Interview with Juli Novotny

Find Juli at www.puremamas.com and on Instagram: @purekitchenblog @realestatejule

Colleen: Where did your interest in food and cooking begin? Have you always been vegan? Were you raised in that environment? Have you spent time in culinary school or is what you do all self taught?

Juli: I loved to bake as a kid. My mom was a fitness teacher growing up so nutrition was on my mind a lot. I used to invite friends over before school to have homemade lattes and scones that I would bake the night before. At age 16, I got a job as head baker at my local trendy coffee shop. I would make everything from their healthy low fat muffins to their cinnamon rolls and croissants. It was my first job and it was exciting however it was a massive undertaking. I would get there at 4:30a and work until they opened at around 7:30a or so. I then served coffee and breakfast until around 11a. I would clock out and go for a 5 mile trail run. Really cool memories.

I went off to college in 1997 and lived the dorm life. Once I had roommates and lived off campus I would bake for teachers, friends and cook for my roomates making gourmet dinners and breakfasts. I was pescatarian back then but not healthy by any means. I would eat Balance Bars or fat free bagels for breakfast and lunch.

One day I randomly woke up with the craziest auto immune issues - eczema that covered my entire body. I couldn’t sleep and it would hurt to workout, etc. I needed solutions but no doctors could help me in fact they all said I would have it for the rest of my life. They handed me steroids and said “hopefully this will at least make it feel better”. But no solution or road map. No mention of my diet or food allergies. Just a temporary bandaid for the symptoms. But why did I have it?

Steroids and creams only made matters worse. Sadly.

While pursuing the cookbook isles of Barnes and Noble one afternoon (it was my favorite thing to do), I came across a vibrant, gorgeous raw vegan cookbook. I decided that it would be fun to not only make raw living foods for a week. It had nothing to do with my health issues. Just more curiosity of new cuisines and a love for cooking.

So I bought the book. I spend that next week sprouting seeds, blending, juicing, dehydrating and loving every moment of it. To explore that type of food prep and use of plants was so cool. My energy levels soared, I felt AMAZING, my workouts were incredibleI couldn’t stop. I lost weight, gained muscle, my skin was glowing and I felt like $1m bucks.

To my total surprise, 5 days into this diet my eczema cleared up. Skin looked like a babies butt. All my symptoms went away (except for maybe a patch on my hands). I became so passionate at this point. I can’t believe that doctors aren't prescribing this to all patients. My mission at that point was to help others discover that foods were related to disease. I decided instead of culinary school i would go to nutrition school. While getting my masters in holistic nutrition to help people reverse their diseases and get healthy. I simultaneously worked at Whole Foods selling supplements. I LOVED that job. It was priceless actually. I got to learn about supplements, ailments, diseases, and recommend products to people. I had so many people come back to the store and thank me for helping them get better. Even more importantly, I learned how supermarkets were run - from invoices, to end caps, sales, promos, back stock, ordering, etc. That knowledge comes into play later in my life.

During this time I couldn't eat gluten, dairy, eggs, or white sugar. In 2002 there were cookies and deserts being sold without gluten or without dairy or without eggs but there weren't any deserts being sold W/O all of those things. So I created a cookie that was free from corn, dairy, eggs, peanuts, gluten and was high in protein and organic. I made them for myself and gave them to friends. Friends freaked out at how good they were. And my company was born less than 5 months from that moment. Whole Foods market was my first client.

Colleen: You ran a successful company Kookie Karma for a decade, what did you learn about how our food is sourced? Was it easy to find clean ingredients?

Juli: My products was using chia seeds, buckwheat groats, almond flour, protein powder and carob powder and xylitol at the time. Nobody knew what any of those ingredients were. So NO. it was not easy to source at all.

My fascination with food in combination with getting my masters in nutrition is what taught me about ingredients. Like any business, sourcing comes from making lots of phone calls and asking lots of questions. Or I guess google solves a lot of that for us now.

Colleen: Did the food industry make it challenging to sell a whole foods type of snack or were people welcoming to the idea of a clean bar?

Juli: People didn't understand the price. I had to explain that every ingredient in the bar was a supplement you’d find in the supplement department, not a cheap calorie-less or nutrition-less ingredients like white flour, white sugar, baking powder, etc. We were certified organic as well, which ups the price of any product.

Our prices were actually GREAT. I remember a grumpy guy coming to one of my first demos saying “I could make these at home you know”. Haha. I remember thinking “sure, go buy all those ingredients retail off the shelves to make one batch of these cookies and you’ll be broke”. Because truly the ingredients were so expensive and wholesome.

