We recently connected with Dori Lancaster and have shared our conversation below.

Dori, appreciate you joining us today. What’s the kindest thing anyone has ever done for you?

It’s a bit tricky to hone in on just one kind thing since I feel blessed to have experienced such an outpouring of kindness in my life, but this story usually comes to mind.

I was newly post-partum and took myself out for my birthday to my favorite yoga class and lunch at the Butcher’s Daughter in Venice, CA. It was one of the first times I had done something for myself in months. My daughter was home with a babysitter.

I sat at the bar and got caught up in a delightful conversation with this couple who were there having lunch themselves. I told them it was my birthday and that I had a small baby at home and this was very special for me to be eating solo and enjoying some “me” time. Before our meal ended, they had sneakily told the server it was my birthday and ordered me a dessert that we all shared and they treated me to! It was just the sweetest, kindest thing since as a new mama, you constantly have to put baby first. This sweet couple made me feel so seen and so special. We stayed connected on social, but I never saw them after that.

Flash forward to years later–we are living in a totally different part of LA (my daughter, now 6), and we end up at the same kid’s gymnastics club!!! We recognized each other instantly and shared a huge hug!! They eventually moved to Italy (where the husband was from), so now I’m dying to visit them! Ha!

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I stumbled into the health and wellness industry in 1997 when I became a massage therapist at the age of nineteen. I truly believe something bigger than myself lead me to that classroom, as I had never even had a massage until I went through that program.

I started working with chiropractors right after receiving my certification, so I was introduced to the alternative health realm pretty young and was exposed to all types of modalities such as acupuncture, naturopathic medicine, as well as chiropractic care, naturally.

I became really interested in holistic nutrition and attended Bauman College in 2008 to acquire a certification in Nutrition Education. From there, my career in food and culinary arts blossomed. I started a blog called Healing Thru Food, wrote about nutrition and health, and shared plant-based recipes.

Shortly after, I found myself in Montezuma, Costa Rica teaching raw chocolate-making classes, then in Palermo, Sicily offering massage and teaching people about food (as well as teaching English).

Once I returned to the States, I started focusing more on nutrition education by offering lectures/food demos in various places. I took a job at the MARJCC in Miami, FL where I was in charge of various health programs as well as offering kids and adult cooking classes. I also worked for a non-profit at that time called Playing the Game of Life, where we offered cooking, fitness, and music to underserved populations in the Miami-Dade area.

Once I returned to Los Angeles, which is where I was born and raised, I continued to focus on nutrition education, food demos, and private nutrition coaching clients.

In 2019, my dear friend started a retreat company and I was asked to chef her first retreat in Palm Springs, CA. Ever since then, I’ve been consistently busy cheffing retreats all over Los Angeles and surrounding areas such as Topanga, Ojai and Joshua Tree.

Between massage and cooking, I stay quite busy and I love the diversity in my work. I have the pleasure of working with all different kinds of people and building relationships and connections that make my community feel so abundant.

If you could go back in time, do you think you would have chosen a different profession or specialty?

If I could go back and choose the same profession, I most certainly would! Since I have an array of different offerings, my work is never boring. I have gone through many different trainings and feel that I have a lot to offer clients to meet them where they are at. I could be working one on one with someone and their goals could range from weight loss to living with cancer, or I could have a bodywork client who suffers from chronic stress or just injured themselves playing basketball. I could chef a retreat with locals from Los Angeles or a group from Iowa. It’s always different, and I love that!!

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

I believe that because I have been in the field as long as I have (massage since 1997, nutrition education since 2008), there is trust and credibility established. Most of my business comes from word of mouth, and that’s always the highest compliment. I always feel extremely honored when someone puts their trust in me and always take that very seriously since I obviously want to deliver the most high-quality experience no matter what service I am providing.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.dorilancaster.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dori_empowered_wellness/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/doriempoweredwellness

Image Credits
Trina Yin