Out of the Rabbit Hole

Here and now…

When I first started this blog, I needed an outlet and this was the descriptor I wrote:

“By day, I play the role of a consultant for Fortune 500 companies and am well-compensated and challenged.  However, I dream of working in the nutrition space. I’m not sure yet what that dream looks like…brand manager for a product I believe in? Entrepreneur with my own product line? Advocate for improving school lunches? I do know that when I imagine life 5 years from now, I’m not in Corporate America. I am doing something that will inspire people to be healthier.”

I took about 4 months off from writing the blog and its still seems surreal to me, but in this tough economy I took the plunge and left my Management Consultant job at IBM on April 30th. I am now living in Philadelphia with my wonderful boyfriend and starting my a nut butter company (all natural, reduced calorie and fat).

I went from traveling 100% of the time to managing my own schedule and filling my days with product development, planning, budgeting, and thinking of cool marketing ideas. A few of my favorite perks is free time to shop at out of the way places, growing a garden, and working out whenever it works for me. Of course the downside is no one pays me.

Now that I’ve gotten things in order, I can admit that I miss blogging! I love learning about what other people are cooking, what products their trying, and getting fun workout ideas, as well as sharing my finds. I am especially looking forward to meeting bloggers in Philly so I can get to know this new city.

And a little background…

I’m originally from Riga, Latvia and in early years of eating I hated chewing. Mashed potatoes, yogurts, and anything else pureed was preferable. At the time, Latvia was part of the USSR and getting hands on processed foods just wasn’t an option – diets consisted of meat, potatoes, and fruits and vegetables in the summer. When my family moved to Atlanta, GA I entered the 10 year rut of eating. From 8 to 18, I ate like a true Southerner, and a picky one at that. Chicken biscuit for breakfast, sure.

At 18, I moved to NYC to attend NYU’s Stern School of Business and my diet changed drastically for a third time. All around me, students were talking about tofu, pad thai, and other things that were foreign (and intimidating) to my ears. By the time I was graduating, my pallet had caught up and I was an adventurous and curious eater who kept getting more interested in healthy eating. As a petite 5’3 former gymnast, a few pounds of extra weight is drastic so once I learned what my body responded to, I was hooked to healthy eating.

I took to blogs because it creates a wonderful community to share ideas that are working for real people (unlike the way celebrity diets in magazines seem unrealistic). After a while I wanted to contribute my thoughts to the community as well I hope you like it.