Today we’d like to introduce you to Peri Heft.
Hi Peri, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
My journey began when I was sitting at my desk working late in Chicago at a social media agency. I had a troublesome client, who was irritated about a tweet, and I said to myself… “What am I doing here? All of this, over a tweet?” Now, I LOVE marketing and advertising, and I still work part-time in it today. I don’t think I’ll ever give that up. But there was a huge part of me that was like “Seriously, what am I doing here? Who am I helping? How is this giving back to the world?”
And so… I began my journey into the health and wellness world. It started out as me cleaning a yoga studio for a discounted membership and ultimately had a domino effect. I started taking heated yoga classes and looked up to so many of my favorite yoga instructors as idols and mentors. I wanted to be like them. I wanted to help improve people’s lives as much as they helped mine. And so, a few months later, I decided to take the dive and sign up for yoga teacher training.
What started as a small raindrop soon turned into a full-on health and wellness rain shower. Once I completed my 200-hr yoga teacher training, I signed up for a 40-hour advanced yoga training, and then signed up for group fitness training to earn a group fitness certification. I then signed up for another yoga format certification.
After that, I always yearned to help people in a larger way – and in a 360-degree format. So after completing a life coaching program, I began to develop other skills to set myself up to do just that. While unemployed during a layoff from an advertising and marketing job, I began my journey studying for my Nutrition certification and earned that credential too. And that was the missing piece that helped me launch PeriFitFoodie, a health and wellness business that helps folks improve their MEALS, MOVEMENT, & MINDSET.
After launching PeriFitFoodie and helping tons of folks lose weight and change their lives for the better, I launched a cookbook (“52 Macro-Friendly Recipes for the Mindful Eater”) and also signed up to earn my personal training certification.
Today, with nearly 100 clients and successful transformations later, I am a Certified Personal Trainer, Certified Nutritionist, Certified Yoga, Group Fitness Instructor, and I’m OBSESSED with helping folks via PeriFitFoodie in improving their MEALS, MOVEMENT, & MINDSET.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
No, it has not been a smooth road. There is this culture of having a “side hustle” (or two) so folks can make money while still feeding one of their passions. But anyone who has dipped their toes in this knows that with the “side hustle life” comes many sacrifices. Not only do we work 40+ hours at our day jobs, but we also come home and nurture and grow our “side hustle businesses” too.
While I’m all about a healthy work/life balance, I had to say “no” to many fun things so that I could study for certifications, work on my cookbook, work with clients, or prepare for another launch.
I’m luckier now that I’m doing part-time advertising and part-time PeriFitFoodie, because I know have a better work/life balance, and can successfully manage and grow PeriFitFoodie, AND still make enough money to live and pay my bills, without burning myself to the ground.
As you know, we’re big fans of PeriFitFoodie. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
While there are many nutritionists, personal trainers, and life coaches out there, there is rarely a service or company that offers all three in one.
PeriFitFoodie combines the powers of meals, movement, and mindset to educate and empower others to make sustainable, healthier, and intentional decisions surrounding holistic wellness. While many other trainers and nutritionists help you reach your goals, many do not TEACH you how to fish, and really educate you on the WHY behind it. They also sometimes do not set programs up in a sustainable way — there are too many crash diets out there that aren’t sustainable or programs that are too strict to keep up with when life gets busy.
And so, it was important to me to create something that was truly sustainable and approachable to the everyday person.
PeriFitFoodie is truly a ONE STOP SHOP for all things holistic wellness, and my goal is always to TEACH you how to fish, not fish for you.
Can you share something surprising about yourself?
Most people don’t know that I paint in my spare time as well. I love to create artwork — from watercolors and paintings to mixed media and random creations. I absolutely love being creative!
Other people may not know that I had (and still have) a very successful career in marketing and advertising as well. I still work in that industry part-time because I absolutely love it, and I’m good at it. I get to work with HUGE brands, and I’m not sure if I’ll ever give that up.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: www.perifitfoodie.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/peri_fit_foodie/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PeriFitFoodie/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsWdj49FJaRni_yXk7BdcqQ
