Meet Julie Hartigan | Chef & Wellness Coach

We had the good fortune of connecting with Julie Hartigan and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Julie, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
As a soon-to-be empty nester, Chef, Healthy Cooking Expert, and Wellness Coach I looked around and saw amazing midlife women struggling with their health or putting aside their health goals to take care of everyone else! I’m on a mission to help women shake up the status quo and make midlife their happiest and healthiest years yet.

I created meal planning solutions for women cooking for 1 or 2 called “Healthy Made Easy” to help save time while getting in a healthy eating routine that’s delicious and simple. It’s tricky cooking for 1 and I wanted to share my best tips and tricks from creating 1000’s of fun-healthy recipes for WW, Shape, BeachBody & more.

Women also often struggle with poor sleep, high stress levels, and “complicated” relationships with food and their bodies which really takes a toll on their energy levels, health, and happiness. My Wellness Coaching Programs and Weekend Retreats are a safe, supportive place for fun-loving women to come together and learn the mindfulness tools and healthy habits they need in their everyday lives to feel their best.

And finally, I saw that so many women had set aside their dreams of travel and adventure as they tended to their families and careers. The years fly by and I wanted to share my love of food, culture, wine, and travel with fellow fun-loving women. My Transformative Foodie Travel Adventures are small-group, chef-led trips specifically for women seeking an authentic experience abroad they can feel comfortable joining solo knowing they’ll be surrounded by an uplifting group of new girlfriends.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I started out my career as a stressed-out, unfulfilled, road-warrior Engineer and Tech Consultant. My true interests were in food, cooking, hosting, and health so in my mid-30’s I did a pretty dramatic career change by going to culinary school and launching a career in Food Media. It was NOT easy ditching a lucrative prestigious career and starting over while raising 2 young daughters. But following your heart and interests, putting your energy into work you care about, and being true to yourself will always lead you to more life fulfillment than sticking to the “shoulds” will.

After finding success creating 1000’s of recipes for everyone from WW to Bed Bath Beyond, Real Simple, and so many more…and getting into doing 100’s of videos and live TV segments I realized my true calling was to help other women, just like me, create a happy-healthy life for themselves through midlife and beyond. So many women around me were struggling and I wanted to use my healthy cooking and wellness coaching skills to help others. That’s when I started offering Coaching Programs, Weekend Wellness Retreats and Transformative Travel experiences for women. We women do so much for others – I want to help women take care of their own health and happiness too. Life is way too short and midlife can be your best years yet!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
My hands down favorite restaurant in Miami is Mandolin – it’s like being in a gorgeous patio on a Greek island and the food is fresh, colorful, healthy, and SO delicious. I’m also a big fan of off the beaten path spots and for me in Miami that’s Broken Shaker for cocktails! Their vibe is just perfect. One of my top tips to help balance travel, fun, and health is to walk or bike as many places as possible, make Farmers Market visits part of the trip, and be sure to check out the local favorite spots and neighborhoods vs the tourist attractions. You’ll feel like you really experienced the area and enhance your life that way.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Picking up an EASY daily meditation practice has made all the difference in my own personal health and wellness. It unlocked so much for me from better sleep, a healthier lifestyle and outlook, less stress, and better relationships. So much so that I teach simple mindfulness techniques within my coaching programs to help other women too! (And this is coming from someone who swore she “couldn’t” meditate. The book and app for 10% Happier were gamechangers for me.

Website: https://Juliehartigan.com

Instagram: https://instagram.com/juliehartigan @juliehartigan

Facebook: https://facebook.com/cookingwjulie or @cookingwjulie

Youtube: https://Youtube.com/cookingwjulie

Other: Want to get some fun new ideas for healthy eating? Go to https://juliehartigan.com/free-meals-for-one/ for a copy of my free cookbook “10 Fun Healthy Meals for One in Under 20 Minutes”

Image Credits
Laura Lee Photography