Meet Anjali Shah | Board Certified Health Coach & Author

We had the good fortune of connecting with Anjali Shah and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Anjali, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
Honestly, it started super accidentally. I wasn’t trying to start a business at all, I was just trying to figure out how to cook healthier meals that my husband would actually eat, because he really loved his fast food. So I started teaching myself how to make plant-based food that didn’t taste like punishment, and somewhere along the way I started sharing what was working.
It was just a hobby for a long time. But then I had kids, and everything kind of clicked into place. I started realizing how many families were dealing with the same thing – picky eaters, kids who won’t touch a vegetable, parents who are exhausted and just don’t know where to start. And I thought, okay, I’ve actually figured some of this out. I can help people. I also went back to school at that time and got certified as a Health Coach and Nutritionist so I could really give advice from a place of science backed knowledge.
And it really grew organically from there. It was never like, ‘I’m going to build a business.’ It was more like… I kept showing up, kept helping people, and eventually it became something real. And now getting to support families in actually getting their kids to eat better, that’s the part that makes it feel worth it.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Was it easy? No, not at all. And I think any small business owner will tell you that running a small business is genuinely hard. You should only do it if you really love it – and luckily, I do, so that’s what keeps me going.

But there have been plenty of times over the past ten years where I’ve faced real challenges. My revenue would tank, my website traffic would plummet, and those were incredibly stressful, challenging seasons. What got me through wasn’t anything fancy – it was just refusing to give up and always pushing forward to try new things.

When I was struggling, I made a pretty hard pivot into video and other mediums because I realized I needed to reach my audience in different ways. That actually made a huge difference. And I think that’s become my whole approach – constantly looking at what’s working and what isn’t, identifying gaps in the industry I can fill, and being willing to change my strategy when something stops working.

My biggest lesson is this: there’s always something you can do to grow your business. It’s just a matter of finding it. I’m really big on launch and iterate – try things, see what works, build on that, or move away and try something else. That’s the core of what’s kept my business going for the past decade.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Oh, this is my favorite question because Ballard is honestly one of the best neighborhoods in Seattle and I feel so lucky to live there. So if my best friend was visiting, here’s exactly how I’d show her the neighborhood:
Stop at the Ballard Farmers Market on Sunday morning, it’s Seattle’s first year-round farmers market and it’s incredible. Over 100 vendors, fresh produce, foraged mushrooms, pastries, local wine. It’s the perfect intro to the neighborhood vibe. Then we’d grab coffee and just walk around the neighborhood.
I’d also take her to Golden Gardens beach, the Ballard Locks – watch the boats come through, maybe spot some sea lions at Shilshole Bay. And then bike down the Burke-Gilman trail!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Oh, this is easy – my family, without a doubt. My husband is literally where this all started. I was cooking for him, trying to get a fast food lover to actually enjoy healthy meals, and he was such a good sport about all of it. He’s been my biggest supporter from day one, even back when this was just me experimenting in the kitchen with no real plan.
And my kids, I mean, they’re my whole reason for expanding into the family and kids content space, but they’re also just my biggest cheerleaders. They take their job as taste testers very seriously, which I love. There’s something really special about building something that your kids can see and be a part of. They keep me motivated on the days when it feels hard.
So yeah – my little family unit deserves a lot of the credit. None of this would exist without them!

Website: https://pickyeaterblog.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thepickyeater/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thepickyeater

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@thepickyeater

Image Credits
All images can be credited to me