We were lucky to catch up with Shannon Vitale recently and have shared our conversation below.

Shannon , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. To kick things off, we’d love to hear about things you or your brand do that diverge from the industry standard.

Many people are shocked when I tell them “I don’t give you a meal plan, I will never tell you what you can or can’t eat”, then they look at me befuddled and ask “well, how am I supposed to know what to do”?

With my clients, whether it’s 1-1 or group coaching, we approach their wellness goals starting where they are at and together, we create a nutrition-focused wellness approach that’s motivated by self-love, broken down into bite-size* (pun intended) actions which is sustainable for the long term. It’s not a diet. It’s a lifestyle.

No food plans, no exercise regimens, no guilt, no shame. All sustainable change must come from a place of self-love, not disgust or hate. You can’t hate yourself into a body you love. It just doesn’t stick. AND the changes you do make, have to make you FEEL GOOD – or you won’t want to continue them in the long-run. I am all about Nutrition on Your Terms(TM)!

I work to understand my client as a whole person, who they are, where they are at in life – physically, mentally/emotionally, spiritually as well as work through clarifying what their goals are and WHY they want to achieve those goals. I do an extensive intake process which informs the rest of our work together. I then use my expertise, science-backed knowledge, the energetics and operating system of my client, and the goals they want to achieve to put together a Holistic Wellness Roadmap which includes nutritional, lifestyle, herbal/supplemental suggestions – all of which will take them down the path they want to go. We then dig in together to figure out strategies and methods for beginning to incorporate the suggestions into their normal life – in a way that actually works for them and is sustainable.

The result? My clients not only gain the information they need to reach their wellness goals, but they work through roadblocks, they dig in deep and often find more than just the physical wins they originally came to me to achieve. Most importantly, they move themselves out of the diet culture mentality, foster better relationships with their bodies (and themselves) and make their own rules around food. They find self-efficacy. My whole job is to help them not need me any longer.

And it works.

Shannon , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Brand Story:

More than calories in and calories out, true wellness is about the whole person. It’s a lesson I’ve learned myself, and it’s one I want to teach other women — because I’ve experienced the loneliness and loathing of low self-worth.

When I was 12, my mom sat my sister and I down at the kitchen table and told us she was leaving. In that instant, a switch flipped. If the one person on earth who loves me no matter what is leaving me, it must mean there’s something wrong with me.

So I hid.

I hid under layers of fat and found both comfort and punishment in food. I’d binge until I felt as physically bad as I felt inside. I lived that way for decades, making poor decisions and walking through the world unhappy and unfulfilled.

And then I had children. The switch flipped again, and I wanted something different, something better for my girls.

Through a long-winding self-help journey, I discovered one simple truth. I AM worthy, just as I am, in the body I’m in, as the person I am.

I also learned that our thoughts and beliefs show up in our behaviors. When we change those thoughts and beliefs, we change our behaviors. There’s just one caveat: changes only work when our motivation comes from a positive place. Behaviors that grow from negative energy (guilt and shame) don’t last.

Long-term changes have to feel good, so your brain wants to sustain them.

I’ve been where you are, and I’m on the other side. That’s why I became a nutrition and wellness coach, to make sure other women have it easier than I did.

Biography –

I’m Shannon, and it’s so nice to meet you.

I call myself a nutrition and wellness coach, but I’m more than that. I’m your guide, cheerleader, and trusted confidante.

As a recovering accountant, I left corporate America to help women make sustainable progress toward their wellness goals.

I’m a Certified Transformational Nutrition Coach through the Institute of Transformational Nutrition, a nationally recognized, dually accredited program. I’m also Board Certified in Holistic Nutrition® through the National Association of Nutrition Professionals.

At my heaviest, I weighed well above the 250lb mark . At my thinnest, I weighed about 120lbs. Neither number brought me happiness nor fulfillment. Today, at a healthy weight, I approach nutrition and wellness holistically both for myself and for my clients.

No food plans. No exercise regimens. No guilt. No shame.

Armed with science-backed knowledge, I recommend behavior adjustments, nutritional suggestions, herbs and, supplements, to help alleviate physical discomfort. When your body feels better, you’re more able to focus on improvements.

I’ll challenge you in the most supportive, nonjudgmental ways to look at the thoughts and beliefs behind your behaviors. We focus on small, attainable modifications because the key to achieving big goals is to break them into smaller ones.

Oh, and I’m a mom of 3 (including twins), so I know that whatever we do has to work within your allotted time and energy. It can be done! Are you ready?

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

I spent the majority of my early years (from about age 12 – 35) with pretty much no self worth, stuck in “not enoughness”, hiding my real self from those around me in fear that I would not be liked, accepted, or loved. I used people-pleasing and perfectionism as my armor. And I excelled in those areas. They served me well as I rose in my corporate finance career as I became the person you would go to when things needed to get done and get done right. My corporate career gave me what I thought was security, success, and worth. However, the emphasis on achievement and perfection in the roles I had were crippling me mentally/emotionally and then physically. I was crumbling and experiencing extreme anxiety and panic attacks until one day – my body would not let me ignore them any longer.

This led me to look for something more, something different – it was time to pivot. It was time to heal my relationship with myself. This led me down the path to what I do today in the holistic nutrition & wellness space where I truly feel that embracing your inherent self-worth is the key to freedom, success and security. In order to change – truly change – you have to love yourself enough to believe you are worthy of the change you seek. This is the core principle I work from. Trusting in this has led me down a purpose-driven and fulfilling path. Owning a business truly tests every limiting belief you’ve ever had about yourself – and the ‘pivots’ and changes are always just around the bend. This is the greatest lesson I’ve learned as a business owner and if you are grounded in your worth, the change/pivots won’t bring you down.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.svitaleholistichealth.com
• Instagram: @vitaleholistichealth
• Facebook: Shannon Vitale; Shannon Vitale CTNC; Nourish: Helping Women Recover From Diet Culture and Body Objectification
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/shannon-vitale