This post is part of the Mompreneur Wellness Profile Series. Each profile features a Q & A with a real, authentic woman sharing her successes and struggles with incorporating wellness into a busy life.This series highlights that wellness is part of our life journey and contributes to our success as a mom and entrepreneur. I want to get away from the images and beliefs that wellness is about perfection.

I believe that wellness is a journey that evolves and adjusts, depending on what our priorities are. The journey can be easy, at other times an exciting adventure, and at times we may be armchair travelers! Read on….

Jolette Jai,  Peace of Mind Parenting

www.Peaceofmindparenting.com
www.facebook.com/Peaceofmindparenting
www.twitter/Jolettejai

Tell me about your business.

I’ve had my business for about 9 months now.

I empower married, divorced and single parents to raise confident and caring children, so that children feel a security from the inside out to overcome any situation.   Through my process, parents let go of the way they were parented so that they can consciously choose how they’d like to parent their child.  My process brings empathy, compassion and deep connection into families, no matter what the circumstance.

I was an aspiring film director and involved in the healing arts before that for the past ten years.

Married? Number and age of children?

Divorced, I have one son who is 4 years old.

Where do you live?

Los Angeles, California

What role does nutrition and food play in your life?

A big part as my mom was a health nut before her time.  I’m constantly searching for new and nutritious foods for me and my son.

Tell me about one strategy/action you have for self care.

Yogaaaaaaaaa!!!

Tell me a strategy or tip you have for feeding your family healthy foods.

Always have a snack of veggies or fruit on the table before the meal.  It seems when my son is really hungry, then he’ll go for this kind of a snack first, while I’m getting dinner ready.

Do you have a favorite wellness resource, philosophy or food that inspires you?

I love macrobiotic cooking, miso soups and fresh fish.  I tend to follow the principles of macrobiotics as much as possible and then, I also love raw foods.

Do you exercise regular? If so, what do you do?

Yoga 2 x/ week and hiking at least once a week, though have been slacking on the hiking lately.  I love being in nature.  I find it very rejuvenating!

What have you struggled with, in terms of wellness, as you have been building a business and raising a family?

Honestly, getting enough sleep.  Getting my own business going has oftentimes felt like getting an airplane off the ground!  I’ve been very committed to take-off, so I’ve spent many long hours on the computer after I put my son to sleep.  I’m realizing now, through the help and support of my business and life coaches that this practice of intermittent sleep is really not sustainable!  I also did it so that I could have more time with my son during the day.

How do you feel your health and wellness contributes to your business? Your creativity? Your family?

Wow!  It’s everything.  I think my health and wellness sets the tone for the whole mood of my family (which, right now is me and my son).

Anything else you’d like to share about wellness, family, health, food, and exercise?

I’ve just got into a great short exercise practice of taking short 10-minute breaks in between typing at the computer to put on headphones and dance around the room.  It’s great fun and I feel so alive!

Any special promos or particulars regarding your business you’d like me to add?
Complimentary consultation for all your readers, Email me at Jolette@Jolettejai.com and write in Subject line: Complimentary Consultation  (Value $250)

This post is part of the Mompreneur Wellness Profile Series. Each profile features a Q & A with a real, authentic woman sharing her successes and struggles with incorporating wellness into a busy life.This series highlights that wellness is part of our life journey and contributes to our success as a mom and entrepreneur. I want to get away from the images and beliefs that wellness is about perfection.

I believe that wellness is a journey that evolves and adjusts, depending on what our priorities are. The journey can be easy, at other times an exciting adventure, and at times we may be armchair travelers! Read on….

Karen Ranzi, Super Healthy Children Publishing

www.superhealthychildren.com
www.facebook.com/CreatingHealthyChildren
www.twitter.com/karenranzi

My book Creating Healthy Children and publishing company, Super Healthy Children Publishing, have been in existence since March 2010. However, I have been researching this topic for seventeen years, and lecturing for thirteen years.

Back Cover Description of the book:

Creating Healthy Children is an empowering transformational book that will profoundly improve your family’s physical, emotional, mental and spiritual wellbeing.  In this book, Karen Ranzi guides you on the path to creating happy and healthy children, confident of their disease-free future. Rather than medicate your child’s diseases, infections, and learning difficulties, Karen’s unique and proven approach simply eliminates the causes of health and weight problems through the healthful fresh food lifestyle. She conveys the understanding of your child’s biological need to obtain optimal nourishment—implementing healthful choices from pregnancy on. Karen also emphasizes fulfilling your child’s emotional needs by adhering to attachment parenting principles throughout the growing years.

