It takes a lot of guts to leave a secure, full-time job, but Nicole Culver, a 2011 graduate of the Health Coach Training Program from South Hempstead, NY, said she would have been crazy to stay. Her dream was to help people have a healthier life, and now she’s living it – watching not one, but two businesses grow.

In addition to health coaching, Nicole has launched Pure Bliss Eats, a healthy online bakery loaded with delicious treats. (The pictures alone are enough to make your mouth water!) The mission behind tasty sweets like organic granola and gluten free chocolate balls is to make healthy snacks easy and delicious for everyone. Read on to learn more about how Nicole got started and what inspired her unique online bakery!

What led you to enroll at Integrative Nutrition?

I was no longer feeling fulfilled and happy from my work as a teacher. I wanted to follow my dream of helping people live a healthier life. After careful planning, I started taking on health coaching clients over the spring. I also opened my online bakery, Pure Bliss Eats. For years I've been sharing my healthy baked goods and I wanted to take it to another level. I worked very hard over the summer of 2011 to build my business both as a health counselor and as the head of Pure Bliss Eats. Building my businesses over the summer allowed me to leave my teaching job. Some people thought I was crazy for leaving a secure job, but I felt like I'd be crazy to stay. I found my passion and I wanted to see where it would take me!

In a world where marketing is constantly all around us, Integrative Nutrition recognizes the need for students to develop the skills to make their business stand out among the rest. We believe the services and products that our graduates offer are essential to making positive change, so the Health Coach Training Program aims to help students reach their business goals.

2010 graduate Heather Dubé, who lives in Scottsdale, Arizona, had a previous background in marketing and branding before enrolling at IIN. During the program she was able to really build on these skills, and now she’s thriving as a business owner, a functional nutritionist, a competitive figure athlete, and a writer for On Fitness Magazine and Livestrong.com. Read on to hear about the successful business skills Heather has developed, and for her tips on getting published!

What were you doing before Integrative Nutrition?

On the fifth of May in 1862, underdog Mexico beat the odds and defeated a powerful French army in the Battle of Puebla. Cinco de Mayo has since become a celebration of Mexican culture and ancestry, and of course, Mexican cuisine!

We love a good fiesta here in America, and Cinco de Mayo lends reason to celebrate with a few cervezas. But you may be surprised to find that there’s much more to authentic Mexican food than a packet of taco seasoning and a side of guac. Did you know that nachos are rarely eaten in Mexico? Or cheese for that matter?

What makes a great Mexican dish are the colorful ingredients, full of flavor and zest. For your Cinco de Mayo celebration, try this recipe from 2011 graduate Jennifer Moore, which highlights tasty vegetables and spices while incorporating healthy greens and grains. It’s vegan, gluten-free and non-dairy to boot!

Greens, Beans, and Grains with a Spanish Twist

Integrative Nutrition is proud to announce we are partnering with the Jamie Oliver Foundation to inspire a day of action to mark a commitment to food education worldwide. 

The first-ever Food Revolution Day is a global day of action to inspire, educate, and empower people everywhere to stand up for real food. Thousands of people worldwide will participate in events to raise awareness on preventing diet-related diseases, and to arm people with the knowledge and tools to make healthier food choices.

Integrative Nutrition students and graduates are organizing grass roots efforts around health and wellness to celebrate Food Revolution Day, in communities, at schools and businesses.

With jobs in human resources that have taken them around the world, Nicole van Hattem and Lauren Penny know what keeps a corporation running. Out of all the strategies they’ve learned and implemented, they’ve found one that’s proven to be most effective, and that’s a team of healthy employees.

On a mission to empower global wellness and maximize potential, Nicole, a 2011 Integrative Nutrition graduate of the Health Coach Training Program, and Lauren, a current student, founded Art of Abundant Living, and have experienced growing success since day one. Even more interesting, is the fact that their business is based in Doha, Qatar, a place with health trends unfamiliar to most people. Qatar was recently named the country with the most obese population in the world. This interview highlights how Nicole and Lauren got to where they are today, and how they plan to address the increasing health concerns in Qatar.

