FRESH & LOCAL: Narrowing My Niche
Loris Sofia Gregory, HC33 Graduate, Apple Valley, Minnesota
My coaching dreams have included co-creating healthy kitchens to inspire and encourage healthy eating. One morning in April, I woke up with a new vision to create and submit a proposal to Valley Natural Foods, my local food co-op conveniently located five minutes from my home. I have submitted class proposals in the past but none have taken flight. Either my idea was not approved by their education committee or not enough students registered for a class. This puzzled me as my potential ideal clients—"life-long curious learners who are environmentally and health conscious and looking for information, tips, processes and support to live healthier creative lives"—seemed to overlap with many, if not all, food co-op members and shoppers, This time I was moved to inspired action by reflecting on my co-op's FRESH values, as outlined on their membership marketing. |
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My co-ops' mission is a healthy community and they advertise their values as "FRESH - Families, Relationships, Education, Sustainability & Health." I have taught community education classes in which I have tried to inspire people to think about their "food values" as the essential basis for making shopping and eating choices. I have asked class participants, "How would you describe how you and your family currently eat?", "What kind of eater and food shopper do you desire to become?" and "What food values do you choose today to support optimum health for you, your family and the earth?" I also created a chart of over 100 food-related terms and choices to contemplate and to choose from. As an avid researcher, I tend to be one that likes to explore any and all possibilities! With class participants easily overwhelmed, I have usually been greeted with blank stares, as if to say, "Values? What are those?," never mind "food values."
Realizing that the five clearly-stated values of my co-op are perfectly aligned with my own personal and business values gave me the clarified spark to submit a much-improved proposal for a FRESH & LOCAL series, including a monthly blog, demos and classes plus interviewing and writing profiles of local farmer partners. These short stories about the farmers and producers were envisioned as part of class content as well as a core part of their upcoming "Down in the Valley" branding website and in-store marketing. Luckily, I have already cultivated a favorable relationship with the co-op's marketing/membership director and the education/promotions coordinator over many years. I have written articles about various local farmer partners and food artisans for their award-winning publication "This is Living Naturally." I am a founding gardener and volunteer grant writer for a new organic community garden at the nearby School of Environmental Studies. I created and received co-op sponsorship for a free community "NOURISH to FLOURISH" film and gardening networking series last spring so I have created a relationship and track record with my co-op, one step at a time.
This time my proposal was accepted, applauded and pay is involved for all my efforts! My FRESH & LOCAL series will hopefully grow through at least a year of our Minnesota seasons. The co-op's membership/marketing director has been thinking about similar ideas for encouraging fresh, local and economical eating for a long time, but has not had the time to think through the possibilities, nor implement an interrelated package of offerings. We are both interested in coaching people towards more conscious mindful eating as a first "doable" step, along with leaning gently towards FRESH & LOCAL shopping and eating. Who can argue with that? We both believe more and more people, more communities and our nation are moving towards demanding healthier local food, ideally through proactive inspiration as well as being pushed by personal and collective health crises.
With my series finally launching the first week of August, you can read my first blog in the series, "What's FRESH & LOCAL in August?," online as well as received via email. I launched my first demo outside by their gardens on our state-wide Community Garden Day on August 6th. The demos will provide me a great venue to meet hundreds of co-op shoppers in person and to learn directly what they need and want to eat healthier. And my co-op is totally supportive of allowing me to use and market my personal coaching services, as well as including my byline, website address and contact information on all that I create. See my series flyer here.
When I reflect on these recent opportunities in relation to my Health Coach Training, I now realize that knowing and prioritizing my personal and business values is essential. Your values and your key character strengths serve as the bedrock foundation of your life and your coaching practice. (Your key character strengths are revealed when you take Dr. Martin Seligman's "Values in Action Survey of Character Strengths" on his Authentic Happiness website.) In my mind, all potential strategic alliances should be evaluated in relation to this awareness of your authentic self. Then, get to know the values, mission, strengths and aspirations of any possible collaborators. Are you truly aligned and in sync with one another? The next step is to start building a relationship with the people within the business or organization so that they are given abundant opportunities to "know, like and trust" you and all the amazing gifts you have to offer as a coach. I decided to become a member of Valley Natural Foods five years ago, and I have been noticing, offering and creating many ways to interact, to volunteer and to collaborate since that first day of our relationship.
I look forward to challenging and coaching myself, the co-op staff and infinite shoppers towards FRESH & LOCAL step by step, month by month. I've already been challenged by a friend who asked, "How do you eat FRESH & LOCAL in Minnesota's sub-zero winters?" I guess we will just have to wait and see!
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Loris Sofia Gregory, HC33 Graduate, |