Married? Number and age of children?

Yes, I am married for 25 years with two children. Gabriela is now 23 and recently graduated college with a major in Global Environmental Studies, and is working for an environmental non-profit organization in Colorado. Marco is 21 and he is studying sports broadcasting at college and majoring in sports journalism.

Where do you live?

Ramsey, N.J.

What role does nutrition and food play in your life?

Nutrition and food play a very important role in my life. My paternal grandmother healed from severe asthma and emphysema in the early 1920s after reading the book The Mucusless Diet Healing System by Professor Arnold Ehret. I was able to help my son heal from severe asthma, chronic ear infections and chronic allergic rhinitis seventeen years ago using fresh, unprocessed fruits, green leaves and vegetables and powerful green juices. I have since been able to help many others on their road to recovery through healthy vegan nutrition and lifestyle changes.

Tell me about one strategy/action you have for self care.

Learning how to de-escalate when others are expressing anger or upset. It is as important for my self-care as for my relationships that I focus on remaining calm and centered when someone’s emotional expression is escalating.

Tell me a strategy or tip you have for feeding your family healthy foods.

One of my favorite tips when feeding my family is to emphasize the importance of eating a big salad before eating other foods at a meal. In doing this, the abundance of vitamins and minerals in the salad will be digested first and it will assist in the digestion of cooked food.

When I recently spoke at Penn State University in State College, PA, a student said that every Friday night he goes out with friends and “inhales” chips and beer. He asked what he could do to decrease the amount he eats and drinks at these evening gatherings. I recommended that he eat a large salad with a nice sized bowl of guacamole before going out with friends. This way he will be nourished by the greens and other veggies and satisfied from the avocado in the guacamole, and most likely will not later eat so many chips (and hopefully reduce or eliminate the alcohol).

Do you have a favorite wellness resource, philosophy or food that inspires you?

I have many wonderful wellness resources, and I quote a lot of them in my book Creating Healthy Children: Through Attachment Parenting and Raw Foods.

Green leafy vegetables always inspire me, and green smoothies and green juices are part of my daily diet to always make me feel wonderful and alive. The alkalizing minerals in the green leafy vegetables light up my life! I especially love dandelion greens.

Do you exercise regular? If so, what do you do?

I love hiking and do this exercise regularly in the mountains near where I live. I also love the rebounder (a mini trampoline) which is wonderful to keep the lymphatic system moving. I have established my own routine on the rebounder and incorporate small weights as well. I also take yoga classes.What have you struggled with, in terms of wellness, as you have been building a business and raising a family?

I have struggled with the worry of family members straying from a healthy lifestyle because of peer or other social pressures. This is difficult for a parent who believes that a healthy lifestyle leads to a healthy future. They most often do go hand in hand. It has been especially difficult to watch my children make decisions that could affect their future health. My daughter needed to leave home to compare how she felt on fresh unpackaged fruits and vegetables when growing up at home to the standard dietary indoctrination surrounding her away at college. By learning to respect other individuals’ paths and practicing deep breathing, I have been better able to deal with these situations.

How do you feel your health and wellness contributes to your business? Your creativity? Your family?
If I don’t feel great then it is hard to plan talks and book tours and set an example for others for a healthy fresh food lifestyle. I have been eating healthfully for many years, and making sure I get plenty of exercise and sleep (most of the time). In the past couple of years I am also more aware of the importance of reducing stress to live more healthfully. We all have stress in our lives but how we handle it is key. When I am doing well in all these areas, I have noticed that I am more creative in the articles I write, more understanding of my family’s needs, and feeling more balanced.

Anything else you’d like to share about wellness, family, health, food, and exercise?
I am a big proponent of Attachment Parenting, which means “following the needs of the child.” I believe that in following these important needs that we nourish ourselves as well as our children. When we don’t carry or pick up a child because we are afraid of spoiling him/her, we are actually denying ourselves the love and close bonding experience that is so necessary to increase the “feel-good” hormones for ourselves and our children.

