We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Katie Duda a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Katie, appreciate you joining us today. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.

I grew up in the midwest where it is really uncommon to see people move away from their hometown. I knew in my early twenties that I wanted to make a dramatic change in my life — the life I was living based on society’s standards was a life I wanted no part of. I was in a career that felt completely out of alignment with my true self, and I felt called to experience a different part of the country where I felt inspired, energized, and restored. Though it didn’t make sense to anyone in my community at the time, I quit my comfortable job, sold the condo I owned for only a few years, and moved across the country to San Francisco sight unseen (and without a job) with my fiance at the time. I felt such a strong conviction deep in my core that it was the right thing and what I needed to do, despite it logically not making sense on paper.

That risk ended up being the best decision I have ever made. Within a few months of living there, we plugged into the most incredible community of humans who also were in a similar situation — left their hometowns for a new adventure. Our friends became family. I went back to Nutrition School (online) to become a Health Coach while I was working a FT job at a Tech Startup. I would plug into my school work during my commute on the BART (Bay Area Transportation), and eventually started my own practice alongside my tech job.

Moving to San Francisco was the cornerstone of growth for me– professionally and personally. I would not be here today, living my dream helping women around the country heal their hormones, balance their digestion & transform their relationship with food had I not taken the risk.

Taking risks may be scary, but I encourage you to lean in. After all, the alternative is that you stay where you are- stuck, and never see what could be possible for you on the other side of fear.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

For as long as I can remember, I allowed the scale and calories to control me. I experienced chronic bloating, anxiety & skin issues dating all the way back to when I was a small child.

My bloating was something that no matter how little I ate, or how hard I worked out, it never improved. After suffering from years of anorexia and having a near death experience, I learned about Jesus and through Him healed my 10 year battle with body image issues and food deprivation. Despite being healed for many years, I still struggled with gut issues, and did not have a period for 5 years after coming off of the BC pill. It wasn’t until I went back to school to become an Integrative Health Practitioner where I learned that my stressful lifestyle was the culprit for my gut + hormone imbalances.

Fast forward to today, I help women get to the root cause of their hormonal imbalances, digestive issues & mood disturbances through simple, at-home affordable lab testing and private coaching. I work with women in their 30’s and 40’s who are struggling with weight gain, bloating, and low energy despite eating extremely well, and busting their butts in the gym. I don’t believe in meal plans or counting macros/ calories as every client is unique and has different metabolic needs. I use lab work to guide my recommendations — the science doesn’t lie!

My main focus is on educating women on the importance of blood sugar management, syncing their diet + lifestyle in accordance to the phase of their menstrual cycle & learning how to eat delicious and nourishing foods that help you achieve your health goals WITHOUT feeling like deprived.

This work is incredibly fulfilling to me– I have helped hundreds of women re-gain a period back after years of it being MIA, reverse PCOS and thyroid imbalances, lose weight without counting calories or killing themselves in the gym, and redefine their definition of health.

Can you talk to us about how your funded your firm or practice?

For years, I worked a full-time demanding job in the tech space which essentially funded my business. It allowed me the financial capital to be able to take bigger risks in my business — such as investing in a virtual assistant, outsourcing my bookkeeping, etc., so that I could truly focus my efforts on the tasks that would move the business forward, and brought me the most fulfillment. I then would suggest saving up at least 6-12 months worth of savings to assume that if you do not profit for the first year (many don’t), you will have enough to sustain yourself.

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

Word of mouth! The first 3 years of my business, I was SCRAPPY. I would attend events, offer my time through speaking engagements, offered free client sessions (I only did this with my first few clients), connected with others on social media for collaborations, and reached out individually to my entire network to tell them about my services– all with the hope that it would have a ripple effect. It was hard, and I wondered if it was going to pay off, but still to this day years later, I have clients coming to me from clients that I had years ago in those early years. Word of mouth is by far the highest converting tactic. Next would be email marketing. Last would be social media.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.therealrawyou.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ditchthescale/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katie-duda-61bab450/

Image Credits
Megan Segale Photography