Photo courtesy of Desai Health and Wellness

As a health and wellness coach, Anura Desai provides advice, tips, support and accountability to people who are trying to reduce stress, lose weight, feel more energized or, overall, feel better about their body. She prefers not to calorie count and create a list of rigid restrictions on what not to eat and do. Instead, she has a holistic approach, meaning she individually looks at how parts of her clients’ lives affect their health. From that exercise, she can tailor an individual and flexible plan for each client.

Desai, who started her own practice Desai Health and Wellness in 2010, shares why she went from international development guru to wellness coach, her favorite foods and upcoming project.

Hometown:
Baltimore

What did you do before you became a wellness coach?
Before starting my own business, I had a career in international development with an interest in global health. My work abroad centered mostly on women’s health issues in India. I later came back to Washington, D.C to work at several international NGO’s. My interest, whether global or individual, was always on health.

Why did you decide to become a health and wellness coach?
I’ve faced some health challenges myself for many years. In the time I was at my international development work, I got diagnosed with juvenile macular degeneration. It’s an eye disease. It’s a very common disease for elderly people, but I got it when I was 25. It’s a rare condition for young people. But I continued to work because [international development] was my career. I didn’t know what else I would for myself. At the time I was working at the NGO, I was also volunteering for another NGO during my free time — the Art of Living Foundation. It was an amazing time for me to volunteer. As my eye disease was getting worse, I was having a better time and enjoying the work while I was volunteering. In the middle of the worse time of my life, I still had the opportunity to serve people. Even though my vision was deteriorating, I had a whole new vision of my own self.

What’s the biggest challenge of the job?
Running your own business can be a challenge no matter what type of business it is. But for me, I found it was a risk worth taking, because I really love it. The experience of really loving what I do is a new one. I have so much energy to do this–this confidence to finally get out of my comfort zone. It wasn’t always like that. I struggled a lot in my previous work, feeling tired and exhausted all the time. What I find is whether I experience my work as effortless or with struggle, I have to do things that work best for me. At the beginning, I found it challenging to know when to stop building my business. Soon enough, it was catching up to me. Before it got too late, I stopped and realized my success comes when my body is healthy and active, and my mind is rested—just as I tell my clients. If I don’t do what I teach my clients, it will not work for either me or them. It would be unauthentic.

Most rewarding?
I see the difference in my own health. [I also] see it all the time with my clients. I find that it is taking simple steps which makes the biggest difference. My life was getting complicated and so are the lives of many out there. I found things that really worked for me to improve my health and my life. When I can do that for others, there’s not a better feeling.

What drives you?
This business has given me the experience of an adventure–that anything is possible. I use skills and talents that I forgot, rarely used or rarely tapped into, which surprises me all the time. I was so used to trying to fix what wasn’t working in me to now working with the best I have. I am willing to take more risks; that has brought many creative projects like the cookbook or working with clients with challenging health issues. From this space, the momentum keeps growing and building.

What are some of your favorite foods?
Summer fruits like peaches and berries. They just melt in your mouth. Nectarines. Oh, they’re so good. A good high quality dessert is the gelato around D.C. It has natural ingredients.

What do you do to unwind after a long day?
I practice these breathing exercises and mediate.

You mentioned a cookbook. Can you talk more about it?
The cookbook is an incredibly exciting project for me. After years of working in the kitchen with some of the best cooks in the Art of Living Foundation, an educational and development organization, I am now ready to get the recipes out. No complicated instructions or long lists of ingredients, all recipes are made up of simple, whole ingredients that offer true and savory tastes, while giving us energy and maintaining healthy weight. Food can be our medicine. The cookbook will be out this summer!

Parting thoughts:
Take some time to think or talk about what you want in life.