Expand What You Can Eat - The Poop Method

Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in health and wellness but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Nicole Evangelista, founder of The Poop Method, located in Portland, OR, USA.

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

The Poop Method serves people with IBS and/or food sensitivities who want to safely expand their diet and find peace with eating. The most popular treatments out there are restrictive diets to "find your triggers," but what people don't know is that this creates a body that is constantly on high alert, which leads to conditioned food sensitivities. We help people to understand their food sensitivities and safely separate their true food intolerances from the conditioned ones so they can expand what they can eat.

Tell us about yourself

About a decade ago, I had five severe food intolerances, and it felt like I just kept collecting new ones as time went on. One particular day came to mind when I used to work in the organ transplant unit of a very large teaching hospital, you can imagine how important it is to be on your A-game every day, and I had eaten a donut with two of the five ingredients I had a sensitivity to. My performance was so bad that my boss took me aside and asked if my home life was okay and whether something had happened that was making me slow. I was just about the most embarrassed I could be!

Fast forward three years, and I was talking with a therapist about what felt like this impulse to eat everything on the table whenever I was around large groups. We talked through what it felt like, and I realized why that behavior may have started related to being told I was ugly by an uncle as a young kid. The next time I was at a group meal, it felt like a light switch had gone off. I no longer felt the urge to eat as much as I could, and I simply ate enough to satiate myself.

That's when I realized the brain's power when it comes to eating and symptom relief. I went down a research rabbit hole that lasted 18 months, learning more about limbic-targeted nutrition, a fairly new topic with more and more research coming out behind it. I knew that IBS relief had to be possible without using FODMAP and other elimination diets. With this research, we could see why restrictive diets do not sustain food sensitivity relief in the long run, and that’s when The Poop Method was born.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

Hiring a high-level business coach was a major milestone for me. I feel that being around people who inspire you is non-negotiable. Not to mention, this business coach is someone I've admired for a long time, and if I can tap into my scientific data roots quickly: we all have mirror neurons which can explain why being around someone you admire literally helps you expand your abilities (the ones you admire in them). Otherwise, it may have taken you longer to learn the same skills or behavior as a business owner. Invest!

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

Having a clear vision of the out-set has been what anchors me through it all. There are days when I wish I could have more structure than being a business owner provides, but knowing what I'm working for and having that clear vision of the "finish line" has been what keeps me grounded through the days when I feel like an imposter, or like I'm exhausted because the pain of the people I help is so deep, or like my inner child is screaming because of how far out of my comfort zone I have to be to reach more people. Having defined that "why" and being able to tap into it easily is the best thing I've done as a business owner.

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

  1. Start now. Someone once told me, "if you're not embarrassed by the first version of your business, you waited too long."
  2. Get a therapist. Being a business owner is a highly rewarding path, but you're going to go through some of the lowest lows, and you need a safe space to reflect, learn and grow that isn't your partner or friend.
  3. Be yourself. People are ready to see your take on that thing you're offering. You have a unique essence that puts a spin on an old subject. Be ready to share more about yourself.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://thepoopmethod.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/healthby.nicole
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thepoopmethod/


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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