We were lucky to catch up with Samantha Hua recently and have shared our conversation below.

Samantha, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Setting up an independent practice is a daunting endeavor. Can you talk to us about what it was like for you – what were some of the main steps, challenges, etc.

Happy Food started in May 2009. I knew funding was ending for my regular job, and I simply never had the passion to work in child abuse/domestic violence. That was a temporary career shift. I was more fascinated by health and nutrition; that occupied more of my day-to-day life. Happy Food started with 2 red chairs at a beautiful park overlooking San Diego bay.

I started my full-time job super early than headed up the hill to see my clients. At first, I couldn’t believe that people paid me but a small handful of clients certainly did not pay the bills. With that in mind, I worked many unpaid hours to build the business including tons of networking, public speaking, engaging in social media, writing blogs, etc. I honestly learned on the job and corrected my course of action many times.

There was so much I didn’t know about starting a business. I could have been more methodical with a sequential plan, but I wondered if that would have stopped me in my tracks. There’s so much to do that it’s overwhelming. Because I and learned in real time, I definitely did some things backwards.

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 background and context?

Trained as a scientist, I was always fascinated by health and nutrition. This was how I lived my life and one day in 2009, I decided to make it my career. I started Happy Food thinking I would help people get healthy and not loss weight in such a miserable manner. I very quickly learned that weight loss is so much deeper than dieting, counting calories, and being disciplined.

This was when I started to thrive. Sure, I have lots of knowledge and science around nutrition but that was not my passion. I struggled in my childhood and into most of adulthood that I worked hard on behavioral changes and learning about the mind. I had no idea that my growth would be the ultimate benefit of so many clients. I drew from all aspects of my life including understanding trauma from my work with child abuse/domestic violence, community building as an environmental scientist, health education in the Peace Corps, and mainly finding resilience in my own life due trauma.

So if you ask me, “What is Happy Food about?” I would say it’s the combination of nutrition, understanding food marketing in America, and changing the habits that allow you to thrive and love yourself. It’s about being resilient and moving away from just surviving. It’s about making joy a priority. Then, you don’t need that tub of ice cream, the calorie counting, or even discipline. With all your baby-step changes as we work together including changing your environment for success, you just change everything from the way you think about yourself to your taste buds. This is what I love most about my job! So many giant changes have happened at Happy Food.

If you could go back, would you choose the same profession, specialty, etc.?

My path from being a field biologist to temporarily being in the field of child abuse/domestic violence to holistic health coach was very unconventional to say the least. Looking back, I think I would do it all over again. Each phase in life served its purpose, and I learned so much in each one that it added to my experience.

I think that before we live in regret or wished something different happened, we need to ask ourselves if “I learned from it” or “it made me who I am.” I loved how I started in my 20s full of adventure and resulted in the present me who is full of empathy and understands all different walks of life.

I think to be an effective coach, one needs to have experience with all aspects of life including the not-so-shiny moments. Helping people find their joy while living healthfully is a special place to be.

Have you ever had to pivot?

As with my previous answer, I pivoted numerous times in life. As a field biologist, I worked in West Africa, Chile, Argentina, Colorado, California, Arizona, and traveled to many countries seeking wildlife refuge. That was amazing until my 30s rolled around and the idea of a bed, a roof, and a stable community felt really attractive.

Knowing that I don’t belong in corporate America, I headed back to the U.S. and found myself in the non-profit world. It felt admirable but extremely tiring to fight up-hill all the time. At least, it felt that way. Finally, I ended up where I was meant to be. Health and life coaching feels very rewarding especially since I can help people connect their emotions to their habits. I can help them see that they are not alone. That despite what feels like a divisive world, we are very much alike.

My conclusion: change is OK, change is good, and listening to your intuition is good even if it feels unconventional and/or uncomfortable.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://happyfoodhealth.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/happyfoodsd
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/happyfoodsd
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samanthahua
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/happyfoodhealth
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/SamHappyFood
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/happy-food-san-diego

Image Credits
Shawn Lanham