Health for our children today and in the future is achieved through an abundance of fresh, ripe, organic, unprocessed food and tender loving care throughout the growing years.

Any special promos or particulars regarding your business you’d like me to add?

Those who are interested in purchasing Creating Healthy Children, it is available at www.superhealthychildren.com and www.amazon.com.

I am currently doing talks and book tours throughout the U.S. I have talks scheduled in New Jersey during the month of March, and then I will be on book tour in mid April from the east coast to Chicago and back to the east coast (10 talks in 10 days!). For locations, dates and times, please see www.SuperHealthyChildren.com/Events.

This post is part of the Mompreneur Wellness Profile Series. Each profile features a Q & A with a real, authentic woman sharing her successes and struggles with incorporating wellness into a busy life.

This series highlights that wellness is part of our life journey and contributes to our success as a mom and entrepreneur. I want to get away from the images and beliefs that wellness is about perfection.

I believe that wellness is a journey that evolves and adjusts, depending on what our priorities are. The journey can be easy, at other times an exciting adventure, and at times we may be armchair travelers! Read on….

Mollee Bauer,  Pregnancy.org
http://www.pregnancy.org
http://www.facebook.com/pregnancyorg
http://www.twitter.com/pregnancyorg

I have been enjoying Pregnancy.org for almost 10 years. Pregnancy.org is in the business of empowering women and their families with trustworthy & reliable information, peer-to-peer community, experts and tools to feel secure and safe in their journeys to parenthood.

Married? Number and age of children?
Yes, one child, 14.

Where do you live?
Boca Raton, FL

What role does nutrition and food play in your life?
I’ve been a proponent of self-care for some time, and believe that you can only be as happy and healthy as you make yourself to be. Having and eating a well balanced, nutritious regimen of food is essential to prime and pump your engine, be able to be a mom, take on the work-world and be an overall success. Much like a person’s favorite suit, sweatshirt or otherwise, you only have one body – treat it well and it will do well for you!

Tell me about one strategy/action you have for self-care.
Every morning when I wake up, and also before going to bed, I try hard to make sure I meditate or journal for at least 10 minutes. It allows my mind to slow down and rest and be ready for the tasks on hand, or in the case before bed to relax and rest well. I will also say my mantra, which goes like this, “I will accomplish everything I set my mind to, and have a positive loving day…” and even if I don’t, it reinforces positive thinking.

Tell me a strategy or tip you have for feeding your family healthy foods.
I do most of my shopping at Whole Foods, or Publix’s Greenwise. I purposely have tried to shop either at co-ops, or these places so that I know exactly what is in the food and where the food is coming from. It’s important for me that the food and products we use in and on our bodies doesn’t have toxins, preservatives, etc. This is a good first step to making sure the family eats right and well.

Do you have a favorite wellness resource, philosophy or food that inspires you?
My philosophy is that we are what we eat, we are whom we act like, and we are whom we believe we can and aspire to be. I believe that anything is possible as long as you try. As for wellness resource, our friends at livingselfcare.com have great tips, and as for food, my weakness is Indian or Mediterranean cooking – can never have enough of that.

Do you exercise regular? If so, what do you do?
I certainly try to – as a fellow mom and mompreneur, it can be tough, but I try to do my elliptical/zumba/free weights at least 3 days a week.

What have you struggled with, in terms of wellness, as you have been building a business and raising a family?
We definitely all have our struggles and challenges. My weight is a biggie, and taking time for myself and child. It’s very easy to get wrapped up in work, wrapped up in bad food, or tell your child, “Just a minute, honey,” and an hour or two can go by. I try and be aware of when this is happening, and will get up from the computer, go for a walk with the kid, the dog, and munch on something healthy. While there may or may not be a “sure thing” you find what works.

How do you feel your health and wellness contributes to your business? Your creativity? Your family?
Everything is related. When health is bad, you’re not as inspired, period. You don’t want to do anything. So health and wellness is paramount to doing well. You can only do your absolute best at any given moment. We can’t be on all the time, but to succeed, one needs to learn that balance.

Anything else you’d like to share about wellness, family, health, food, and exercise?
Just to always be aware of yourself, your needs and know it isn’t selfish to take care of yourself. If you don’t, you can’t take care of the others in your family.

