers lie within us and not at the surface level. After I learned to nourish myself in a way that was suitable and kind to my body and make-up, I found real energy and strength, and I felt inspired to help others who were looking for solutions from the inside out. Ten years ago, I founded Heart-Food Holistic Nutrition because I understood that this knowledge, when applied, is life-changing.
After the birth of my first baby, I reached a new level of difficulty. Not too long after my baby was born, I found myself in the midst of postpartum depression. I realized how not common it is to talk about the challenges and needs of mothers in the postpartum period and how it's the norm for mothers to be depleted for years and even never fully recover! So I developed a postpartum nutrition online program for moms and babies, including all the crucial things I wish I would've known before I had my first baby. Helping others going through similar challenges motivates me every day in my business, and I find my interactions with my clients very fulfilling.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
I would say staying true to why I started this business and have developed my own genuine approach. It's so easy to be persuaded by what you see and hear on the outside, comparing yourself with what others do, going by what you think you should do instead of following your authentic flow. I believe that if we align with that, we can be of service to others in the best way.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
Balancing private life and business life. As a business owner, it's not that you leave work at 5 pm and then you're done. There is always more to do and endless room for improvements, new possibilities, and potential. That's also a key aspect of being my own boss that I find appealing.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Do what you love and be yourself. That's what will sustain you through up and downs and attract people to what you do.
- Start small with what you can manage, then expand from there.
- If you can do at least part of your business online, do that. It makes you flexible, and you can extend your reach easily.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.heart-food.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/heartfoodcpanesar
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heartfoodholisticnutrition/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CHNCChristiane
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christiane-panesar-b55a0ba1/
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solopreneur that you'd like to share, then email community@subkit.com; we'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
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