Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Gauri Junnarkar. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Gauri, thanks for joining us today. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission the drives your brand?
In today’s world where Chronic conditions such as Diabetes and Obesity are on the rise my mission is to provide an integrative approach to one’s health and wellness by combining the ancient wisdom of Ayurveda with modern nutrition. I want to create more awareness about making our health and wellness as number one priority, provide accountability, work with my clients with a team approach to envision, chalk up their wellness goals, come up with a plan, motivate them to stay on track and work with them step by step to achieve those goals. The plan will consist of small, simple and easy steps people can take to reduce the risk factors and lead a healthier life. I want to help them to take charge of their health, invest in their health and make lifelong changes to lead a life of fulfillment. Here’s the story behind my mission: In my childhood home, in the heart of Mumbai, I regularly helped my mother with preparing our family meals. Food was aromatic, full of spices, and delicious. By helping my mom in the kitchen throughout my childhood, I was lucky to be introduced to cooking and proper nutrition at a young age. Little did I know that an incident involving a small cut on my thumb while helping her cut onions would serve as a major turning point in my life and also introduce me to Ayurveda – the ancient health science of India. Following the small scrape, the area on my finger was bleeding. In response, my mom instructed me to wash my hands and gently dab a pinch of Turmeric on the open cut. She also emphasized the importance of slowing down while using a kitchen knife. In just a few short seconds, the bleeding had immediately stopped. She briefly explained the healing benefits of Turmeric, which left a lasting impression on me for the rest of my childhood and adult life. Daily gratitude practice, grounding and Ayurvedic Abhyanga Massage became my everyday practice, and it is still part of my routine today. I immersed myself in India’s ancient science throughout my life and went on to receive my Bachelor’s degree in Ayurvedic Medicine (BAMS) from the University of Mumbai. This education allowed me to work as a Vaidya (Ayurveda Practitioner) in a Mumbai clinic, which exposed me to diverse patient populations and reinforced my passion for complimentary wellness. After moving across the globe to the U.S. with my husband, I was determined to continue this practice while furthering my education. My knowledge and experience with the Ayurvedic diet and food principles coupled with my interest in evidence-based nutrition led me to pursue a rigorous and competitive combined clinical internship and Graduate Nutrition program in order to become a Registered Dietitian (RD). My background in Ayurveda inspired me to complete my Master’s thesis research on “Dietary Curcumin (phytochemical in Turmeric) and its effect in Melanoma (skin cancer)”. This research was selected at the National conference on Experimental Biology under “Diet and Cancer” and also at the Texas Dietetic Association conference. Despite my many years of dedication as a RD in an outpatient diabetes setting, there was always a little voice in the back of my mind telling me to go back to my roots of Ayurveda. Understanding the proven benefits to evidence-based and individualized nutrition, I was determined to share this passion with others in the U.S. by using a unique combination of Ayurveda principles. With a desire to offer an individual approach to one’s health and wellness, Ayurnutrition was born. Knowing that I wanted to provide Panchakarma, Ayurvedic Abhyanga and various Ayurvedic therapies at Ayurnutrition, I became a Licensed Massage Therapist (LMT) in order to expand upon the individualized wellness plan options for each valued client. Keeping my mission in mind we currently offer an integrative approach to health and wellness at my center combining the ancient wisdom of Ayurveda with modern nutrition.

