Meet Anjali Shah | Board Certified Health Coach, Nutritionist, and Published Author

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

Hi Anjali, every day, we about how much execution matters, but we think ideas matter as well. How did you come up with the idea for your business?
I grew up a “whole wheat” girl, but I married a “white bread” guy.

I was raised in the healthy-eating, organic-obsessed, farmer’s market-driven culture of the San Francisco Bay Area; he grew up in the deep-dish pizza-loving suburbs of Chicago. My childhood was filled with fruits, vegetables and home cooked meals; I was raised to be “picky” about what I put into my body and to eat junk food in moderation. For him, ice cream and french fries were a way of life.

When most people get married, they worry about things like money or in-laws. But when we got married, the question was: What would the picky eater and her fast food husband eat for dinner? I realized that the only solution was to cook healthy versions of foods that my husband enjoyed.

My blog was inspired by my husband’s transformation from a “white bread eating,” “fast-food-loving” guy to one that eats healthy food now – and even started asking for vegetables in his dishes! He said it was because he learned that healthy food could taste good, which meant the world to me. And once I had kids, I realized I could use the same strategies to help them expand their palates and become more adventurous eaters! So from this journey, my blog, The Picky Eater was born.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
My blog, The Picky Eater, is a recipe site with over 800 recipes that are all 100% plant-based, healthy and family-friendly. My goal is to help make healthy eating accessible for all families and kids, super delicious and easy! I’m proud that I have been able to help thousands of families eat healthier as a result of my work, and help parents navigate all of those confusing marketing messages to figure out what products are actually good for them and their kids, and which to avoid. Launching my business and scaling it to what it is today has not been easy! It’s been a long journey over 10 years, from a passion project that generated no revenue to the profitable small-business it is today. My main challenges were figuring out what my brand was, what I wanted to accomplish, and how to stay true to my goal of helping people while also making enough money to support my family. The main lesson I learned along the way is how to be flexible and to constantly pivot when things don’t seem like they’re working out the way you planned. When you’re running a business solo, you have to always think 5 steps ahead of where you are now, to anticipate future challenges that you can prep for today. Learning how to do that took time, but has made a big difference in my approach. What I want the world to know about my brand is that I truly am here to help people. I never create a recipe or make a recommendation just to make money, everything on my site is something I would make for myself and my own kids, and that I have personally tested multiple times!

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?
Seattle is a great city – there are so many amazing things to do within just a couple of hours of the city! If my friend was here for a week, I’d definitely take them to some of the main foodie areas like Pike Place Market and the Ballard Farmer’s Market. We’d also do a little tour around the North Seattle neighborhoods like Ballard, Fremont, etc. that have delicious restaurants and bars to check out. I’d also take them to the arboretum and other amazing parks in north Seattle that have gorgeous trails like Green Lake and Discovery park! Seattle is so close to the water that some water activities would also have to be on the itinerary. Depending on the time of year, we could go to the beach, go sailing, paddle boating, swimming – the possibilities are endless! We could also to go the mountains – for skiing during the winter, or hiking in the summer. And lastly, visiting the islands would be a must-do — whether it’s the San Juan Islands, or Bainbridge – they all have their own charm and things to do.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I have to give a shoutout to my whole family who has supported me endlessly in pursuing my business as first, a passion project, and then helping me to turn it into an actual profitable business! My husband and my kids especially – thank you for being my taste testers and being so patient with my endless hours in the kitchen recipe testing, photographing and filming for my recipes! I love and appreciate all of you 🙂

Website: https://www.pickyeaterblog.com/

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

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anjalimarathe/

Facebook: https://facebook.com/thepickyeater

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

Image Credits
Image credits can go to me (Anjali Shah)