This post is part of the Mompreneur Wellness Profile Series. Each profile features a Q & A with a real, authentic woman sharing her successes and struggles with incorporating wellness into a busy life.

This series highlights that wellness is part of our life journey and contributes to our success as a mom and entrepreneur. I want to get away from the images and beliefs that wellness is about perfection.

I believe that wellness is a journey that evolves and adjusts, depending on what our priorities are. The journey can be easy, at other times an exciting adventure, and at times we may be armchair travelers! Read on….

Karin Witzig Rozell, founder of the Wellness Professional Network

http://www.WellproNet.org
Facebook: http://on.fb.me/gQvKrS
Twitter: @KWitzigRozell

WellProNet is where health and wellness pros can go to learn all the stuff they didn’t teach you in school: marketing, messaging and how to make a great living in the “helping people” field.

Before this I was a nutrition pro, who knew a lot about nutrition, but nothing about running a business.  I eventually cracked the code, after a lot of ups and downs, and now I show wellness pros how to avoid all the costly mistakes I made in the first 3 years of biz.

Married? Number and age of children?

I’m married to a wonderful man named Drew Rozell (You can meet him here http://VeryCoolLife.com) who also works from home – right down the hall – and runs a successful coaching biz. We just had a baby this past August (baby Alex is 6 months!) and let’s just say, life has never been the same and it’s never been better.

Where do you live?

We live in beautiful, upstate New York dairy country just over the border of Southern Vermont. Each day I’m so happy to live where I live. We have the view of the Vermont Green Mountains and when people visit us, the most common thing they say is, “Wow, I haven’t been this relaxed in ages.” I like that about my home.

What role does nutrition and food play in your life?

For me, it’s a pretty important. I love food – preparing it, eating it, learning about it, and mostly eating it. And I love how food can truly influence how you feel and experience the world, and also make a home so cozy, welcoming and grounding. But I don’t want to be 300 lbs. So about 15 years ago I got into nutrition.

I’m pretty conscious about making sure we eat our veggies, and that our meat is the best quality that I can buy (organic, local, etc…) and that there is an awareness of healthful, enjoyable eating in our home. I guess I’m what I would call a health-conscious foodie.

In fact, my favorite thing to watch is the Food Network and the Cooking Channel. My husband doesn’t really understand this about me. (I tell him I don’t get him watching baseball all the time J.) But he does appreciate the results.

Tell me about one strategy/action you have for self care.

One thing that helps me feel focused, energized and in a good mood is to plan my meals ahead of time. There are three grown ups that need to eat at our house Monday – Friday (my husband and I work from home, and I’m nursing so I tend to get very hungry, and my part-time nanny). So having good food ready keeps everyone’s blood sugar balanced and feeling great.

I have found, especially after having a baby and not getting much sleep, if I don’t have a lunch and dinner plan by morning, I end up scrounging around the house for food and then end up eating cookies for lunch. And then heads roll. Not pretty.

So one of the very best things I do for myself is to make sure I have food ready to go. I do this before the Nanny gets here and while my baby takes an early morning nap. Even if it’s just mulling over an idea that I’ll put together later. This works especially well if I’ve taken it one step further and actually have pre-made lunch and dinner (I’ve rediscovered the slow cooker!).

Tell me a strategy or tip you have for feeding your family healthy foods.

This is so basic, but so essential. I just make sure I have fresh, healthy food and nutrition rich snacks on hand and a general plan for what I’ll do with the food. I also make sure I have “in the freezer” options for “emergencies” when I’m really tired and can’t be bothered too cook. (Frozen, organic meatballs with tomato sauce over whole grain pasta with a side salad is my winter back up meal.) If I buy cookies and ice cream, I eat cookies and ice cream. So I just don’t buy them too often. Having said that, there’s ALWAYS dark chocolate on hand.

Do you have a favorite wellness resource, philosophy or food that inspires you?

I’m a city girl who moved to the country. So I can’t quite run to the grocery store every time I need something without it eating up an hour of my time. In fact, I think running errands through out the week is a waste of time and how many mompreneurs lose valuable focus, energy and momentum in their business – doing errands every day.

