Earlier this year, I met Nikki Stern – a local Holistic Health and Lifestyle Coach – through Instagram and I felt so inspired by everything she does. At 33, she’s a mom to her four-year-old son Jackson, a cook and she coaches women on making healthy life choices, even making house visits to help women feel more comfortable in their kitchen.
Photo from Nikki Stern
Can you explain a little about what you do?
As a coach I help women cut through the BS when it comes to being healthy. No diets, no shaming, no losing 10 pounds in 20 minutes. My programs are a combination of:
- helping women to make themselves a priority and NOURISH themselves – we deserve to relax, feel sexy, say no, be emotional and eat chocolate.
- providing health education – it’s amazing how many people are gluten-free but don’t know what gluten is. Understanding a few key things about the body + nutrition along with a desire to take care of ourselves makes it much easier to eat well.
- reconnecting to their own bodies – Many of us have been led to believe we cannot trust our body, often feeling really uncomfortable in it. Nobody knows your body better than you, so we will reacquaint you with that beautiful lady.
As a cook I help out in any way I can. Right now I’m going to people’s homes to teach them to prep healthy lunches or make new dishes, to create a functional pantry, providing small catering services (office lunches, meeting snacks, girls night), helping host in-home cooking parties (this includes dancing + is super fun). In 2015 I plan to be teaching more classes in the community.
How did you get into holistic healing?
I’ve been interested for as long as I’ve known about holistic healing, probably before I had even heard the word “holistic.” I willingly chose an elective course in college on Chinese Medicine and loved it. The idea that everything is connected – that my stomach aches growing up had more to do with my emotional state than anything physical and taking TUMS for the rest of my life was not an option, I needed my whole experience to feel better – was intuitive. It just made more sense than anything else.
Photo from Nikki Stern
What made you decide to choose that path as your career?
I was a new mom, fortunate enough to be able to stay home with my son and as we were closing in on his 1st birthday something was pulling me. I had this urge to do something and there was no defining moment, I just knew diet, nutrition, and food was the direction.
I couldn’t see myself in a traditional dietetics or nutrition program because I didn’t feel committed to the philosophy and pushing a version of the USDA food pyramid (or plate or whatever they were using this week). When I discovered the Institute for Integrative Nutrition it was perfect. My degree is in Psychology and that perspective is at the core of how I coach – not through diagnosis and “fixes” but through an understanding of each person’s human experience is the path to health and healing.
The idea that we are more than just calories in and calories out is what I want us to model to the young girls in our lives and community. Our health extends into the quality of our lives, how we interact with others, how we take care of ourselves, where we find meaning, and our relationship to the world around us. It was a holistic model that made sense to me.
What inspired you to start your blog?
It was a strong suggestion on the part of the training program I was in. Part of me was terrified to be seen that much but part of me knew how passionate I was about these topics and sharing them.
It definitely took some time to find a flow and to find my voice, sticking with it has certainly paid off.
Photo from Nikki Stern
Are you a self-taught cook or did you have any training?
I am self-taught. The first Thanksgiving meal I made was almost a disaster because we put the lock on the oven (you know those old school levers across the door) and it got stuck – with the turkey and a giant wheel of brie cheese wrapped in puff pastry inside. There were lots of tools and shouting (and drinking) involved, the turkey was fine and the brie was very, very toasty. I have lots of stories like this.
I have poured over books, cookbooks, watched people cook, had lots of dinner parties, Sunday Sopranos dinners, holidays, I’ve made disgusting food, locked food in the oven and been willing to fail. It’s where I feel most connected to my creativity, making something with my hands and then being able to share that love-infused goodness with people is powerful and I’m grateful to be able to do it.
What do you hope people will leave with after attending one of your sessions?
A sense of hope + calm. And I mean that for a coaching session, a workshop, and after a cooking lesson. I used to want to be right and be the fixer of all problems until I realized that makes this whole thing about me, when it’s not. So when people leave, or I leave their kitchen, I want them to feel like, “I’m ok, there is nothing wrong with me, I can totally do this because I’m smart, capable and I feel heard and witnessed, I’m not alone.”
Photo from Nikki Stern. Recipe can be found on her Instagram!
How do you balance work and family life?
Haha, the million dollar question. The answer is sometimes I rock it out and sometimes I totally suck at it. Life is about shifting, recommitting and accepting. What I do is constantly work towards presence. I don’t mean that in an ethereal way, I mean I literally just try to pay attention and catch myself when things begin to feel off kilter.