My company was challenging because I was educating people on nutrition and health in addition to selling a product. I had to first sell them on why NOT to eat regular bars or cookies. Then sell them on mine. Not an easy task. But I was part of a HUGE shift in grocery store shelves and what should be acceptable. Consumers demanded better. And that was my goal - awareness and shifting the packaged food industry. I not only helped individuals get healthier but an entire industry to be held more accountable for what they were calling “natural” or even food. I was a huge part of that shift and for that I’m grateful.

Colleen: What do you think when you see the bar companies today? Are there good options out there?

Juli: I don’t eat too many bars anymore. I prefer smoothies because of the freshness factor, but yeah, when traveling I do grab bars like chia bars or bars with oats like Pure Bar or of course go raw and go macro.

Colleen: You are a vegan and eat plant based at home, has that been easy to do with your kids?

Juli: In the beginning when my kids didn’t have big opinions and weren’t being pressured by kids at school or even teachers at school, yes it was easy. I will never forget when my son came home from school so excited to tell me that chocolate milk was in fact good for him. He said his teachers are smart and that they knew best. Hahah. The schools promote dairy as part of a bigger agenda, try teaching those whacky politics to an 8 year old. That’s when things started to get more complicated.

Colleen: Are they ever resistant to what you guys eat?

Juli: Yes. Of course. Some don’t like tomatoes, others don’t like onions, some want pasta, others want Mexican. Some want chocolate cereal for breakfast and others want homemade pancakes. They aren’t super-human, haha, they just eat a little better than a lot of people. :)

Colleen: How do you navigate your values of eating plant based at home to then the kids comparing how their friends eat at school?

Juli: I have learned to teach them the value of good health and nutrition, follow your advice (meaning lead by example), and just wait for them to come around. Preaching or punishing or not allowing things will only backfire and or cause anxiety or eating disorders. For years my kids traded all the healthy snacks I packed for them in lunches for other kids string cheese or doritos or whatever at school. They still do sometimes. But I will say from experience, my kids come to me when they don't feel well and say they need to eat veggies and that they don’t feel well. If they decide meat is something they NEED in their diets, then that’s their choice. We go to a restaurant and they want fish, great, order it. But I don’t buy it or make it at home. My son asked me about acne the other day, wondering if he will get it. I reminded him that it’s all about nutrition and told them that green smoothies will help, now they ask me to make them one everyday. My kids ask me a lot about being strong and having muscles. We talk about that a lot, too. Discovering health is a personal journey. Kids are curious and need to see proof or results that junk food actually hurts them or else it’s just like a myth or a dumb rule. It’s not something you can throw onto people. My health was a personal journey. Not forced.

Stay tuned for my little kids A-Z nutrition and recipe guide. It aims to teach kids the why behind their fruits and veggies along with some biology and self-help mantras!

Colleen: What do you try and teach your kids about the food they eat?

Juli: If it comes from the ground and it’s organic, have at it. If it’s from an animal eat in moderation and understand that an animal died for that meal. Make sure they know exactly what they are consuming - chemicals, dyes, sugars, etc. I like to show them videos on youtube on how hot dogs are made, or Netflix documentaries are good too.

Colleen: How do you handle the social aspect of being vegan at all the potlucks, BBQs and birthday parties for yourself and the kids?

Juli: I bring my own food. Always. And then I share it. I make something that tastes amazing not boring! People always ask for my recipes once they try it. And my kids at least know they will have something they like at the party. My kids will eat cake and pizza and stuff but they really don’t like and they don’t like how they feel afterwards. We don’t eat it at home so they don’t associate it as being “comfort” food if that makes sense. Pizza is NOT our comfort food. They see it as a treat at parties.

We’ve never eaten at McDonald’s. We were all starving (kids were whining) on our 8 hour drive a few weeks ago and we ran out of snacks. So I, OF ALL PEOPLE, suggested we stop at McDonald’s to get a quick snack (yep, I did!) and they all looked at me like I was crazy and said OMG NO WAY MOM that is so unhealthy we could never eat there! So we waited for the nearest Starbucks. Haha.

Colleen: The role fitness plays in your life:

Juli: Fitness took a back seat for years and years while I raised my kids. I used to take my kids to the gym daycare just so I could take a shower or a steam. I never worked out. I was in shape because I was so physical and I ate so well. But never really felt like I needed a workout class or strength training.

But after really crazy personal life stuff went down 2 years ago I decided to take my stress out at the gym. (a great way to get through terrible grief). The heavier the weights the better, the faster I could run the better, the more I could sweat the better. It was how I coped through some tough crap in my life. And now, I still workout daily, and am stronger than ever before which feels GREAT.

Colleen: Where does physical activity fit into your life?

Juli: Now I use physical activity to keep me feeling strong and beautiful. I listen to music and get super inspired while I’m working out. But I really don’t think you need to be a gym rat to be healthy. Walking does a body good as well. Yoga is great. But those are NOT for me.

