Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in health and wellness but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Sophie Teixeira de Abreu, Founder of Root Mindful Nutrition, located in Miami, FL, USA.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

I created Root Mindful Nutrition in 2018 as a platform to start inspiring more people – mostly women – to eat and live for better health, sharing daily tips and ideas of what to eat and how to create new simple health-promoting habits. Food and Nutrition are at the center of everything I preach, but today my work as a coach goes beyond food to incorporate other important areas of a person's life, including their relationships, physical activity, career, stress, home environment, and even spirituality. Most women I work with are in their 30s, 40s, or 50s, and I help them understand and fix underlying hormonal imbalances. The majority want to lose weight and are often also struggling with a variety of health issues like bloating, poor sleep, lack of energy, depression, or skin issues. My goal is to guide women to implement new healthy habits that will slowly help them reverse their symptoms and heal their bodies naturally, to get back the energy they once had to get to do the things they love most.

Tell us about yourself

I am a French Nutri-Chef, Certified Integrative Nutrition Health Coach, and entrepreneur now based in Miami. In my 20s, I left my home country of France to start a career in the luxury cosmetic industry in London. At this age, you can get away with almost anything, so I can't say those were the healthiest days of my life. In my 30s, I gave birth to our three children and raised them in Barbados. We lived a more simple life, where real, locally farmed foods started to take a bigger place. I then moved the whole family to Miami in 2017 to start a new working life. That year was a turning point in my health: stress, exhaustion, insomnia, migraines, and hair loss. A year into this, I decided to take my health back into my own hands and dig into the root causes of my illnesses. I enrolled in one of the world's most respected nutrition and health coaching schools (IIN). Implementing what I was learning made a huge difference in my life, and I felt I had to share it with my community. So far, I have managed to heal my subclinical hypothyroidism naturally through food and lifestyle changes. Today, with all my energy back and my passion for cooking, I am halfway through certification as an executive chef at the Mariano Moreno Culinary Institute in Miami. This will further give my Nutritious Meal Plans a real "Gastronomic" angle! Instead of following the latest fad diet, I strive to promote a plant-rich, nutrient-dense diet to support hormonal balance, digestion, and metabolism. Flavors, textures, and aromas play a pivotal role in my approach, in alignment with the savoir vivre of my native France. Since the very start of my journey, my ultimate passion and purpose haven't changed: I want to touch and transform the lives of people around me, one person at a time. Starting in the kitchen!

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

After six years off from the business world in Barbados, I needed to challenge myself, so I prepared for a professional move to Miami. That first year, my husband was still "commuting" from Barbados, and I was taking over a new business in South Beach with my three children in a new school and a new home under construction – all on my own. This was a time of immense stress and exhaustion that took a considerable toll on my health. I now look back on this experience from a different perspective. Navigating these difficult times alone gave me a sense of independence that, today, allows me to take on any problem with confidence and composure. And what really got me through that time was experimenting with healthy rituals, leading me to where I am now. I'm incredibly proud of the dedication it took to transform this challenge into an opportunity and reframe my approach to health.

What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?

In my industry, the toughest part of being a business owner is dispelling the seemingly endless amount of misinformation out there. With a new fad diet rising in popularity almost weekly, it comes as no surprise that people are increasingly confused about the right way to approach nutrition. Dr. M. Hyman wrote a great book about it called "WTF should I eat!" In my experience, people are more and more interested in living healthier lifestyles, but they just want a "magic pill" or simply don't know where to start or who and what to believe. Even worse, we are made to believe that to be healthy, we have to give up on flavors and pleasure. As entrepreneurs, we have the unique opportunity to change people's lives for the better, but it all starts with breaking down whatever preconceived notions they may already have about your business.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

  1. First, find your passion, then go from there–by loving what you do, you'll naturally find joy in your work and be motivated to make a difference in the world.
  2. Don't be afraid to take risks and put yourself in situations that are outside of your comfort zone. You never know what opportunities you'll encounter if you just say yes!
  3. Put your health first. So many entrepreneurs believe that they must sacrifice their well-being to be successful. The reality is that in order to have this lifestyle, you must make sure your physical, emotional and mental health is in the right place.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.root-mindfulnutrition.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/root_mindfulnutrition/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sophie-teixeira-de-abreu-8a991619/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

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