So what I do is make a plan to grocery shop once per week. (Yes, you can buy organic and it will last – put things in the very back of the fridge.) That’s it. If I run out of food, I start getting creative with what I have in the freezer and pantry. If there’s something I really need, like diaper wipes, I use Amazon.com prime (free shipping) like a virtual assistant and they’re here in 2 days.

I save a lot of time and energy doing this and I find it sets me up for the week.

Do you exercise regularly? If so, what do you do?

Ugh. I really struggle with this. The short answer is no. At this point I would like to tell you all of my excuses. I have a hard time getting off my behind in the past 15 months. (I have a 6 month old who is up every 2-3 hours every night and I’m really tired come late afternoon). I think I make up for it with a lot of attention on my nutrition. My intention is to start doing yoga again though.

What have you struggled with, in terms of wellness, as you have been building a business and raising a family?

Well, it’s exercise. I have never been a vigorous exerciser. Lucky for me, I seem to physically get away with it. However, since the baby’s arrived, my body is different and woefully realized how much time I had before, and now I wonder how the hell am I ever going to do it.

I realize that it’s got to happen first thing in the morning or else I have to pay my nanny to watch him while I exercise (is that what most people do??). And I’m so not a morning person and simply not getting enough sleep yet with the baby. Excuses, excuses, I know. I spend an inordinate amount of time thinking of why I can’t exercise. I think I just busted my self.

Anything else you’d like to share about wellness, family, health, food, and exercise?

I’ve been thinking a lot about what is “enough” and life balance. Enough money, enough stuff, enough clients, enough balance, enough everything. Asking myself “what is all the accomplishing and achieving for?”

After a certain point of achievement, when you know you can set goals and reach them, and when you know your work helps others (this used to NOT be the case for me), I’ve been thinking that the new luxury isn’t making more money and achieving more, it’s having time.

Time to spend as you see fit… With your kids, just taking a bath, creating something, just having time to live life. I just get sick of hearing people say “I don’t have time, I’m so busy.”

What’s so great about that? The next thing you know you missed out on life. And it seems to me, life happens in all the little ordinary moments.

Any special promos or particulars regarding your business you’d like me to add?

The next Brand and Launch Your Wellness Biz RIGHT program starts June 2-5, 2011. This is where I work with the participants to figure out their niche, their compelling marketing message, their brand look and feel and put it all together into a client attractive website. You can find out more at http://www.WellProNet.org

This post is part of the Mompreneur Wellness Profile Series. Each profile features a Q & A with a real, authentic woman sharing her successes and struggles with incorporating wellness into a busy life.

This series highlights that wellness is part of our life journey and contributes to our success as a mom and entrepreneur. I want to get away from the images and beliefs that wellness is about perfection.

I believe that wellness is a journey that evolves and adjusts, depending on what our priorities are. The journey can be easy, at other times an exciting adventure, and at times we may be armchair travelers! Read on….

Natalie Peluso, Writer, Coach and Opera Singer

I’m a writer and coach at NataliePeluso.com, author of the upcoming pregnancy guide for  “old hands” Fourth Time Crazy as well as the odd screenplay. Occasionally I put on a glamorous frock & do the opera diva thing.

Web http://www.nataliepeluso.com
Twitter: nataliepeluso
Facebook Fanpage: facebook.com/singyourtruth

Married? Number and age of children?

I’m a mamma to 3 incredible bambini – two girls 6 and almost 3, my little man who is 1, with another one on the way, due September 19th.

Where do you live?

In ridiculously sunny Brisbane, in Queensland, Australia.

What role does nutrition and food play in your life?

Nutrition and food play a huge part in my life. I adore cooking (I am married to an Italian so it was kind of in my job description) but I was a very overweight teenager and young woman. So when I had my first child I sought to balance myself more sensibly and went on a rampage of learning everything I could. I studied nutritional therapy and tried every fad diet under the sun until I understood how my body ticked. In doing so I created my own system that allowed me to finally lose almost 20 kilos (I have no idea what that is in pounds but it is LOADS when you’re only 5 foot tall! [That’s 44 pounds] ) and with every pregnancy I have successfully returned to my pre-pregnancy weight each time. I’m documenting this pregnancy for my book Fourth Time Crazy where I will talk more this…

Tell me about one strategy/action you have for self care.

I juice every morning. It’s like my insurance for the day.

Tell me a strategy or tip you have for feeding your family healthy foods.

