Today we’d like to introduce you to Jenn Trepeck
Hi Jenn, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Salad with a Side of Fries was born from my own weight struggle. Growing up a dancer then gaining weight between high school and college, I was the poster-child for the diet industry’s consumer. Trying everything out there, over and over, living on the yo-yo rollercoaster. That is, until I found the curriculum I based my practice on. It is the ONLY thing that’s allowed me to say I’ve kicked my food issues. I felt like it was the nutrition education we’re all supposed to know but no one ever taught us. I believed everyone deserved this information so I set out on a mission to pay it forward and help people help themselves. I started health coaching as a side hustle in late 2007. Fast forward to July 2019 I left my full time job (in hedge funds) and decided to give my all to my own business. In August of 2019 I launched my podcast, Salad with a Side of Fries to reach a larger audience and support the health and wellbeing of even more people around the world.
What motivates me is the mission behind everything I do: to change the state of healthcare. To empower people to reclaim control of their health is, in my opinion, the greatest gift we can offer. So often, we don’t think about the importance of our health until we don’t have it. Hearing from clients and podcast listeners about the changes they’ve made because of something they heard on thow show and connecting with my clients weekly, witnessing their transformations, and helping them see their own progress is my driving force.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Funny, is anything a smooth road? After graduating from the University of Michigan Ross School of Business, I founded Better Life Now LLC while working full-time in hedge funds, a profound realization guided me to this choice: When my family was planning a vacation and I had to request the time off and await approval, it hit me (hard) that I was asking permission for access to my own time, which set me on a path to one day work for myself. It was after this that I decided that I would eventually become her own boss. Fast forward, after over a decade of building my practice as a side hustle, I took the leap of faith to full-time self-employment. That’s when I launched Salad with a Side of Fries Podcast.
Over the twelve years of working full-time for someone else and building my health coaching side-hustle, the road was anything but smooth. There were pauses, detours, times I contemplated closing shop altogether. But the money from the day job ended up being the thing that fed my investment account and the side hustle fed my soul. At times, I was working 60-70 hours a week and feeling plain exhausted. Sure, if I put more energy into my health coaching practice, I could have left sooner but the burn out was real and at times I didn’t have more to give. I remember I would beat myself up about it and contemplated quitting my side-hustle, thinking wouldn’t that be easier?! Each time this thought popped up, I’d mentally play it out…OK, so I quit and give up health coaching. That means I’m choosing this stressful, slave to someone else’s demands existence; I would be intentionally choosing this job and working in these kinds of environments for the rest of my life. That was absolutely not a choice I was willing to make. So I’d need a way out; and if the way out wasn’t what I was already doing, what would it be? And I’d come back to re-committing to my health coaching practice, even if it was less than part-time.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am a health coach. I work with clients one-on-one or in a small group setting to help reach their health goals. My clients are typically looking for support around weight management, metabolic health (think blood sugar balance) and/or cardiovascular health (blood lipids in healthy ranges). Unlike most health coaches, I don’t write menus. Rather we work with a menu plan so you can decide for yourself what you’re eating. Eat what you like, don’t eat what you don’t like! I believe that if you need me to know what you’re eating next week, I’ve done you a tremendous disservice. Similarly, we work together for 12 weeks so you can build the toolbelt to live the rest of your life! My objective is for you to not need me.
Our typical clients fit into one of three categories: 1. they’ve been on every diet under the sun, weight has been a thing their whole life and they need it not to be anymore. 2. weight has never been an issue until…(the pandemic, a diagnosis, threat of a diagnosis) or 3. I don’t have weight to lose, I want to be healthier and know what to listen to and what to ignore from everything I hear and see in the news and on the internet.
As an additional resource, I offer Salad with a Side of Fries podcast to the world, for free. The podcast offers listeners tools, approachable science, empowerment and motivation to live their healthiest, happiest lives. I often say I teach the nutrition education we’re all supposed to know but no one ever taught us. As a result, you look better, feel better, have more energy and as a side effect, drop the excess body fat. As one podcast critic wrote, Salad with a Side of Fries is “wellness without the weirdness.”
It’s all about empowering each person to be their own best guide and health advocate, helping them decipher fad and fact and combat the often harmful confusion we see from the diet, wellness and food industries.
What’s next?
In addition to continuing to grow my health coaching practice and the podcast I have two big projects on the horizon. First this Summer will be the first Salad with a Side of Fries LIVE event. A live, in-person event in New York City and portions of the audio will be used as episode to celebrate 5 years of the podcast! The second big project is a book. It will offer my approach, research, personal and client stories plus key insights geared toward those who prefer to touch and hold something, or read rather than listen (to the podcast). It’s all about supporting and empowering people to create significant and enduring transformations in their lives and continue to champion genuine, happy, and healthy living.
FOR THE PRICING SECTION:
I offer personalized coaching packages tailored to clients’ individual needs. These packages include both coaching and a personalized supplement regimen based on an intake. As such, the pricing ranges but needs of each client is different. I offer a complimentary curiosity call before the intake should someone want to explore this option.
Anyone can certainly learn more about my approach and with a FREE download called “It Not What to Eat, It’s How to Eat.” Available on my website.
If someone is looking to dip their toe in the water of my ecosystem and get a bit of extra support, the podcast membership, at just $10/month, is often a great first step. Members receive a new recipe, 4x/month (weekly), curated articles or studies to dive deeper into wellness learning, 1x/month (monthly), additional discounts from me & my partners plus access to live Q&A sessions with me to target your specific questions or challenges & celebrate your victories 1x/quarter (quarterly).
Contact Info:
- Website: https://asaladwithasideoffries.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jenntrepeck/ & https://www.instagram.com/saladwithasideoffriespod/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JenniferTrepeck
- Twitter: https://x.com/jenntrepeck
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@jenntrepeck
- Other: https://medium.com/@jenntrepeck & https://www.tiktok.com/@jenntrepeck & https://open.spotify.com/show/6mtUfSykWtrePCk4iRzW0d?si=8b3d3ff0f7be4d16
