Owning a Secular Business as a Christian Woman | Balancing Spiritual, Mental, and Physical Health as an Entrepreneur with Stephanie Diodati
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Growing up on a diet of toaster strudels and pop tarts, Stephanie Diodati never imagined she'd one day be a champion for holistic health. Join us as Stephanie takes us on her transformative journey from a non-holistic upbringing to founding Real and Raw, a business dedicated to helping women achieve metabolic health through her innovative R&R process. Learn how her academic background in health science and holistic nutrition, coupled with personal experiences, shaped her holistic approach that empowers women to understand their bodies and overcome their health fears.
Stephanie's path wasn't straightforward. Despite earning a bachelor's in health science and a master's in holistic nutrition, she faced numerous rejections in the job market and was initially reluctant to work in hospital settings. Guided by her faith and intuition, Stephanie embraced entrepreneurship, even when it felt daunting. She shares how her return to a strong walk with the Lord during a challenging relationship gave her the courage to start her own business, underscoring the profound role faith has played in navigating life's hurdles and shaping her career.
In this inspiring conversation, Stephanie also delves into the integration of faith and business, revealing how prayer and spiritual intuition guide her decisions and client interactions. From the importance of regular blood chemistry analysis for optimal health to balancing the responsibilities of being an entrepreneur, mother, and wellness advocate, Stephanie provides practical advice and heartfelt insights. She emphasizes the value of expert guidance in overcoming analysis paralysis, helping us prioritize our health and achieve better results. Tune in to discover how spirituality, health, nutrition, and career intertwine in Stephanie's enriching journey.
Who is Stephanie Diodati? [00:00]
Stephanie Diodati is a holistic practitioner who looks at the body as a whole rather than a sum of individual parts. Through functional testing, medical history and current symptoms, she helps women all over the country get back to self and understand the why behind their symptoms or diagnoses, so that they can, in turn, know their body better and not be driven by fear of disease. Stephanie has a God-given gift and is clearly using it for the Lord by trying to help, empower, and encourage women on their health journeys.
Upbringing of Toaster Strudels and Pop Tarts [03:04]
Despite what you may believe, even though Stephanie is a holistic health practitioner, she did not grow up in a “crunchy”, holistic home. Even so, her mother was always educated and in tune with food and how it can benefit your health. Stephanie’s older sister suffered pretty severely from eczema, and when this happened, their mother would adjust their diet accordingly, to best support their health. All that to say, you wouldn’t find Kraft Macaroni and Cheese or soda in their house growing up.
The Inspiration for a Career in Holistic Health [05:15]
When Stephanie was ten years old, she had her appendix removed. The appendix, while you’re able to live without it, does have a lot of immune function with the body. Ever since Stephanie had hers removed, she suffered from gut issues. This first experience with the healthcare system set Stephanie on a spiritual path to find the truth. Now, at 30 years old, Stephanie is still figuring out what works best for her, nutrition wise.
College Health and Nutrition [08:37]
While she wasn’t perfect during college, Stephanie had an innate aspect to read labels on the food she was buying, trying to understand what she’s really putting in her body and how it can fuel her. As she furthered her knowledge and education on health and nutrition, her love and passion grew.
Stephanie got her bachelor’s in health science and while there were a lot of opportunities with that kind of degree, nothing felt right. She decided to go back to school for her masters, where she found a program that aligned with her values and morals for what she believed health and wellness to be – holistic nutrition. After a few experiences post-masters degree, Stephanie also received her certification in functional medicine.
The Beginning of the Real and Raw [11:30]
After receiving her degrees, Stephanie was on the job hunt. After getting shot down time and time again, Stephanie started to feel discouraged. Even though she wanted to work for someone, work for the conventional medicine system, she leaned into what the Lord’s plan was for her. She stumbled into entrepreneurship and even though everything Stephanie’s been through, she gives all the credit to the Lord.
Jesus Changed Her Life [14:17]
Stephanie grew up in a Christian home and family and when she was walking through her low valley, she sought the Lord like she had never before. She was on her knees, crying out, praying, and seeking guidance from pastors, and ultimately, the Lord showed up for her in an incredibly mighty way. Stephanie knew that she had to choose to act in courage rather than freezing in fear and staying comfortable in something that she knew was not for her. In her late twenties, Stephanie broke off her engagement, left the relationship, and moved back home with her parents. It was during this time that she gained everything. It’s been almost three years since she left that situation and she has surrendered to the Lord in every aspect of her life since then.
