Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in health and wellness but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Lisa Taylor, founder of Your Best Life With Lisa, located in Innisfil, ON, Canada.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
I am an Integrative Nutrition & Gut Health Coach on a mission to help people prevent the onset of chronic disease by learning how to heal their gut and prioritize healthy, anti-inflammatory diets and lifestyle choices. In addition to prevention, using the same gut healing approach, I help people reverse their chronic disease by learning how to eat and live in a way that reduces their inflammation levels so their body can find balance and their chronic symptoms can subside, just as I have done.
Tell us about yourself
My health journey began when I discovered a bald spot on my scalp the size of a loonie. After about a month, I'd lost 90% of my hair to what I soon discovered was my autoimmune disease, Alopecia Areata. Of course, I saw several doctors - all of whom told me I should get steroid injections in my head, use Rogaine, or just accept losing my hair. None of them explained why my hair was falling out; besides that, it was autoimmune, which was genetic.
Wanting more of an explanation, I took research into my own hands. I quickly learned that inflammation at the hair root was causing my hair to fall out, so I became driven to understand how I could reduce the inflammation in my body. My gut told me the options my doctors were offering me would only cover up the inflammation like a band-aid vs. address the root cause of WHY I was inflamed.
After searching for a root cause approach, I decided to see a Naturopath who literally changed my life. She helped me heal my gut, identify problematic food sensitivities, clean up my diet, and make lifestyle changes to reduce stress levels, which were typically very high for me. The total health transformation that followed was truly incredible. Not only did I start to see regrowth across my scalp (which my hubby had since shaved because my hair loss was so severe!), but chronic issues that I'd been dealing with for YEARS disappeared too!
I was no longer constipated, gassy, and bloated! My energy levels and sleep improved, my psoriasis disappeared, and my mental clarity and moods improved. I felt more amazing than I could ever remember feeling. I couldn't believe such seemingly small changes to my diet and lifestyle could transform how I felt so dramatically. Living my best life quickly became my passion and inspired me to become a Certified Integrative Nutrition Health Coach.
Today, I am passionate about showing my clients the power of healthy food and lifestyle choices - how both are often the only meds most of us need. And how gut healing is at the foundation of any successful healing journey. The total health transformations that I get to witness in my transformational coaching programs are truly incredible. Nothing brings me more joy than helping others who have been struggling with autoimmune disease (most of my clients have alopecia areata like me, but I do take other cases) and/or chronic symptoms heal themselves by learning to make healthier, anti-inflammatory choices that help to bring their bodies back into balance so they can thrive.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
Sharing my story and the work I do on four podcasts was something I always dreamt of doing! I am also incredibly proud of the business systems I've put in place to take some of the day-to-day pressure off. e.g., email marketing strategy, social media strategy, etc.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
Cash flow for paid marketing systems (e.g., SEM) to pull in more of the right clients. I KNOW I can help so many more people if I could only reach them more easily.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Give back in some way (the world needs it!).
- Know your niche.
- Put systems in place to help lift day-to-day pressure.
Is there anything else you'd like to share?
Because I have alopecia areata myself, I see a lot of clients with that specific autoimmune condition. It's not a life-threatening or painful condition. Because of this, I see no need for drugs, which are bandaid solutions at best, which come with a long list of nasty side effects. But SO many (myself included before this journey) don't realize there's another option. Doctors are telling us drugs are the answer. Surprisingly, some of the bigger alopecia support groups won't let me have a platform to share my story or work. I am pro-choice. Suppose someone wants to choose drugs, all the power to them. I only want them to know THIS is a viable option as well, and one with ZERO collateral damage and ONLY positive upside.
Regardless of hair regrowth or not (though many of my clients do see regrowth as a result of working with me!), the sustainable healthy habit changes we create in my transformational coaching programs will benefit that person for life. Clients leave my programs with the knowledge/tools/practices to actively manage their inflammation levels in order to keep their bodies in balance and their chronic symptoms at bay for life. THIS is the only truly safe and sustainable treatment option for alopecia areata that I know of.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.yourbestlifewithlisa.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yourbestlifewithlisa/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yourbestlifewithlisa/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisa-taylor-b88a2520a/
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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