Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in health and wellness but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Edie Hoppin, founder of Living the Good Life Gluten Free with Edie Hoppin, located in Seattle, WA, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
When folks receive a diagnosis of Celiac or Gluten Intolerance, suddenly having to shift their whole way of eating can be frightening and overwhelming. I help newly gluten-free folks go from confused to confident. We focus on the opportunity to find new, healthy ways to live an even more delicious life. I provide support and step-by-step guidance so my clients can enjoy eating again without the fear of pain or damaging their health and start Living the Good Life Gluten Free.
Tell us about yourself
Looking back over my life, my body was trying to tell me that gluten wasn't my friend, but I couldn't hear it. Then, twenty years ago, I got a big shock. Many of the foods that I loved (the ones that I had been making with my grandmothers since I was tiny) - many of these foods were making me sick.
When my doctor told me that I had to cut out gluten, I thought I would never be able to enjoy eating anything again. But after a lot of trial and error and the support of a coach, I learned how to eat in a whole new way. Now Sunday mornings include the flavor of Grandma's Buttermilk Pancakes (reinvented as gluten-free) as well as all of the happy memories. I am no longer deprived when Thanksgiving rolls around and can eat the gluten-free gravy and stuffing without fear of gut pain or eczema. I love showing my clients how to reinvent their favorites!
Having personally experienced that just-diagnosed feeling of "I can't eat anything" makes me passionate about helping smooth the path for folks who are newly gluten-free. It took me a long time to learn how to listen to my body and to hear what she needs to be healthy and happy. Now, as a Certified Holistic Health Coach, I help my clients learn how to listen to their bodies. We explore delicious new foods, and discover how to hear what their body needs so they can deeply nourish themselves.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
My background is in opera and theater. I am very comfortable playing someone else in front of hundreds of people. While this is a great skill to have, making the transition to "playing myself" in public was a much more profound shift. Over the last two years, I have had the opportunity to work deeply on myself with some amazing coaches and mentors.
Learning how to be visible and vulnerable at the same time has taken my ability to support my clients to the next level. I also made the transition to gluten-free living over two decades ago. That was a difficult adventure during a time when "gluten-free" was new, and gf products were few and far between.
During both of these transformations, I learned to ask for help in areas where I was struggling. I am grateful to have found wonderful folks to support me in the world of tech and continue on my own path of learning and growing. I am so humbled and excited to offer that same support to my clients as they step into their new relationships with food, with life, and their way of being.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
As a solo entrepreneur, it is usually a small team of me, myself, and I running my business. As I've learned, tested, and integrated different ways of "doing all the things" for my business, it's extra important to remember to create balance by taking care of myself (and that includes asking for help and leaning on my circles of support). We solo-preneurs owe it to ourselves (and our clients) to practice self-care, plan time away from the computer, and schedule business hours so that we don't spend evenings and weekends in "the office." The calendar has become one of my most important tools!
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Get support! I have folks I can call for tech help, brainstorm new content and programs, and my own coaches to support me.
- "Done is better than perfect." The words and photos on my website will continue to change over time, but the most important thing is to have something out there so my people can find me.
- Keep following the joy and choosing the projects that light you up. When I have fun, so do my people!
Is there anything else you'd like to share?
Before I shifted to a gluten-free lifestyle, I felt like my gut was under attack. I imagined that there was a silly monster inside, causing all the trouble. I created a fun quiz (www.glutenmonsterquiz.com) for you to take that will introduce you to your Gluten Monster. The results will give you information about how your monster causes a particular kind of trouble. You are not alone, and it's always good to talk with others who share a similar set of "symptoms." When you take the quiz, let me know who your Gluten Monster is. Together we can find a way to turn them from a pest into an ally.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://ediehoppin.com/
Facebook: https://bit.ly/3DxhdsT
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ehoppin/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/edie-hoppin-8ab14335/
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.
Feel inspired to start, run or grow your own subscription business? Check out subkit.com and learn how you can turn "one day" into day one.