Gauri, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I am Gauri Junnarkar, I am an Author, International Keynote speaker, Nutrition Ayurveda & wellness expert. I am the founder of Ayurnutrition an Integrative and Holistic Wellness practice in Dallas Fort Worth combining the age old wisdom of Ayurveda with Modern Nutrition Science. By profession I am a Registered and Licensed Dietitian, Vaidya (Ayurveda Practitioner), Certified Diabetes Educator and a Licensed Massage Therapist. I have co-authored two books ‘A Primer on Ayurveda: A Practical Guide’, and ‘Ayurveda & Yoga: A Path to health and healing’ now published on Amazon. I host a wellness show ‘Wellness Bites with Gauri’ on YouTube and as a podcast. I like to empower, educate, and guide people who want to improve their health and wellness to feel better, eat better, increase energy levels, vitality and reduce stress levels. I believe that mind and body have a profound effect on each other. I love to educate people in choosing the right foods using Ayurveda & Nutrition to nourish the body and create a positive impact on health and wellness. I help my clients by implementing a variety of approaches including one on one personalized Nutrition sessions, video conferencing, meal planning, Stress management, accountability tools, Ayurvedic wellness sessions, Ayurvedic Therapies and other wonderful resources that they may need on their wellness journey to reach their goals. What sets us apart is our unique and integrative approach to wellness. Each client of Ayurnutrition may walk in with a different wellness concern such as weight management, Type 1 or Type 2 Diabetes, Prediabetes, Gestational Diabetes, GI issues, Hypertension, Heart Disease, High Cholesterol and Triglyceride, Women’s wellness, stress management or many others. With proper nutrition being a key factor in disease management and prevention, I work together with each person to develop a realistic and personalized wellness plan to ensure long-term healthy habits. With almost a decade of professional experience in evidence-based nutrition, coupled with my Ayurveda roots, Ayurnutrition serves as an innovative and comprehensive private practice promoting balance, nourishment and rejuvenation. I believe that balanced nutrition paired with Ayurvedic principles may allow for a more rejuvenated living. You are unique, and there is no one size for a body’s ideal nourishment. Together, let’s dig deep to get to the root of your individual challenge and develop a personalized set of steps to encourage a lifetime of health and happiness. What we offer !! Ayurveda -Ayurveda Consults -Panchakarma -Abhyanga -Shirodhara & Pinda Swedan -Specialty Ayurveda therapies -Ayurveda workshops & Webinar -Specialty Programs & Packages: – Integrative Weight Management program -Integrative Diabetes Program -Integrative Gut & Digestive Health Program – Balance & Bliss Program Nutrition -Insurance Accepted for Nutrition only ! -Weight Management -Type 1 & Type 2 Diabetes, -Gestational Diabetes, Prediabetes -Chronic Kidney Disease -Hypertension & Heart Disease -GI issues and women’s nutrition -General Nutrition, Adult and Geriatric Nutrition -Nutrition Coaching Wellness -Women’s wellness -Adult and Geriatric Wellness -Working Professional Wellness -Stress Management -Integrative Wellness -Wellness Programs & Workshops -Corporate Wellness

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
I remember, when I came here I was still a student doing my Masters. My husband was finishing up his graduate degree and our finances were very limited. We just had one mattress, no furniture, no TV, limited utensils or cell phone or internet. We had to budget for every small thing. Our rent, groceries and save for tuition. In fact we didn’t even have a car. We had to walk to local grocery stores, or learnt to buy only when needed, and learnt to manage the limited finances to last the month. We had to time our weekly grocery visits to match the local bus schedule so we could return back on time for classes. We had to juggle with working and studying. This taught has important lessons on time management and financial management. When I remember those days it still fills me with joy, knowing that we didn’t have much but we had each other, we were resilient, worked very hard and the passion to succeed.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?
I believe in working with my clients as a team. They are in the driver’s seat and I am there to guide them on their wellness journey. Thinking out of the box, offering unique services, providing an integrative approach to health and wellness along with sound credentials has helped. Besides that having a niche , specialty, excellent customer service and understanding where a client is in their health journey, understanding their needs and showing them a step by step plan that is customized and personalized to them have been our key points for success. Our excellent reviews reflect what we stand for and how we can help our clients achieve better health and wellness.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.ayurnutrition.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ayurnutrition/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ayurnutrition
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gauri-junnarkar-12a6091/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/AyurNutrition/
• Other: Wellness Bites with Gauri : Podcast: https://ayurnutrition.com/podcast/ Ayurnutrition Blog: https://ayurnutrition.com/ayurnutrition-blog/ Primer on Ayurveda: https://www.amazon.com/Primer-Ayurveda-Personalized-Nutritionists-Professionals/dp/B08PJPWGSG/ Ayurveda and Yoga : A Path to Health and Healing https://www.amazon.com/Ayurveda-Yoga-Healing-Discover-yourself/dp/B08F9TBL7J

Image Credits
Image Credit: Kaushik Chaudhuri