Smoothies! Hidden vegetables in everything! I have a bread machine and make my own Spelt bread. I also insist on making sure there are raw foods on their plate at every meal; which the girls love. And we have vegetable songs! There’s one called “Broccoli trees” and another about carrots flying through the air…anything that makes eating healthy food a little more entertaining I guess!

Do you have a favorite wellness resource, philosophy or food that inspires you?

Just that food should be sloooooow. I love the Italian approach to food – mainly vegetables, lots of olive oil and the importance of family around a table. Also a huge fan of food combining for weight loss.

Do you exercise regularly? If so, what do you do?

Running round after the kids is my main event! I do practice yoga in the evenings to wind down, and walks around the lake across the road from where we live. I also have a treadmill in my garage for days when I actually find a spare hour to go for a run, but this is super rare. I fantasize about having the time to do a yoga retreat one day.

What have you struggled with, in terms of wellness, as you have been building a business and raising a family?

It’s incredibly hard to look after yourself when you are balancing running a biz and raising a family. Most of us tend to work it like a seesaw – if the online stuff is doing great, I have piles of laundry in my living room. If my house is in order, you can bet my biz is quiet. But I realized that when my family was eating well, the house was sparkling and I was making the time to be present for my kids – I was really, truly content. But frequently I’d get to the end of the day and be like “Argh! What am I cooking for dinner tonight???” So instead of trying to “balance” my life – impossible! – I decided to create systems to help take the chaos out of raising the family so I could run my online biz as a complement to my family life and not at the expense of it. For example, I made a three week food calendar so I could plan my meals and my shopping and it was the BEST thing.

How do you feel your health and wellness contributes to your business? Your creativity? Your family?

When I’m rested and taking care of myself, it’s so much easier to be focused and present. If I’m stressed and busy I will only end up getting take away or resorting to not so great food that’s badly thrown together instead – which just makes all of us grumpy and moany and in fact makes the problem worse. So I know that if I am getting the food and the rest I need, then so are my kids and then everyone stays happy….it’s remembering that nothing happens in a vacuum and that maintaining our state – physically and emotional – is totally the key. (And “rest” is totally subjective by the way! Whatever works for you.)

Anything else you’d like to share about wellness, family, health, food, and exercise?

I’m a big believer in making it fun and doing it together. I love sharing delicious food and talking about where it’s come from and how it’s prepared with my kids – enthusiasm for cooking and for eating is infectious and kids really respond to this. It’s the same with exercise – make it fun and it’s more likely to stick!

Any special promos or particulars regarding your business you’d like me to add?

I would love to offer your readers my free report “7 Fast Fixes For When Your Business Is Stressing You Out & Your Family Just Want You Back”.

This post is part of the Mompreneur Wellness Profile Series. Each profile features a Q & A with a real, authentic woman sharing her successes and struggles with incorporating wellness into a busy life.

This series highlights that wellness is part of our life journey and contributes to our success as a mom and entrepreneur. I want to get away from the images and beliefs that wellness is about perfection.

I believe that wellness is a journey that evolves and adjusts, depending on what our priorities are. The journey can be easy, at other times an exciting adventure, and at times we may be armchair travelers! Read on….

Elizabeth Potts Weinstein,  Live Your Truth

http://elizabethpw.com
http://twitter.com/elizabethpw

My business’ legal name is Potts Weinstein LLC but I generally go by either my own name or my tag line, Live Your Truth.

I started the first iteration of my own business when I quit working as an attorney for a big law firm in late 2003, and have morphed from financial & estate planning to business consulting to what I do now, which is empower solo-entrepreneurs to live their truth – in other words, create a business & life that is the natural expression of who they really are.

Married? Number and age of children?

I’m divorced and have one child who will be 6 in a few weeks.

Where do you live?

I currently live in San Francisco but will be moving to the Palo Alto area (Silicon Valley) this summer.

What role does nutrition and food play in your life?

About 18 months ago I started eating vegetarian – started as a 20 day experiment to see if it made a difference on my energy and ability to get things done. What I found is that when I eat meat (beef, chicken) it drains my energy, I guess because my body doesn’t digest it well – but when I stick to veggies & fish, I feel great!  I also try to eat foods without preservatives, because I find they make my skin look terrible.

