We had the good fortune of connecting with Addie Spahr Kim and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Addie, as a parent, what do you feel is the most meaningful thing you’ve done for them?
As a mom of two very active, daredevil little boys I’m constantly trying to find that balance between supporting my kids’ aspirations and teaching them to be safe. As a mom and holistic health coach my #1 goal is that my kids learn to trust their intuition and tune into their bodies.
I take a similar approach with my kids as I do with my clients — focus on putting as much good in your body as you can so that it can function at its best and process out the bad stuff that we all have to filter through – even just from the air we breathe, water we drink, and chemicals we come into contact with daily. Helping my kids learn good nutrition habits without being super restrictive has been one of my greatest challenges but also successes. Unfortunately, with each new generation there are more and more health risks at stake. Our food quality continues to decline. We have more and more toxins in our environment. Our fast-paced life has led us to consume more processed food. And as a result of all these factors, our rates of disease continue to increase and often begin in childhood. So teaching my kids the importance of our health and educating parents on how to do the same for their own family is a huge passion of mine and key focus in my coaching practice.
Another area of impact that I feel good about as a parent is in supporting my kids to go after their dreams even when it gives me serious anxiety. Whatever it is that our children gravitate toward, it’s so important to help nurture their desires. In my case it happens to be motocross and skateboarding/scootering – which all have potential dangers and serious injury risks. I’ve worked really hard on managing my own fears (like seeing one of them get paralyzed, or worse, lose their life) so that I can be supportive without being overbearing (which is really hard for this Type A mama). I am learning to trust them to know their limits and have conversations with them about ways they can harness their passion while also knowing their own physical and mental limits. A lot of this circles back to whle body health and how well they take care of their bodies – both to avoid harm but also to recover when injuries happen.
My husband and I also want our kids to know that we show up for each other. I was recently bitten on the ankle by a rattlesnake and spent a week in the hospital and have had a really slow recovery. Not only did we have to cancel our Spring Break plans but the boys all had to take over the household duties and help with my care. My kids are really learning that they have responsibilities at home and have to step up and do their part. Teaching our kids hustle and grit are qualities that are super important in our family – especially with two entrepreneur parents that rely on themselves to show up in their businesses and work hard to earn an income.
Our kids face so many new challenges today it’s important that we as parents find ways to keep them grounded, help them maintain positive physical and mental health, and make them feel whole-heartedly supported as they navigate the tricky waters into adulthood.
What should our readers know about your business?
I’m the founder of Elevated Mama Life, which offers whole body lifestyle solutions and coaching. My clients are primarily busy, tired, over-stressed moms that need practical solutions to regain or bolster their own health and nutrition and that need ideas to better support their family’s health. I also work with women 40+ who are experiencing the affects of hormone imbalance that often occurs in mid-life and want natural, holistic solutions to get rebalanced. I really focus on women’s health since women are often in charge of their household’s command center – the meal planning, the grocery shopping, the product buying, the social planning, the lunch and snack making, the cleaning. etc – and I want them to feel their best and know what lifestyle practices will keep their family healthy and safe.
I get very excited to teach other women how to take charge of their own health and shift their family into thrival and out of survival when managing the whole household. I also know how frustrating it is for mid-life women to suffer various ailments and symptoms yet not get answers or solutions to these problems from standard doctor visits. I’ve had to deep dive on Hormone Health to manage my own challenges and love to work with other women on how to navigate through their own struggles and get to the root of them.
The work I do today is 100% driven by my own health journey and being able to share the many tools I’ve come to rely on to turn my own health around. I also have a number of relationships with other wellness practitioners and believe in a partnered approach to health – because we are all unique and there is no one-size-fits-all!
I’ve learned that you often have to think outside the box and go outside mainstream services to maximize health. Elevated Mama Life is about helping women rise to their true health potential so they can keep being awesome in the world and caring for their loved ones (because that’s just what we do)!
Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
If I had a friend coming to visit Encinitas…oh, the many things I would do. Ok, so first if they were flying in I’d pick them up at the San Diego Airport and head to Liberty Market in Point Loma. We’d walk the aisles and sample different tasty foods of different ethic flavor. Some of my favorites there are the ramen, the tacos, and the French croissants (not altogether of course). Then we’d walk over to Pigment and crush on the various plants and decor items, maybe stop for a matcha latte at the Moniker General.
I’m not in downtown San Diego often but another favorite area of mine is India street at the end of Little Italy. Just past Nolita Hall is my favorite candle shop – Often Wander – and across from there is a great plant shop (I’m a little plant obsessed and our whole house is filled with them).
Once back in Encinitas, I’d plan a day at the beach (Beacons, Seaside or Cardiff Reef). We’d stop at Nektar for smoothie bowls and/or Pressed Juicery for their delicious freezes (I’m a sucker for a healthy dessert). We’d take a long walk from Moonlight beach down the coast past San Elijo campground and then come back on the rail trail. If they visited during the weekend then we would go to the Leucadia Farmer’s Market (which just happens to be at my kids’ elementary school).
For tasty eats we’d go to Nectarine Grove, CHIKO, Fish 101 and Buena Forchetta! (Or just hit the hot bar at Seaside Market).
For some wellness boosting, we’d visit my friends at Fitness Genome for some biohacking (PEMF, cryotherapy, red light bed, hyperbaric oxygen chamber, and more).
The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would never have ventured into health coaching were it not for my amazing friend and often mentor, Mary Anne, who encouraged me to join the health coaching School for Integrative Nutrition with her a decade ago. This program transformed my own health in significant ways and helped me shift gears into a career that is incredibly fulfilling and has provided the work-life balance I’ve desired so that I can spend lots of time with my family.
Website: https://elevatedmamalife.com/
Instagram: @elevatedmamalife
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elevatedmamalife/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elevatedmamalife
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIuAx8GD4Z3Fk57j_-FnUfg
Other: Clubhouse: @elevatedmama
Image Credits
Richard Spahr, Spahr Photography