When did you first realize there was a strong need for health coaching in the corporate world?

Ada Azarya, a 2010 graduate living in Miami Beach, Florida, has always been passionate about chocolate. A few years ago, she discovered her passion for cooking, and in her kitchen, she found much more than the great product that launched her business; she also realized that what we eat affects the way we live. Now, as a graduate of the Health Coach Training Program, a raw/vegan chef, and the owner of an organic chocolate company, Ada’s health, self-confidence, and business have all taken off!

What led you to explore Integrative Nutrition's program?

Before IIN I was in Real Estate, but always had passion for cooking, especially because I was born in a country that is known for its hospitality and delicious cuisine, Baku, Azerbijan. When I got laid off in New York City in 2008 from a large real estate development firm, I decided to take some time off and follow my heart to find my true passions. I found myself being very interested in food channels, healthy eating books and books on spirituality. I also started making my own chocolate in all the free time that I had.

When Easter arrives this Sunday, it’s time to toss the Cadbury eggs, Peeps, jelly beans, and hollow chocolate bunnies. The pastel-colored wrapping of a typical Easter basket can’t hide all the refined sugar and artificial coloring of the usual unhealthy holiday treats. Why not toss together some nourishing goodies and gifts this year instead? These items from the Integrative Nutrition community are perfect alternatives to the standard Easter fare, giving the lucky recipient of your basket a reason to indulge without feeling guilty!

Gnosis: Raw cacoa, superfoods, low glycemic sweeteners, and nutrient-dense fruits, nuts, and medicinal herbs make up the functional chocolate from Gnosis, created by Vanessa Barg. Get festive this weekend with the Golden Chocolate Eggs and Vitality Truffles from the Spring Collection!

Nibmor: Delicious organic chocolate containing no refined sugar, dairy, gluten or GMOs, created by Jennifer Love and Healther Kenzie. Sprinkle a few Nibmor bars throughout your basket, or create a custom case with your favorite flavors!

Antonella Palazio, a 2010 graduate who lives in Miami, Florida, focuses on educating people and getting them motivated to experiment and eat wholesome clean foods through her practice. But more than that, she believes food is simply one layer to pull back in discovering who we are. By sharing the basics of nutrition, she helps people link the “whys” and “hows” of changing food patterns. She chooses to use the word “how” over “what” one eats, because it favors the holistic mindset – that it is not just about food. “It entails the whole dimension of who we are, why we are here, and how to enrich our journey in our spiritual evolution,” said Antonella. “Food plays one of the many layers of our lives, and this became very clear in my own life through the Health Coach Training Program.”

What led you to explore Integrative Nutrition's program?

I had a desire to learn more about food than why we just eat to live. I had only heard of the dietician profession offered by universities that required a long, extended program. For me, discovering IIN represented a learning sabbatical. The scope of information became extensive and went beyond the traditional perspective to the holistic approach.

We’re on a mission to improve health and happiness throughout the entire world and we love to hear about students who are sharing what they’ve learned with international communities.

Nicole Fox, a 2011 graduate from Doral, Florida and a member of the South Florida Health Coaches, is a bilingual Health Coach who is using her ability to speak fluent Spanish to its full potential. She identified a need for health coaching within the Spanish-speaking community and is bringing all she learned in the Health Coach Training Program to people who otherwise may never have found guidance for their health struggles. From cooking classes to corporate lectures – and even a segment on a national TV show – here is someone who is truly spreading the ripple effect!

When looking at all that Diana Herrera has achieved, most notably a position as the vice president of a photo-imaging firm, one would never assume she was struggling to find an internal balance. Though she was excelling professionally, her health was deteriorating, and she knew she needed a change.

After graduating from the Health Coach Training Program in 2010, Diana is what you could call a professional life juggler. Living in Miami, Florida, she continues to work full time at the photo lab but also maintains a part time health coaching business. She has nailed down the act of balancing her career with her personal life and health by learning to connect her emotions to her eating habits.

She now helps others do the same through her practice Embrace Balance, and is one of the founders of South Florida Health Coaches, where she collaborates on retreats and events, and supports other Coaches’ individual business growth.