Meet Emily Chapman!
Emily Chapman is a marketing guru and mom turned Integrative Nutrition Health Coach. We are thrilled to have had the opportunity to sit down with her to learn more about her background, her thoughts on health and wellness, and her go-to self-care rituals.
You can find her on Instagram at @emilychapmanwellness and TikTok at @emilyswellness. Check out her interview to find out more about Emily and all about health and wellness!
How did you get into health and wellness?
Emily grew up in Texas with a very active mother. Despite being encouraged to partake in physical activities and move her body, Emily realized that no matter what she did, she was unable to keep weight off. It was a very different time than the world we are living in now, where people did not understand nutrition, food, and health as much as today.
Later in life, she moved to New York City where she focused on a marketing career and excelled. Therefore, she did not have kids until a little bit later on in life. Having kids gave her a moment of clarity: she wanted to make sure she lived long enough and was healthy enough to be able to see her children get married, meet her grandchildren, and live the happiest and longest life possible.
Emily had always been interested in food and wellness, and using food as a source for all of your nutrients and well-being. So, Emily began researching and looking into physiology in an effort to get herself into shape and create a healthier, happier life for herself. The final straw into the field she has created was losing her job and her divorce from her husband of 27 years.
These life changes were the spark that gave her the power to decide to go back to school at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition where she graduated in just a year.
Tell us a little bit more about your job.
Emily is an Integrative Nutrition Health Coach. She attended the Institute for Integrative Nutrition that sports many professors who double as functional medicine doctors. The institute also boasts alumni like Melissa Wood, Elizabeth of Purely Elizabeth, Dr, Mark Heiman, and so many more.
Chapman was certified three and 3.5 years ago and has started her own business to run a private practice ever since. If this is not a sign that it is never too late to start doing what you love, then I don’t know what is.
Emily’s health coaching focuses around 12-week programs and hourly sessions to discuss health needs with clients. The sessions always begin with family history to look into genetics and unpack what possible health risks could affect the client. Emily emphasizes a focus on gut health, brain health, and longevity. She allows her clients to understand food, exercise, stress, and weight through her methods and knowledge.
Chapman notes that this is her favorite job she has ever done because she gets to help people discover their value and work through health issues.
What is a self-care ritual that you partake in?
In the spirit of loving movement and health, a huge self-care ritual in Emily’s life is yoga, as well as meditative breath. Using meditation as a tool to ground and calm can be wondrous, as it is highly effective, can be done anywhere, and rarely takes any time.
“Chapman also noted that she is a huge gardener and she views gardening as mediation, as well. Gardening allows you to spend time outside, in nature, with fresh air. She believes gardening is therapeutic, is beneficial because it incorporates movement and breath, and can be a great way to utilize the trends of dirty wellness.”
How do you encourage balance within wellness?
As important as healthy eating is, we know that life comes with birthdays, events, holidays, and of course cravings. A healthy lifestyle is a balanced lifestyle. Emily believes a good strategy to use to create a balanced lifestyle can be the 80/20 rule. This is the concept that you eat what is considered healthy 80% of the time, and enjoy foods that are considered not as healthy, 20% of the time.
Chapman encourages her clients to think of your body as a vehicle that you want to take care of and love and respect. Therefore, if you have a nice car, would you not want to put premium fuel into the tank?
The same goes with eating!
Choosing to put food in your body with nutrients and value can make all of the difference.
What are your thoughts on food correlating to sleep and mental health?
Putting the proper foods in your body has a direct correlation with your sleep, mental, and physical health. Chapman explains that when you eat well and exercise, you are most likely going to sleep well.
Furthermore, gut health is a huge component of mental health and quality of sleep. It is essential to have probiotics and prebiotics incorporated into your diet. Probiotics are the healthy bacteria in your gut that support gut lining, the brain, and decrease inflammation, chronic illness, and bloating. In addition, there are more neurons in your gut than in your brain! Food is medicine! Foods that are loaded with probiotics include Greek Yogurt, Sauerkraut, Kombucha, and more. Adding in these foods can support your prebiotic levels and support your vagus nervous system which increases serotonin and positive energy, therefore increasing your happy and healthy energy to stabilize your mental health.
What are you looking forward to in the new year?
Emily will be leading several wellness trips for women throughout the new year. These wellness retreats involve a grief counselor, life coach, and herself as the health coach. In addition, Chapman is a Member of the Garden Club of America and is excited to be able to go on garden visits in New Orleans with the club.
As a health coach, she is looking forward to working with new clients and continuing to help people through their health journeys.
Emily Chapman is the perfect example that it is never too late to start the career you want. There is no expiration date on entrepreneurs. Emily was able to have one career, have children, and start a whole new career in her 60s.
For more information about Emily, why we are such big fans, and her health coaching services, check out her website.