I view food as something to experiment with to see what works for me, as opposed to strict rules that work for everyone.

Tell me about one strategy/action you have for self care.

I calendar all of my time, and the first thing on my calendar is self care activities – like eating, sleeping, shower, vitamins, working out, tidying the house (for me is a self-care activity), relaxing, and playing (creating art, reading, watching videos) – before I schedule work or any other activities. This shift in scheduling (made a few months ago) has made a huge difference in me putting myself first.

Tell me a strategy or tip you have for feeding your family healthy foods.

It’s all about what I have in the house. I rarely buy chips or cookies – and when I do, I tend to buy a small single serving bag (even though those cost a lot more per ounce) so we can share & finish them in one sitting.

Do you have a favorite wellness resource, philosophy or food that inspires you?

I think it’s about all things in moderation. I don’t have rules of certain foods that are totally off limits for me or my daughter – it’s about having just enough to get the enjoyment out of it. We do occasionally have soda or a lollypop … just not every day!

Do you exercise regular? If so, what do you do?

I work out with a trainer three times per week – that way I actually work out since I pay her at the beginning of the month.

What have you struggled with, in terms of wellness, as you have been building a business and raising a family?

I forget to eat, I forget to go to the grocery store, I don’t take time out to go to bed, I used to not do anything for myself until the to-do list was done … and it’s never done! So what I’ve had to learn & implement is putting myself first – both because I can’t be my best self for anyone else unless I take care of myself – and because what’s the point of life if I’m miserable and have no energy & can’t enjoy any of it!

How do you feel your health and wellness contributes to your business? Your creativity? Your family?

When I’m relaxed and have energy I’m a better mom, I’m able to create, and I’m able to find flow in my business instead of being desperate & trying to force it. So even if I have a day when I have TONS to do, I still make myself follow my calendar and take time to eat, relax, play … because then when I sit down to do things, I do them faster and better than I would otherwise.

This post is part of the Mompreneur Wellness Profile Series. Each profile will feature a Q & A with a real, authentic women sharing her successes and struggles with incorporating wellness into a busy life.

This series highlights that wellness is part of our life journey and contributes to our success as a mom and entrepreneur. I want to get away from the images and beliefs that wellness is about perfection.

I believe that wellness is a journey that evolves and adjusts, depending on what our priorities are. The journey can be easy, at other times an exciting adventure, and at times we may be armchair travelers! Read on….

Karen Bierdeman, The Guilt Free Mom

Karen specializes in helping moms parent easier and more enjoyably, especially when they have strong-willed, spirited children who are intense and challenging to parent.

http://www.theguiltfreemom.com,

@momcoach on Twitter.

Married? Number and age of children?
Happily married to Chuck for almost 16 years, and have two girls: Kate is 12 and Alyssa is almost 9.

Where do you live?
In the East Bay in the San Francisco Bay Area

What role does nutrition and food play in your life?
I am almost always thinking about it! I have read up on it a ton and have begun to dabble in gourmet vegan cooking. I am always eager to find ways to get more veggies, especially greens, into my family’s diet (especially my picky eater’s!). I believe that good nutrition is the basis of a happy, productive life.

Tell me about one strategy/action you have for self care.
I create things with paper and paint, even if it’s only for ten minutes at a time!

Tell me a strategy or tip you have for feeding your family healthy foods.
Green smoothies–we blend kale, romaine lettuce and other greens with frozen bananas and frozen berries, a little cinnamon and some agave syrup–that way we get a ton of greens in!

Do you have a favorite wellness resource, philosophy or food that inspires you?
I love the website www.peertrainer.com because of their balanced approach to nutrition and weight loss. I also like Michael Pollan’s books.

Do you exercise regular? If so, what do you do?
I have an eliptical trainer at my house that I use several times per week, and I also walk my dog.

What have you struggled with, in terms of wellness, as you have been building a business and raising a family?
I have struggled with having unhealthful snacks in the house because my husband and kids like them (like crackers, sweets). When I am stressed or overwhelmed by trying to meet a deadline, I will often reach for these “trigger” foods.

How do you feel your health and wellness contributes to your business? Your creativity? Your family?
When I am healthy and energetic I have the resources to create and participate fully in life. My family benefits and so do my clients. Good nutrition equals good fuel equals good energy equals good production! Also, when I exercise I relieve stress, which my family very much appreciates!

