Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in health and wellness but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Maria Nikolakakou, Holistic Nutritionist (M.Sc.A) & Intuitive Healer, based in Montreal, QC, Canada.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
My business deals with holistic health and nutrition coaching. I help highly sensitive and empathic people improve their relationship to food and their bodies by connecting more to their intuition and getting rid of limiting beliefs that were created by the diet culture. I have a non-diet approach to my nutrition coaching - I teach my clients how to make their own food choices according to their bodies' needs.
I mainly see clients who are dealing with emotional/ binge eating episodes, chronic body dissatisfaction, and hormonal and gut imbalances. My goal is to guide my clients towards sustainable changes while addressing all aspects of their person - mind, body, and spirit.
Tell us about yourself
I am a holistic nutrition coach and energy healer. I have a B.Sc. and M.Sc.A. in Human Nutrition; I am a certified Life Coach, Reiki, and Theta Healing practitioner. While doing my master's degree, I realized I wanted to have a holistic approach to nutrition and health as a practitioner, which led me to get certified in different practices after I graduated. What has motivated me is the fact that I wanted to address the root causes of what my clients were experiencing because that would give them sustainable and long terms results.
For me, it was never enough to only address nutrition issues at the food level. There are many layers to a person, and the physical aspect is just one of them. There is also the mental, emotional and spiritual side to a person that needs to be addressed as well when we are talking about complete healing. That's what made me start my own practice so that I am free to use the tools I find the most beneficial for my clients. I want to empower them to connect to their own intuition and be able to make their own food choices as well as trust and accept their wonderful bodies.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
Trusting myself and my abilities. Not listening to the naysayers. Getting out of my comfort zone and overcoming personal limitations in order to help others.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
The financial uncertainty that comes with being an entrepreneur.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Start before you feel 100% ready.
- Make sure you have a budget or do it on the side to make sure you won't run out of money.
- Believe in your vision and reach out to people who can help you (ideally, have a mentor or coach to guide you).
Is there anything else you'd like to share?
I want to say that it might be difficult at first to overcome all the obstacles that come with being an entrepreneur, BUT if you really believe in your vision and feel it in your soul that it is what you want to do in life, then there is NO way you will fail. Trust your gut :)
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://linktr.ee/MariaNikolakakou
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/marianikolakakouofficial
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marianikolakakouofficial/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marianikolakakou/
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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