We recently connected with Khara Hindi and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Khara thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with 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.

In 2020, when the pandemic hit and the world started shutting down, my business as a natural products broker took a hit like so many others. Stores were limiting reps, demos were canceled, and for the first time in a long while, things felt uncertain.

But strangely enough, that pause gave me the space to finally listen to a quiet voice that had been in the background for years — the desire to become a certified life and nutrition coach.

The real risk wasn’t just starting something new. The real risk was letting myself be seen — fully. Up until that point, I had kept my personal story separate from my professional life.

The truth is, I came into the wellness industry because I was struggling. For over a decade, I cycled through binge eating, chronic dieting, and body shame. I was desperate to feel better in my body and at peace in my mind. And along the way, I discovered tools that helped me heal — not just physically, but emotionally.

Until then, I believed that if people knew what I had been through, they might see me as less credible. But during the pandemic, I realized: the part of me I had worked hardest to hide was actually the most powerful thing I had to offer.

So I took the leap. I enrolled in coaching certification, started sharing my story more openly, and built a new branch of my business that wove together my personal healing with my professional experience. I didn’t just want to talk about wellness — I wanted to live it. And I wanted to help other women find the same food freedom, self-trust, and vitality I had fought so hard to reclaim.

It wasn’t easy. It meant being vulnerable, redefining my identity, and stepping into a new level of visibility. But it’s one of the most meaningful decisions I’ve ever made.

Today, I don’t just help stores and practitioners understand the science of products — I help real women understand themselves. And that has made my work more fulfilling than I ever imagined.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I’m the owner of Healing Botanicals, a boutique natural products brokerage based in New Mexico, where I represent a select portfolio of wellness and supplement brands. I’m also a certified life and nutrition coach, and the founder of Mind Body Well Coaching, a coaching and education platform that helps women break free from chronic dieting, heal their metabolism, and reclaim a peaceful, empowered relationship with food and their bodies.

My journey into the wellness industry started long before I ever had a business. Like many women, I spent years trapped in cycles of binge eating, emotional eating, restrictive dieting, and body shame. I tried everything — counting, tracking, starting over every Monday — always chasing a sense of control and confidence that felt just out of reach. What I ultimately discovered was that true healing wasn’t about more willpower. It was about nourishing my body, calming my nervous system, reworking the beliefs that were driving the behaviors, and redefining my relationship with food from the inside out.

That’s what led me to the natural products industry in the first place — I was looking for answers. And over time, I became deeply passionate about helping others find the same kinds of tools and products that helped me. In my brokerage, I connect mission-driven brands with retailers and health practitioners, offering sales support, product education, and in-store trainings that help customers feel confident in what they’re choosing.

But I also wanted to go deeper — to help people not just buy wellness products, but truly live well. That’s when I expanded into coaching, combining the power of natural health with mindset work, emotional resilience, and habit change. Whether I’m demoing supplements, leading a staff training, or coaching a client through a breakthrough, my work is about helping people reconnect with their bodies, their intuition, and their personal definition of health.

What sets my work apart is the integration. I bring a unique combination of experience in product knowledge, emotional healing, and real-world coaching. I help bridge the gap between products and people — between science and self-trust.

I’m most proud of the fact that I turned my own pain into purpose. That I took a risk in 2020 to stop hiding and start helping in a more authentic and holistic way. And that today, I get to empower women who feel tired, stuck, or defeated to find real freedom — not just in how they eat, but in how they live.

For anyone discovering my work, I want them to know: You’re not broken. You don’t need more control. You need more compassion, more connection, and a more complete approach to wellness — one that includes your body, your brain, your emotions, and your story. That’s the kind of transformation I’m here to help facilitate.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

One of the biggest lessons I had to unlearn was that credibility means having it all together.

For years, I believed that if I wanted to be taken seriously in the wellness world—especially as someone representing high-quality supplement brands and educating retailers and practitioners—I had to hide the messier parts of my story. I thought my past with emotional eating, disordered patterns, and chronic dieting would somehow disqualify me. Like my struggles meant I hadn’t “earned” the right to lead.

So I polished the professional side. I showed up with confidence, strategy, and knowledge… but kept the parts of me that felt raw or real tucked away. The irony is, those hidden pieces were exactly why I do this work. They were the bridge to real connection. The missing piece in my business was me.

It wasn’t until 2020—when everything slowed down—that I started to see how much power I was leaving on the table by shrinking my truth. I realized that real credibility isn’t about perfection — it’s about integrity. About being willing to go first, to be seen, and to speak the truth. That’s what creates safety and resonance. That’s what builds trust.

So I took the leap. I got certified as a life and nutrition coach, and started integrating my personal healing into my professional mission. I began leading with story, not just science. And every time I shared the real me—the woman who’s been through it, not just read about it—people leaned in closer.

What I’ve learned is this: hiding isn’t strength. Hiding is a capacity issue. And when I started expanding my capacity to be seen, to be vulnerable, to hold space for others because I’ve walked it too—that’s when everything changed.

Now, I don’t just lead from expertise. I lead from embodiment. From truth. And it’s made my business, my coaching, and my relationships more impactful than ever.

Because sharing your story doesn’t make you less of a leader — it makes you the kind of leader people trust.

Training and knowledge matter of course, but beyond that what do you think matters most in terms of succeeding in your field?

Honestly, the most helpful thing beyond training or knowledge is emotional capacity—your ability to stay grounded, present, and resilient in the face of discomfort, rejection, or uncertainty.

In both coaching and the natural products industry, you’re not just selling ideas or supplements—you’re navigating human emotions, identity, and resistance. Whether I’m guiding a woman who’s been stuck in diet culture for decades, or supporting a wellness retailer who’s overwhelmed with options and under-supported by brands, success comes down to connection, consistency, and compassion.

And all of that requires capacity.

It’s not about having all the answers—it’s about holding space when things don’t go as planned. When a launch flops. When a client gets triggered. When self-doubt creeps in. It’s about expanding your ability to sit with discomfort without making it mean you’re failing.

That’s the real skill set: regulating your nervous system, reframing rejection, and showing up with curiosity instead of control. That’s how you create trust, lead authentically, and build something sustainable.

So yes, training is important. But what truly moves the needle is who you become in the process—your capacity to stay in the room, to go first, to get it wrong and keep going. That’s the real secret to success in this work.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://paperbell.me/mindbodywell
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mindbodywellcoaching/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MindBodyWellCoaching/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/khara-hindi-a6321b212/