Colleen: Do you think being vegan limits you in anyway of maintaining or reaching your goals?

Juli: Limits!!? Not at all. Quite the opposite; it elevates me. I have never had an injury. I recover like nobody else. My stamina is insane. I can plank for 7 minutes. I walk on my hands. I squat my body weight. I just don’t think those things at age 40 are doable for most people and I blame or rather thank my diet.

Colleen: You work now much more in the real estate world which is super demanding and non stop, you also have 3 kids, you have a large online presence, how do you make time for yourself to fit in your workouts?

Juli: People ask me this all the time and I guess I’m a tad confused. I am busy but who isn’t busy? My kids don’t hold me back, they have given me special superpowers and strength; how to cope with a LOT. Like patience and multi-tasking. So, I’m grateful.

Plus, my kids motivate me to make more money. To have a purpose. To show them that they can do whatever they want and win at it. I have talked about this a lot - I changed my entire world a few years ago - switching from the food industry to real estate. My experience renovating homes had me totally hooked and wanting to shift gears. There is nothing wrong with reinventing YOU at any age. Being new at something is scary but only if you let it scare you. If you’re stuck in life CHANGE IT. You only have one childhood, you only have one adulthood. And that’s it. There is nothing worse than being a complainer. Or listening to a complainer. Create a life on paper and then make it a reality. And if your goals aren’t met keep trying. Or try a different strategy. You didn’t lose either way, you learned, and learning is winning.

Colleen: Where are you spending most of your time now for work? In real estate? Private clients?

Juli: I do residential coastal real estate and I also specialize in home renovation and design. My team, called Coastal Collective, will buy your home from you, renovate it and sell it, or we will help you renovate it then list it to sell at a higher price point. We are a one stop shop and will meet your needs. We have an entire in house design team. I’m with COMPASS which is also changing the way we think about and do real estate which is a perfect fit for somebody like me that thinks outside the box.

Colleen: What type of mentality does it take to be disciplined to run your own business?

Juli: #1 rule - No Fear. Fear is crippling. You know all those doubtful thoughts that run through your head, you have to ignore them, throw them away. And instead tell yourself positive uplifting words. Find people who you want to be like, who you respect, and then go replicate that. Don’t be afraid of interning or shadowing. Don’t even allow fear or negative talk enter your mind. All those people who throw doubt at you, ignore them as well. When I started my company at a young age I didn’t even know those types of thoughts existed which I think is why I was so successful so quickly. It wasn’t until later that I let others get into my head and I learned how to doubt myself.

Colleen: How are you successful in an arena of work that doesn't stop yet you have time to exercise, eat healthy for yourself and your family?

Juli: I have said this since an interview I did back in 2008. First, please forgive me if I portray some false sense of balance on social media. Because there is no such thing as balance. And if you’re goal is balance, you’ll be forever chasing an unattainable dream. To be a single mom, successfully working full time, a great friend, raising amazing kids, be completely plant based and super healthy is not attainable. My kids might have to raise themselves some days, and our diets will be crap on other days, I have to say ‘no’ to some social events, and my workouts and/or work will suffer on other days. You can’t be 100% of 4 or 5 things. It’s simple math.

Colleen: People must ask you all the time about being vegan, do you end of defending your lifestyle choices or are people mostly willing to learn from you?

Juli: If I can be healthy, free of autoimmune disease, super fit, sleep well, have tons of energy, mental clarity and I’m helping the planet and I’m happy all while not harming one animal, then I really don’t need to explain myself. Because I know why I’m doing it. If somebody can’t sustain those things unless they add animal products to their diet, then go for it. We need to be healthy, sane, happy and rested. That should be our goal. But why would I choose to eat a living breathing animal if it isn’t helping or possibly harming my health? It personally doesn’t make sense. There are so many other guilty pleasures that don’t hurt the environment or animals.

Don’t get me wrong, I will eat cheese at a restaurant sometimes, or a piece of sushi, or try my friend’s homemade desserts, I just choose not to be doing it all the time. The less we consume the better for the planet and our health..

Colleen: What type of advice do you give to clients just starting out on a plant based lifestyle?

Juli: Don’t go in unprepared or you’ll give up. Come with knowledge, purpose and excitement. Come equipped with ideas. For example, breakfast, it can be hard for new vegans. Like what the heck should they eat? If they open the fridge and have no idea what to reach for or their fridge isn't’ stocked well, then they will just go STARVING and end up feeling lethargic, confused, frustrated and give up saying it’s not for them.

Colleen: Where can people find you online if they want your services?

Juli: I focus on real estate now. But my desire to help serve is what unites both of my career paths. If you have any questions for me - design, home renovation, real estate or plant -based food or fitness, please text, call or email :)