Just a few weeks ago I noticed myself trying to “get through” the mom stuff so that I could focus on getting a project done. There is tension and anxiety that comes with that and as soon as I tuned in and felt it I recommitted. I chose balance.
Favorite thing to do as a family when you have some downtime?
Spending time outside. We love Sacramento because swimming season is so long, so we hang out by our pool mostly, invite our family and friends over and eat, of course!
We also love to hang out at the river and get to the ocean when we can – water is a bit of a theme.
Favorite recipe?
Not using a recipe! I look at recipes as guidelines and then I do whatever I feel like. This is why I prefer cooking over baking, the precision and rules is really hard for me.
I think the most bang for your buck is Roast Garlic. This will make almost anything more awesome – plus it’s sweet and not as punch you in the face as raw garlic can be.
[Preheat the oven to 400] Cut the top (not the tip) off a few heads of garlic.
Set them on a piece of foil. Drizzle with olive oil, add a sprinkle of salt.
Wrap them up tight. Put them on a baking sheet and leave them in the over for 40-50 minutes – you’ll start to smell them when they’re close to done.
Take them out and let them sit and cool. Open up the package, squeeze the soft garlic out of it’s paper into a little jar. Mash it up with a fork.
This keeps in the fridge for about a week. Add to soups, salad dressings, sauces, dips, any vegetable ever, eggs, on toasty bread. It’s very fancy, very pro, and SO EASY. Same goes for caramelized onions.
Roasted Fennel. Photo from Nikki Stern
What has been the biggest lesson you’ve learned as a working mom?
Like I mentioned above, it’s really important for me to practice being present. It’s easy to talk about but much harder to do. I’ve learned that I have to take hats off. I know that after 3pm I need to put the work hat down, which is difficult because sometimes I get a burst of creative energy at that time.
I’m working on channeling that into mom creativity such as cooking together or setting up an obstacle course outside – anything to keep me too busy to wander over to my computer. It’s always a work in progress and I have plenty of moms tell me how quickly time goes and that little guy won’t want all of my attention one day, so I try to be mindful of that.
What do you think is the most important thing you hope your son will learn from you?
I hope he speaks up for himself (though judging by his 4 year old-ness, this probably won’t be an issue), pursue what matters to him, and stays connected to his creativity.
I hope he knows how to use a sauté pan before the microwave. He’s been a pretty solid eater since he was a baby, so I’m confident that while he may have a pizza, beer and ramen phase he will always have an understanding of good food.
Photo from Nikki Stern
What is your favorite thing about what you do?
I get to spend my time with the absolute best humans. The people I work with are ready, open, vulnerable and so, so strong. They remind me that we all have the answers we are seeking and the capacity to heal ourselves. The women I’ve met professionally also blow my mind daily, sometimes hourly. I am blessed to be surrounded by so much love and passion.
What have you learned about yourself from meditation/holistic healing?
I’ve learned there is no RIGHT answer and I’m a perfectionist that is afraid to make a move if there is a possibility of it not being perfect – that kept me still for a very long time. My lesson in starting this business, in allowing good people into my life, taking care of myself, accepting each victory and set back is that if I don’t allow myself to feel the pain or struggle or take the risks I will never be able to experience the pleasure or power or joy or triumph that life can offer.
It’s impossible for us to have certainty and what heals, helps, or saves one person is not going to do the same for the next person. I’ve learned to trust my instincts, listen with my heart, and meet myself and my clients where they are at. The more I do that, the better we all feel.
Apple Cider Granola. Photo from Nikki Stern
What do you hope to do next, where do you want to take this?
Oh so many things! I just rolled out a new workshop on Intuitive Eating + Healthy Living, which filled up in 24 hours and has a wait list. That tells me it’s a topic women are connected to so I hope to make that a regular group.
I am also really picking up speed with my cooking services. I want to continue private in-home lessons as well as cooking classes. I’m even doing some small time catering, for work lunches, book clubs, girls night, whoever wants some really tasty, surprisingly healthy food.
Future, I’m hoping to wrap this all up and create a retreat experience or co-create a retreat with some of the wonderful folks I’ve met on this journey who have a gift and commitment to spreading health and wellness and building community.
Soon my co-captain (Compliment.) and I are hoping to expand our space at Feel Good Studios and have a space for more workshops, classes, writing retreats, meditations, dance parties so we can showcase this amazing community we have in Sacramento.
If you want to learn more about Nikki Stern, you can visit her website or if you’re in the Sacramento area, you can catch her Holiday Edible Gift class at West Elm in Roseville this Thursday for $5. She also offers free coaching consults.
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