Kelly Leveque
This week on Small Talk, we sat down with Kelly Leveque, certified holistic nutritionist, wellness expert, and celebrity health coach, to chat about what it looks like to welcome wellness into our lives.
Welcome to Wellness:
Kelly Leveque’s background is deeply rooted in the wellness world. Having worked in the medical field for fortune 500 companies such as J&J, Stryker, and Hologic; to eventually moving into personalized medicine, helping and guiding her clients towards their desired health.
We wanted to know when Kelly’s commitment to wellness began, or rather, if there was always innate guidance pointing her in the direction towards health and healing.
“The interesting part is that I fell in love with nutrition in high school. It was my favourite science course that I took. But I didn’t envision myself working in that field. I was a little bit clouded, as the oldest of three girls, and feeling pressured to fulfill my parent’s dreams.”
Kelly’s father attended the University of Southern California as a student of finance and real estate. Compelled to follow in her father’s footsteps, Kelly found herself in her 3rd year of College, questioning whether what she was doing was truly meant for her. 
“In my 3rd year when I was taking my science courses, it became clear to me. These were the courses I was passionate about and the classes I was getting the highest marks in. I felt like I was just able to flow in that space. So, I had that moment where I called my parents in tears and said, ‘I feel like I’m going the wrong direction.”
Oftentimes, we realize that the path we’ve chosen to walk down isn’t the one best suited for our needs. Having support systems and loved ones to talk to lightens our loads during these tricky times of transition.
Fortunately, Kelly had the support of her parents and took extra courses, thus graduating with a science minor, allowing her to work in the medical field.
“But it wasn’t until I was in my late 20’s did I go back to school for nutrition.”
Balancing Act:
Kelly Leveque is not only a holistic nutritionist, wellness expert, and celebrity health coach but is the founder and life force behind Be Well by Kelly, a community offering tools and tips that help listeners feel and BE well.
As a mother of two, one of which being a newborn, Kelly has crafted a beautiful balance between her work life and personal life. But the question remains; what is the perfect balance, and how is it attained?
“I love blood sugar balance, and our bodies are constantly supporting us to keep that balance. And I think that creating balance in your life needs to be really intentional. Many people have this ‘goal’ of balance, crafting these perfect days, and that’s not really real life. Outer balance is a lot like blood sugar, it’s never stopped, and it’s never perfect.”
In life, we tend to have certain seasons. Seasons of growth and transformation, as well as rest and recovery.
“When I was growing my business in the beginning, I was working really hard and working really long hours. I was side hustling Be Well by Kelly for three years before taking it full time, and once I took it full time, I had a bit more balance. Shortly after taking the business full time, I had my first book deal, and then the balance kind of went out the window. As seasons come and go, I think the message and the reminder for everyone is to check in with yourself.”
It is important to have personal check-ins every once in a while. Taking the time to assess and reflect on whether or not we are creating intentional balance during busy seasons holds great importance.
“It’s never going to be perfect; it’s never going to be stagnant; it’s constantly changing, so really checking in with yourself and having presence and awareness is the only way to know if you’re supporting that balance.”
Having differing seasons of life is normal; it’s natural. But what we are endeavoring to avoid is burnout.
“I see it with a lot of my clients, CEOs of fortune 500 companies, to actors on the big screen. Whoever it is, sometimes their days are long and hard, and if you see them go for too long, their endocrine systems will suffer.”
Overexerting ourselves leads to stress and strain on our endocrine systems; the chemical messaging systems where hormones are produced, stored, and released. Overwhelming stress on these systems leads to hormone imbalance, chronic fatigue, thyroid issues, digestive issues, anxiety, and depression.
“There are so many things that layer on top of trying to push, push, push, and push. So, for me, it's constantly learning to say no, creating space for my family and creating space for my wellness. And even then, there are times when I get the call from a new client or my editor, I take a deep breath and accept that it's going to be a busy season, and I re-define good.”
When we re-define good and re-define our balance, we allow ourselves space to more easily go with the constantly changing flow of things.
“In editing our behavior, we can better support our balance.”
Conversation, Community, Connection:
“I just love to connect with people, and I feel like being open, honest, and vulnerable makes people feel comfortable enough to want to connect. So, it’s been a really fun way for me to connect to my audience and bring these experts to the forefront.”
On the Be Well by Kelly podcast, Kelly dives deep into many personal and oftentimes vulnerable topics, interviewing health experts from across the globe to spread awareness on health issues, as well as healing tactics.
In doing so, Kelly gives her listeners the opportunity and the tools to address their concerns. Thus, allowing women to feel safe, secure, and understood in their bodies.
“I worked in breast cancer before I went and started my own private practice. Women would get breast cancer and not tell their friends. It was something to feel shameful about. Women would have miscarriages and not tell their friends because they would be ashamed. It was almost like it was our fault. I see this in a lot of health issues, specifically for women; somehow feeling innately broken. And we need to get rid of that stigma because everyone has health issues.”
