How to Be A Health Influencer with Jane Olivia

In the age of technology, the rise of social media and access to quality online information has helped to shape a younger generation like never before. Young adults are able to be influenced, but to also become influencers. This extends into the world of wellness. Today, this new wave of informed influencers are striving to share their health knowledge to their peers. Today we catch up with Jane Olivia. At 18-years old, Jane is a certified health coach, entrepreneur and social maven. As a high school student, Jane has a passion for changing the way other students eat, live, & experience life. Jane is one of the many nutrition professionals who has used Healthie’s practice management software to help her reach her business goals. Click here to learn about how our free starter plan can help you.

At 18 years old, what inspired your passion to pursue becoming a health coach so early in your life?

It started when I was about 14-years old. I was on a competitive swim team and felt like I wasn’t doing as well as I could have been. So I went to the internet and found myself interested in becoming paleo, “the diet for athletes who want to become leaner and stronger.” Or at least that’s what the internet taught me.

Against my own judgement, I went for it. I was pretty committed for a 14-year old. Disappointingly, I noticed a big difference in the way I looked but my swimming performance worsened. I was lethargic and tired all the time. Worst of all, my endurance and recovery time had been hindered.

Then I came across veganism. I watched hundreds of YouTube videos and read a ton of articles on the health benefits. I learned how it had transformed people’s lives across the globe. Then, I read about some amazing athletes who were vegan and was inspired to try it. So now, after being vegan for 3 years, I have noticed such a big shift in my life on all levels. What I’d really like to do, is share this transformation with others as a health coach.

How has social media played a factor in starting your brand?

Through social media, I have helped make myself known to far more people than I ever could have in person. Thankfully, we are living in an era where you can find and connect with people of similar interests in an instant.

With Instagram, I share my recipes and daily life. Hopefully,  it might help inspire someone to try veganism, yoga or to even swap their unethical makeup for a cruelty-free version.

Through my YouTube channel I create recipe videos. Then I share these videos on my blog, along with other important topics. I talk about my hobbies, vegan restaurants, how to thrift shop or shop ethically, and cruelty-free makeup tutorials. All of these things represent what I believe in.

Through social media, I have been able to reach a wider audience. I hopefully have inspired a few people along the way to try veganism. Even a small change makes a difference, like trying a vegan recipe, a cruelty-free product or opting not to buy leather. I want to help bring that to light with my practice as a health coach.

What was it like thinking about college and careers?

To be honest, it was one of the toughest parts of my path thus far. I am currently in high school and the environment has always been so competitive and pressuring. When I waist 11th grade, my teachers, peers, and guidance counselors were all hands on deck. They wanted to make sure we were on track to get into our dream school.

I hated the whole process of looking at colleges because I knew that I wanted to do something different. What I was interested in wasn’t offered as a degree. The reality was, I wanted to share my views on health and wellness through my blog and YouTube channel. The challenge was figuring out how to monetize this.

How did you start exploring a career as a health coach?

Luckily, after hours of looking through old school nutrition degrees, and drab pre-med schools, I came across the Institute for Integrative Nutrition (IIN). After signing up in February 2018 to become a certified health coach, I officially started in May. Honestly, I can say it has completely changed my worldview. I am fascinated by everything we are learning and I am so passionate about it.

That’s what stirred me to look for a degree that can help build my knowledge on health. I knew I wanted to become a health coach, but I felt the need to dive deeper into certain subjects we were learning. That’s when I came across a degree offered at Arizona State University called Integrative Health.

I read the description of the Bachelor’s degree and within 30 seconds I was applying to the school. It was something I never saw myself doing but it felt right. Previously, I had never seen a degree that lined up with my goals and passions. The program compliments what I’ve learned in IIN, and more.

I am so excited to start my studies at ASU in the fall of 2019. I am also going to be running my health coach business while I study online. This excitement is how everyone should feel about their education. It’s so fun to learn things you care about. Funny how your path just leads you in the right direction.

Why does a degree in integrative health appeal to you?

I was originally drawn to IIN because of the natural and holistic approach they share with their students but also the fact that you can become certified and start a business with all their tools online. It was great for me since I was a junior in high school at the time I applied. I knew I wanted to have my own business surrounding health, but I had never come across anything quite like IIN in the sense that they set you up with everything you could ever need in starting your own health coach business.

What’s your business Love Cafe and how has starting that business lead to starting your own health coach business?

Love Cafe was sort of my start at becoming an entrepreneur. I got really into baking before I was vegan and taught myself how to make elaborate desserts and pastries and made a website for fun. I got a few orders here and there from friends and family. It has been such a great learning experience for me and I have been able to reach even more people with my baked goods to prove that vegan food can still taste just as good as its non vegan counterparts.

What’s the dream for your coaching business? Who do you want to help?

My dream is to run my health coaching business through my blog. I would love to reach a wide spread audience across the country by doing online sessions. However, I also enjoy the intimacy of working with people in person, so I will also have a few clients I see in my area.

I really want to work with young adults or college students. There are so many people who want to go vegan but don’t know what to cook or what to shop for. I know there are people out there who just need some extra support in their life to promote overall well being.

How has Healthie helped you get started with your health coach business?

Healthie has shown me and given me all the tools and resources I need to jump start my career as a health coach. They have allowed me the freedom I want by embedding my Healthie account with my already existing website and brand.

And it’s a one stop shop for all my clients so they only need to have one place to go for all their resources from me. Healthie has so many great tools for clients and the health coach that I never even thought of such as the “chat” and “calendar.” It has made it so easy to communicate with current and future clients!

“Healthie is also just so user friendly and easy to navigate. Everything is organized so methodically and the Healthie team is so friendly and helpful. Wouldn’t want to jump start my career with anyone else!”

Healthie’s all-in-one practice management software was made for nutrition professionals like you. Discover the best ways to streamline goals for clients, organize your practice, manage client scheduling, and develop other offerings today!

What are you favorite features of the Healthie platform so far?

I love the Programs page! I never even thought about having more than one topic or program to offer but now, my options are endless. You can create any type of program that speaks to you and your audience and sell in right on this page. It’s amazing.

I also love the calendar option. It’s great to have one place where you can see everything that’s going on with each client you have. Instead of having 10 different calendars on your phone or computer, there’s just one where clients can see your availability.

Now you can try all of Healthie’s essential features for $0 with our free starter plan. Click here to learn more.

What are some projects that your working on and how will you use them to market your business?

Right now I am currently working on an eBook, “Vegan Basics,” that I will offer with my 6 month program or you can purchase it on my blog. It’s full of easy, everyday vegan recipes. I am hoping to release it in May 2019 (fingers crossed) to help jump start and hopefully inspire some people to make a big step in their health.

What’s one piece of advice you would tell another student who’s thinking of getting started in the wellness field or becoming a certified health coach?

I would say go for it! Follow your heart and your passions. Find a niche or a problem in the world that you can work on. Spread your message through any means you can and build a brand and a name for yourself. Even if studying health isn’t the end goal for you, do it anyways. Studying health and wellness in any degree is beneficial to you because throughout all your learning, you will heal yourself and find new things that work for you. I sure have learned some new things about myself through IIN and passed it along to my friends and family.

“Going into the health and wellness field is one of the most rewarding careers you can embark on and I am so excited to be starting mine.”

At only 18-years old, Jane has been able been able to incorporate a strong brand voice as a health coach across multiple platforms. Through her digital reach, and by utilizing the Healthie platform, she is able to share her passion for holistic nutrition to countless other young adults. Check out Jane’s website and follow her on Instagram @earthy.jane. We can’t wait to see where her health coaching journey takes her.