We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Ian Rubin. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Ian below.

Hi Ian , thanks for joining us today. If you had a defining moment that you feel really changed the trajectory of your career, we’d love to hear the story and details.

I remember one particular client session that really moved things along for my career. I was working with a client. I don’t remember if it was a man or a woman but that’s not really the important part of the story. What I remember though was having a conversation with them about breakfast and breakfast food. I had recommended that they eat oatmeal for breakfast because they had been either skipping breakfast or eating fast food. So we agreed that oatmeal would be a better option. I remember talking to them in one session and they were complaining about their breakfast, about the amount of time it took and oatmeal was a pain to make and other things. So I was asking them to tell me more about it, and as they were explaining it more and more I started to think there was more here than just the time it took to make oatmeal. So I asked them to hold on a sec, what’s really going on here? And I remember they were kind of shy and reluctant to tell me but what they ended up saying was, “well frankly I don’t like oatmeal. I responded by saying” well geez why are you eating oatmeal for breakfast or why did you agree to eat oatmeal for breakfast if you don’t like oatmeal?” I remember them saying something like “well because you said it was good for me or that you said it was a good idea”. And I said ”well it doesn’t matter if I think it’s a good idea or the science says it’s a good idea if you don’t like oatmeal. it doesn’t help us get you to eat breakfast if that’s the case”. And I asked what would they rather be eating and they said leftovers. And I said then eat leftovers, it’s got to be better than not eating anything or eating McDonald’s. And I remember them saying are you sure that’s okay. And I realize then the complexity of people’s relationship with food was what was at the root of the challenges in helping clients make dietary change

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

So I’ve been in the health and fitness field and the wellness field for over 20 years I and I’ve worked as a health coach, personal trainer and as an instructor, mentor and Coach with professionals, students as well as doing one on one coaching with clients and small groups with my specialty food story coaching which helps clients look at their relationship with food. the how and the why they eat what they do and not just calories in cholesterol. So most recently I’ve been focusing on helping Wellness professionals, especially nutritionists and naturopaths incorporate more Health coaching and specifically food story coaching into their practice to help their clients make more sustainable long-term change in their diet so they can actually achieve the health outcomes that they are seeking. More often than not once client shows up at my office, they know more than they’ll ever need to know about the science of nutrition but they’re not implementing what they know would help them feel better and have better health. Most of my clients, and I find this to be more and more true of my colleagues clients, are really needing to do more inner and reflective work to address and figure out what’s getting in the way of them applying the knowledge that they already have, let alone any new knowledge that we might give them about eat this don’t eat that, this is healthy for you, this is not healthy for you it etcetera. What most clients need in my experience is behavior change education not nutrition or cooking skills or nutrition Science Education. They usually have plenty of that. But again they are not in the right psycho-spiritual or emotional headspace or the right place in their lives or applying the skills that they have to those pieces of knowledge so they’re not getting the results that they want. It’s the classic “I know what to do I just don’t do it” or “I can do it for a little while but I can’t do it enough” or “I can’t do it sustainably so I only get results for a little while” or “I only get a few results but I don’t get to the long-term goal of Better Health and Wellness that I want”.. So when my clients work with me what I’m most impressed by is how my clients work at a very deep level at addressing their food story and the components of their relationship with food at a very deep level that allows them to make deep fundamental change in who they are as a person, their belief systems, their perspective and the meaning that food holds in their lives which impacts their self-esteem and changes all the things that are required to put into action all the complexity of items that it takes to actually be healthier. So what I’ve been told is that this work helps clients change from a foundational level rather than just giving them more things to put on to their to-do list that they can’t accomplish.

Other than training/knowledge, what do you think is most helpful for succeeding in your field?

Personal growth. Hard, deep, brutally honest diving into what makes you tick. That information will inform how and why you do so much in business that either helps or hinders your progress.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

I think the thing that helped the most for my reputation was then I helped clients actually see results but help them get their in a way that was uncommon and more pleasant if you well then what they had either experienced or what they expected it to be. I think because I rejected the rigidity of what I was told I was supposed to be like as a coach, and instead I showed up in a more wholehearted and compassionate way, and met people truly where they were at as Dynamic and multi-faceted human beings, I was able to connect with people at a level that was very deep and meaningful that allowed me do the work that I do as a coach and wellness professional but in a way that honored my clients in a way that they really wanted

Contact Info:

• Website: www.ianrubin.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Food-Story-Coaching-108343827361337
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ianrubinportlandfoodologist/