Faith with Business is Everything [22:23]
Stephanie shares that it’s the Lord’s business and that she prays she stewards it well. She begins every morning in prayer and includes a prayer for each of her clients. Stephanie is a truth seeker, in many aspects of her life, but knowing the Lord is knowing truth. Her faith is a priority for her and heavily integrated in her business, but that doesn’t mean that she only sees Christians. Just know that if you want to work with her, she will be coming in the early mornings to pray for you on your behalf. She’ll make incremental decisions, with protocols, and individualized healthcare, but she’s also going to be praying through those decisions.
How Entrepreneurship Impacts Faith [25:15]
The most encouraging part of entrepreneurship has been the healing stories that Stephanie has witnessed and knowing that she serves a God that does that. She is the facilitator, here to walk alongside you to support you in your healing journey, but it is the Lord that does it all. After discovery calls that are particularly challenging cases, Stephanie is on her knees in prayer. They may not even be a client yet, but she knows that she can help them through prayer.
Operating Business as a Christian Woman [29:49]
Operating a business as a Christian woman, especially if it is a secular business, has a responsibility to be bold in that. This doesn’t mean that you have to blast people about being a Christian and why you love the Lord. It’s being bold in saying that your faith is rooted in your business. In corporate America, you don’t always have this opportunity. Being able to share with people that you’re praying for them is a beautiful thing that as entrepreneurs, we can take for granted. It’s not about pressure, or making it weird, it’s just truly surrendering to the Lord. You don’t have to separate your faith from your work, and you don’t have to separate your work from your faith. You are who you are and you are the owner of the business, so of course, your faith is going to spill into what it is that you do for a living. Stephanie does a lot with the human body, anatomy and physiology, but she’s gotten to the point where science is great, but she knows the creator, so why not go to the creator rather than wait for the science?
Functional Health Tips for Managing Stress and Prioritizing Nutrition [35:55]
If you do not prioritize your physical, mental and spiritual health, you will run yourself into the ground (and your team, if you have one.). It’s really only a matter of time. Prioritizing your health is imperative, especially if you’re running a business. Stephanie looks at her business like she does her health. She looks for its longevity. She’s not about the hustle culture. There are seasons, but you should still prioritize your health and longevity. A good way to do this is by running a blood chemistry panel (blood chem). By being able to see on paper what’s going on in your body is a great way to check your metabolic health and immune system function. It will tell you how well you are detoxifying, how well you’re absorbing foods you’re eating. Just making sure you’re healthy at a cellular level so that you can get up and be the best business owner, the best mom, the best wife that you can be.
How to Prioritize Your Health as an Entrepreneur and a Busy Mom of Littles [41:27]
Control the controllable. Are you getting exercise? Are you drinking filtered water? Do you have an air purification system? Getting some electrolytes in, going for walks, making sure you’re resting at night and then focusing on high protein foods throughout the day is a really great place to start as a busy entrepreneur. Getting a blood chem and being able to see your results in real time can help understand where you need to make adjustments. Stephanie focuses a lot on education in her practice. This allows you to look at the data, the labs, and then ask the question “why”. With doing so, she has found that there is understanding and education being taught on what is going on in their body physiologically, and because of that understanding, they are more compliant with their protocol, diet, and getting to bed at a restful time. If you end up eating a PB and J with your kids, or the leftover Kraft macaroni and cheese, it’s okay. Don’t beat yourself up about it.
Advice for Getting Started in Holistic Health [45:32]
If you’re someone who is dealing with a disease or obtained a diagnosis, or maybe you just aren’t feeling well and you’re sick of watching all the reels and trying to do what everyone else is and it’s just not working for you; find someone who you gravitate toward and are morally and ethically aligned and work with them to truly get to the bottom of what your body needs. There is such a value in understanding your body and becoming more intuitive with your body. Control the controllables. No one’s ever going to be perfect. Work on what we can control in this moment and know you’re doing the best you can. Instead of focusing on what everyone else is doing, and then feeling overwhelmed, use that time to focus really on what is going to help you. If you need more support than that, work one-on-one with a holistic health practitioner.
Key Quotes
“Science is great, but I know the creator, so why not go to the creator rather than wait for the science?”
Stephanie Diodati
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