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Welcome to The Quality Makers, an interview series highlighting pioneers in the direct-to-consumer space. Join us as we get an inside look at the world of digital shopping through the eyes of the individuals shaping it…
Southern California based Kelly LeVeque is a certified functional nutritionist, wellness expert, best-selling author, the mom of three young boys and founder of Be Well By Kelly. Before starting the brand, she worked in the medical field, then moved into personalized medicine, offering tumor gene mapping and molecular subtyping to oncologists, before striking out on her own to start her business. Kelly has found her work as a holistic nutritionist to be the most rewarding of her career. She is also a Seed investor - her passion and work aligns with Seed's deep commitment to education and to providing actionable insights to science. Read below to get a closer look into Kelly’s story.
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How would you describe Be Well by Kelly?
Be Well by Kelly is an online community where I teach my clients how to balance their blood sugar through what I call the Fab 4. A lot of people will focus on ways to bring blood sugar down, but I actually talk about the things that don't break down to sugar. The Fab 4 focuses on what your body needs. It’s an easy-to-follow formula for creating blood sugar balancing meals of clean protein, fat, fiber and greens. I created a whole foods formula for what to put on your plate to fuel focus, access energy, curb cravings and shed excess pounds by eating the right portions of the fab 4. This method will help you naturally burn fat and keep energy consistent throughout the day, avoiding insulin spikes that tell your bodies to stop burning fat and start storing it. It’s all about eating complete meals that elongate your blood sugar curve, helping you stop mindless snacking and ensuring your body has the nutrients to thrive.
What led you to blood sugar? How did you become a holistic nutritionist/wellness expert?
It's actually my second career. I spent eight years in Cancer and Genetics. When I went to USC, I took a course called Nature of Human Health and Disease, where my thesis ended up being on type two diabetes. I learned a lot about blood sugar, the pancreas, insulin, how we keep homeostasis, and it opened my eyes to something outside of calories, calorie counting, macronutrients and fad diets, which was big especially as this was in the early 2000s. All fad diets – low carb and even lifestyle diets like vegan, vegetarian, paleo, pescatarian – brings everyone onto the same playing field. That's what I love about blood sugar – it doesn't matter what lifestyle you lead. You have to get essential amino acids and fatty acids from food, and we can prevent metabolic diseases by understanding how to balance our blood sugar. It's this beautiful common ground that I love to teach.
My best friend pushed me to go back to school for nutrition, and I started Be Well by Kelly as a side hustle in 2012. I love helping people understand how to take care of themselves. Once I was working with clients full time, I realized that I needed multiple ways to reach people, and I ultimately sent emails to agents to pitch my book. I got one yes, booked my flight to New York, wrote my first book and ended up writing a second one as well. I also launched my own podcast, and I have courses that teach blood sugar balance to moms with young children, called Fab 4 Under 4 ($250). I also have the Fab 4 for those thinking about getting pregnant ($250). I’m trying to teach the community how to focus on what their body and their microbiome truly need. Then, from there, make choices around carbohydrates because I'm not the type of person who would say: “I'm never going to have a cookie again.” That's not realistic for me. But if I stay on top of my blood sugar, then I can start to delineate and make decisions around those carbohydrates. The reality is that most people don't even understand what breaks down to glucose, and that can be such an ‘aha’ moment in itself.
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My understanding is that the book is an introduction to your work, and then you offer courses on a more individual level?
The Fab 4 Fundamentals course ($250) is for people who started to read the book, but felt a little overwhelmed. It’s for those that want to interact with me more. I have a mini course called the Fab 4 Smoothie ($49.99), because the juice shops in LA are selling smoothies that are basically a massive blood sugar rollercoaster. They majorly derail your blood sugar and make you crave sugar all day long. So I created a smoothie using the Fab 4: you do an unsweetened liquid, a protein of choice, a fat, so maybe you add a little avocado or a small handful of cashews, and fiber, so chia, flax, psyllium husk, and lastly you’ll add a green, so a handful of spinach, basil, etc. Then, on top of that, we can consider what breaks down to sugar – maybe add some berries, a quarter of a banana, or a little bit of apple. Protein, fat, fiber and greens are the base, because none of that breaks down to sugar and then you consider what carbohydrate you’d like to add to make it yummy. I have lots of dessert-type flavors in my book because I think it should be craveable.
Apart from these courses, you also have products that you offer. Tell me about those.
When I first launched my book, my agent suggested I launch a protein powder, but I was pretty opposed. I ended up buying a pea protein, but I didn't sell it because I worry about where the sources are coming from. Whatever is in the ground is sequestered, so protein is known for having higher rates of heavy metals. If I’m not willing to drink it, which I wasn’t because I was trying to get pregnant at the time, then I’m not willing to sell it. I lost a big investment on that.
But fast forward to being pregnant with my second son, I was really frustrated because I just wanted a minimal ingredient protein powder. I wanted it to not be chemically extracted, I wanted organic flavor, I wanted organic monk fruit and I couldn't find it. So I called my manufacturer, the guy I had worked with in 2016, and we made it happen. Our Grass-Fed Beef Protein Powder ($59.99) comes from Sweden, it’s grass fed beef that we stew in hot water, then we skim the fat and dehydrate the water and there it is. There’s no chemicals. People in my community asked for a vegan/vegetarian option, so I made a lupini bean version, our Plant-Based Protein Powder ($59.99). Just you wait – this naturally ketogenic bean is about to hit the market. It’s just the best for your metabolic health.
What are some lessons you aim to teach others about health, wellness and self care?
In today's day and age, clickbait is fear mongering when it comes to nutrition. When I have a client start the Fab 4, and they can look at their plate and identify all of the necessary parts, they start to feel good about themselves and we can create momentum towards their goals. I really try to break down perfectionism in the health and wellness space and focus on the science that allows us to feel good about our choices, even if that Fab 4 plate is complemented with a glass of red wine, or followed by a cookie.
We cannot beat ourselves up around food. We have to make proactive choices to put the foundational foods on our plate first and then see how we feel, because it's the consistency and the long run that's going to prevent chronic lifestyle diseases. It’s the realization that every meal is the opportunity to serve your body with the amino acids that regulate your hunger hormones and make you feel full and calm. I'm beyond passionate about people letting go of their food needing to be perfectly counted, weighed, etc. Get consistent and you will outpace everyone.
What do you hope that people will take away from your brand?
That they can do it! I want everyone that is a part of this community to come to my account and they feel like they learned something new that's going to help them: I learned that there's a lot of sugar out there but there's a way to create a boundary. I learned that instead of needing to remove a habit, I can replace it first and slowly remove it. There are steps to creating healthy habits and it doesn't have to be hard, it doesn't have to be perfect.
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What are some of your hopes, dreams and visions for the future of Be Well by Kelly?
2024 feels like a very fresh year. I'm excited to get back to teaching! I'm launching a YouTube channel that’s a science-based cooking show where I cook and teach the benefits of food and how you can incorporate practices into your everyday life. I'm also going to be launching solo episodes on the Be Well by Kelly podcast that are focused on community questions, so I can continue to give my time to help as many people as possible.
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