Anything else you’d like to share about wellness, family, health, food, and exercise?
Just that I wish our culture made it easier for families to get healthful food as easily as they do fast food–busy mompreneurs need all the help they can get!

This post is part of the Mompreneur Wellness Profile Series. Each profile will feature a Q & A with a real, authentic women sharing her successes and struggles with incorporating wellness into a busy life.

This series highlights that wellness is part of our life journey and contributes to our success as a mom and entrepreneur. I want to get away from the images and beliefs that wellness is about perfection.

I believe that wellness is a journey that evolves and adjusts, depending on what our priorities are. The journey can be easy, at other times an exciting adventure, and at times we may be armchair travelers! Read on….

Heather Lopez. CEO of Heather Lopez Enterprises LLC.

I just launched Heather Lopez Enterprises in December 2010 to incorporate all of my sites, events, and services into a central location. I have been working from home since 2009.

Divisions include the Super Mom Entrepreneur Conference & Expo, the Bloggin’ Mamas Conference Cruise, Become Better Brands, Happy and Healthy Mom.Com, WAHM Kiddie Swap, & a new blog starting, The Really Undomesticated Mama Project: My journey from mom mogul to domestic diva.

Website urls: http://www.heatherlopezenterprises.com, http://www.supermompreneur.com, http://www.blogginmamascruise.com, http://www.becomebetterbrands.com, http://wahmkiddieswap.ning.com
Facebook urls: http://facebook.com/heatherlopezenterprises, http://facebook.com/supermomentrepreneur, http://facebook.com/blogginmamas, http://www.facebook.com/becomebetterbrands, http://facebook.com/happyandhealthymom
Twitter urls: http://www.twitter.com/HeLoEnterprises, http://www.twitter.com/supermompreneur, http://www.twitter.com/blogginmamas http://twitter.com/wherebrandsgo, http://www.twitter.com/HAHMom

Married? Number and age of children?

Married. Daughter 3, Son 21 months

Where do you live?

Ft. Lauderdale, FL

What role does nutrition and food play in your life?

Unfortunately nutrition has not been the biggest priority in my life. My kids love to eat and I have tried to substitute bad foods with healthy ones, but they still manage to sneak in some unhealthy ones. It is hard to find toddler size healthy snacks that pass my husband’s standards. He wants only fresh food, but that goes bad and doesn’t always travel well when I am out and about.

Tell me about one strategy/action you have for self care.

I make sure I get 15 minutes of me time daily.

Tell me a strategy or tip you have for feeding your family healthy foods.

Plan your meals ahead, make sure you have all of the ingredients, and don’t forget to defrost any meat you are going to prepare. That way there is no excuse to fall back on fast food.

Do you have a favorite wellness resource, philosophy or food that inspires you?

I love grapefruit, though don’t get to eat it everyday. There is this really cool campaign in Florida like the Juicy Scoop or something, all focused on grapefruits.

Do you exercise regular? If so, what do you do?

Unless you count going up and down stairs carrying two oversized toddlers “exercise,” no I do not exercise daily. I am taking a weekly Jewba class, which is like Zumba.

What have you struggled with, in terms of wellness, as you have been building a business and raising a family?

I struggle with making sure I get enough sleep. I also have no chance to really get out of the house without kids and it really hinders me in business to have to bring the kids to meetings. I also have felt guilty at times for not being able to devote enough attention to the kids.

How do you feel your health and wellness contributes to your business? Your creativity? Your family?

I think it is important to be healthy so that you have the energy to manage the day to day struggles. When you are healthy, your appearance also improves and presents a better image when meeting with clients. I think it is important to set a good example for my kids, so I am working on drinking more water, eating more fruits, etc.

Anything else you’d like to share about wellness, family, health, food, and exercise?
I own a site called Happy and Healthy Mom and I have to look at that sometimes to make sure I am living up to the name.

Any special promos or particulars regarding your business you’d like me to add?

For moms who are running a business, but don’t have the dedicated time to manage their own social media, I offer trained Social Media Management Specialists to do it for them for just $300/mo. Each client is assigned their own personal SMMS who works daily for one hour to help them grow their business using multiple forms of social media.