Kiran Dodeja Smith is a mom of four and runs the site easyrealfood.com, which offers gluten-free recipes for busy families along with tips and tricks to make real food easy. She recently launched Camp Kitchen, a digital guide to help teach kids to cook, and she has a passion for helping get kids in the kitchen. Find more from Kiran on her website and Instagram. 

Q: What were you doing prior to enrolling at Integrative Nutrition?
A: I was working with a large food blog, handling their sponsor relations/serving as the Influencer Manager.

Q: What led you to explore the Health Coach Training Program?
A: I co-branded four ebooks with that blog, and I wanted to write a fifth. I looked to IIN for two reasons: I wanted to further my knowledge, and I also wanted to gain credibility for my ebooks.

Q: How has your life changed since becoming a Health Coach?
A: After graduating, I was inspired to start my own site (easyrealfood.com). I still work with the other site as well, but I gained the confidence to go out on my own, and I recently launched that fifth ebook mentioned earlier.

Q: Which topics and modules were most beneficial for you?
A: Honestly, the whole idea of bio-individuality was the most impactful for me. I�ve had an interest in health and wellness for over 20 years, but it was through IIN that I realized it�s not a one-size-fits-all topic. What works for me may not work for you, or others, either. I also loved learning about primary food since that was not something that I had truly considered in the past.

Q: What does a typical day look like for you now?
A: I have four kids, a new puppy, and I work from home. So it�s pretty chaotic! I get up and get my puppy going; then my husband and I get food prepared for breakfast for the kids. After getting them to school, I get in a workout 5�6 days/week and then it�s back home to work. I�ll spend most of my day (until school pickup) doing computer work or creating recipes/photographing/writing about them. After 3:30, it�s full �kid mode� as I chauffer them around to their activities.

Because my days are so busy, I try to do a lot of meal prep on the weekends so that dinners can come together easily. We have dinner as a family, I�ll check in on work, and finally my husband and I have an hour or two (on a good day) to chill out together. Weekends need to be a little calmer since the weeks are too busy with our larger family.

Q: What makes you and your practice unique?
A: I cater more to busy families and, with that, those with food sensitivities. I am a busy mom, and there are so many others out there like me! I like to try to assist them with tips and tricks that I�ve learned over the years.

Q: How do you help your clients be successful? Is there a recent example that stands out for you?
A: I want to empower them and give them the confidence to be the best that they can � this is unique to everyone, though!

Q: What do you love about your work?
A: I love helping others know that it IS doable to find that balance and achieve your goals and showing them different ways to make it work.

Q: How have you seen the need for Health Coaches change over the years?
A: Life continues to get busier, and with that, stress levels are rising and quality of food choices can diminish. Sometimes people just need a helping hand to assist in re-finding that balance.

Q: What�s your tip for balancing your family, work, and personal wellness?
A: My greatest tip is only saying yes to things you truly feel passionate about. We can�t do it all, so find what you feel the best about and focus on those areas. And don�t forget about yourself along the way!

Q: Tell us your favorite way to wake up each day!
A: Ideally, I wake up on my own, which means that I went to bed on time and got the amount of sleep that my body needs. And right now is not a �typical time� since we just got this puppy�but right now I love waking up to him and going straight outside with him. There�s something so special about fresh air first thing in the morning! I do like to exercise shortly thereafter. So to sum it up � waking up feeling well slept, getting outside, and getting some movement is my favorite way to wake up.

Interested in becoming an Integrative Nutrition Health Coach? Learn more today!