Whether caused by our lifestyle, our environments, genetics, or stress levels, we are all human, and we can all be affected by health issues.
In accepting this reality with compassionate understanding, we can begin to create the space for conversation while leaving the stigma of shame behind us.
“I think what we end up doing, is we have more conversations in our own brains about the issues that we’re facing. What ends up happening is by the time we’re actually ready to have these conversations, they’re not 20-minute talks. They’re an hour to two hours long, filled with emotion and leaving us feeling depleted.”
‘Creating safe space for conversation is crucial', says Kelly. Crafting this sacred space can be as easy as carving out time within our schedules for weekly check-ins. In verbalizing our emotions and asking ourselves, ‘what needs to happen to support the best versions of myself?’, we become aware and bring our emotional and physical needs to the surface.
“It’s been eye-opening for me because as I continue to have children and as my business continues to take more and more time away from my family, incorporating this practice has been really supportive to us. It sounds silly, but just put that 30 minutes in the calendar.”
With the countless distractions we face daily, losing touch with how we really feel and what is truly important to us, is far too easy.
In saving and protecting time to check-in, we gift ourselves the space to reconnect, reflect, and remember what matters most.
Strength in Stumbling:
In times such as these, many people may feel as if they’re stumbling through these next steps in their lives. With chaos and turmoil happening all around us, seeing the light at the end of the tunnel is easier said than done.
Yet, as mentioned in our interview with Alexi Pappas, it’s the tough times that make us stronger. For Kelly, this couldn’t be more true.
“For those who don’t know my story, I married a corporate attorney. I met my husband when he was in law school, so we both ended up in the corporate world working 14–16-hour days, constantly catching flights. We were, I would say, in regards to the outside world, a little bit ahead of some of our friends in where our careers were going.”
For onlookers, Kelly and her husband seemed to be ten steps ahead of the game. But it wasn’t long until their fast-paced, corporate lifestyle came to a halt.
“I started Be Well by Kelly as a side hustle because I was so passionate about it. During that time, my husband came home and said, ‘I feel like I’m going to have a heart attack; I hate being an attorney; I want to try something new.”
Having watched his wife follow her passion with excitement towards what each day would bring, Kelly’s husband felt that the life he had been leading wasn’t going to bring him the fulfillment he craved.
“He came home and let me know that this wasn’t the life he wanted, so I said, ‘okay, I’ll pay for a year.’ So, I ended up side hustling Be Well by Kelly for three full years and supported my husband financially. There were some hard days. But, amazing businesses aren't created without blood, sweat, tears, and sacrifice.”
In life, we make sacrifices for our dreams and for the ones we love. And it is within these sacrifices that we discover our true strength and potential. When we put in the time and the patience towards what matters to us, our efforts flourish, and we’re better for it.
“I think it comes down to believing in yourself, and knowing that hard times are only a season, just like the good times are a season. It’s hard, but it’s worth it if you’re aligning with the gifts that God has given you to give back to the world.”
Best Advice:
“I think the best advice I have ever received is that you should follow your dreams. It was my best friend that actually gave me the push in starting Be Well by Kelly. She knew I was so passionate about this, and I’m so thankful for her for believing in me. I think what we need sometimes, is for someone to give us that small push.”
When we take that first step, we create momentum. We will be amazed with what we can build when we believe in the direction we’re heading in.
No Longer Pursue:
“Going up the corporate ladder, I had all of these timelines, timelines for adult goals. I wanted to have three kids by the time I was thirty. I have two kids, and I’m going to be forty soon! So, it’s knowing that things don’t need to happen on a stringent timeline. Know what you want for your life, and always assess if it’s what you really want, or if it's what the world wants for you.”
When we sat down with Roger Gabriel, he made a point that correlates to Kelly’s story. He said, “If you’re attached to how it’s going to happen, how you’d like it to happen, then you limit yourself to one possibility.”
May we always remember to hold our desires close to our hearts, whilst leaving how and when it will happen up to the universe.
100% True:
We asked Kelly Leveque what she known 100% to be true, her answer:
“I know one hundred percent that if you aren’t fully present in your life, you will regret the days that have passed. What I mean by that is, I have young children, and I can so easily be pulled into my phone or the past or future, that I end up missing monumental moments. Living in the future creates all sorts of anxiety, and living in the past can create depression. If you can just be present in whatever you’re doing, accepting each moment as the gift that it is, it really creates gratitude in your life.”
At TrooMe, we believe that we all have a unique and individual purpose. In following our hearts, making sacrifices for the ones we love, and appreciating each day for all it is, we find ourselves walking down a purposeful path, one step at a time.
May we follow in Kelly Leveque’s footsteps, using our gifts and talents to give back, making space for what matters, and putting wellness at the top of our to-do lists.
Leave a comment