We were lucky to catch up with Devyn Ramnarain recently and have shared our conversation below.

Devyn, appreciate you joining us today. Let’s start with a story that highlights an important way in which your brand diverges from the industry standard.

Something that I do differently, in all ventures in which I’m involved, is that I work primarily remotely. One of my favorite parts of being an entrepreneur is being able to make my own hours, which doesn’t mean that I work less (very contrary), but it means that I am able to maintain gainful employment and a pretty healthy work-life balance. It also means that I am able to pursue multiple ventures simultaneously. As an employee seated in someone else’s office, it would be nearly impossible to pull off modeling, clinical dietetics, periodic work for the Red Cross, and management of a 13-person CPA Firm.

Remote work is the way of the future, and anyone failing to offer this option to their qualifying employees has issues with control. Of course, there are some industries/jobs that cannot offer this option, but there are a plethora of industries who can and are refusing. In this day and age where wages are not meeting the cost of living for many people, offering other freedoms are a benefit that both helps the company financially (through favorable tax positions and lower office expenses) and increases quality of life for their employees.

Devyn, 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?

As a dietitian, I began my journey through regaining my own health. I had really bad mental health issues and also hormonal imbalances. I was on hormone therapy and struggled with disordered (both over-and-under-) eating. At 340 pounds, I collapsed at college and was sent to the doctor, who told me I was pre-diabetic and had hypothyroidism – at only 18. Over the next couple of years, I lost 180 pounds, and over the next ten, I overcame all of the disordered eating habits I struggled with. I became fascinated with the benefits of owning one’s own self-efficacy and intrinsic motivation. I learned that the most important factors to finding a health-promoting eating pattern are internal. My research at Arizona State University (Bachelor’s) focused on maintaining weight without counting calories via control of blood sugar, and various carbohydrate levels that simultaneously maintain energy levels and minimize inflammatory damage. At University of Southern California (Master’s), my research focused on mitigating inflammatory pathways to manage obesity, methods for increasing self-efficacy/reducing internalized weight stigma, and focusing on health-promoting behaviors instead of on weight loss itself for obesity management. My focus is empowering patients by finding an intake pattern that takes into account lifestyle, culture, social environment, disease state(s), and income to maximize their overall health and happiness.

In modeling, I started out creating photoshoots with a couple friends in my teens (as the scene kids did), and then continued as the subject for some art photography projects for one of those same friends way back in 2011. I found my voice by learning to own my loose skin after my weight loss, and my goals are to show others that they are beautiful as they are and that you can be a healthy model without undereating or taking substances to get there. As a dietitian, it is my promise to both the fashion and healthcare world that I will continue to be an example of healthy practice in a pretty unhealthy industry. After 30 magazine publications and after my first two runways (Miami Swim Week and New York Fashion Week, 2023), I feel that the industry is finally beginning to see healthy, midsized bodies as a fashion staple.

As a CPA Firm owner, I started it with my husband, who is the actual CPA in our relationship (though not even close to the only CPA/CA in our Firm). He was beginning to take a few tax clients, while working as an assistant manager at a local bank, about a year before we met (2015). Shortly after we got together, I joined the Firm as a Director of Digital Strategy and we moved the Firm fully virtual. The contracts started flowing in, and over the next several years, we were able to hire 10 Chartered Accountants and another CPA. I am now the Chief Operating Officer and a shareholder, and my husband is the CEO (and only other Firm partner). We are able to offer very technical services (we have been the entire outsourced FAAS accounting team of several larger CPA Firms) for a very affordable price due to the virtual nature of our team. No overhead means direct fiscal advantages for our clients.

I have always been interested in humanitarian action., but I joined the American Red Cross Broward County Board of Directors in 2019. My focus is on DEI initiatives, especially on age-inclusivity, LGBTQIA issues in Florida (and nationally), housing access for all Florida residents. The Red Cross is an incredible organization full of warm and kind people that have become my Florida family. Together, we do all we can to create access to resources, empower, and highlight issues for the people of our beautiful state.

How did you build your audience on social media?

Building my social media presence was focused primarily on my modeling career. Through professional shoots, publications, bright colors and intriguing updates, I was able to drive interest to my various endeavors.

My best advice for new social media marketers would be to create the most engaging content you can. Whether it be a call to action (ask questions or create polls), use of interesting photography, or updating frequently (or ideally all of the above) – it all helps. Hiring a media personality or PR Firm may help some brands as well.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

Clients and patients who find the most value in my dietetics and technical accounting services have been those looking for a remote option, as they can schedule a meeting with me anytime during the week (even weekends) and don’t have to interrupt their own work-life balance to see a dietitian or CPA. Also, since my companies are not relegated to having to have a brick and mortar office, we are able to pass through massive savings to those seeking our services. Tangible offices, in the technical age, are a fairly outdated concept for services that do not necessitate them.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.devynlifewellness.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/devyn_ramnarain/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/devyn-ramnarain-951259106/
• Other: https://raviramcpa.com/

Image Credits
Nina Bashaw, ROV Productions