SPOTLIGHT ON KATIE SCHMIDT, a former Epidemiologist from the US, gives us invaluable insight into a healthier lifestyle and wellbeing.
1.Tell us about being an Integrative Nutrition Health Coach and how did you get into that field?
As a Health Coach, I’m a nutrition and wellness advisor and accountability partner who works closely with women and couples to help them establish sustainable habits that improve health and well-being.
This work is my passion because I’ve spent the last 13 years refining a lifestyle framework that reflects true health. In my early twenties, I struggled with body image. Consequently, I believed health was reading labels and counting calories. Once I found the intersection between nourishment and satisfaction in my daily life, it made a tremendous difference in how I felt, inside and out.
2.How would you describe the Whole Nourishment lifestyle? Does it affect your philosophy on life in general?
Absolutely! Because Whole Nourishment is about the small, daily habits we adopt in the kitchen and beyond. And daily habits make up our life!
It champions a holistic approach to eating and living well that recognizes the synergy between what we eat and how we live and enables us to feel good in and about our bodies. In other words, our lifestyle, ie activity level, stress management and mindset, impacts our choices in the kitchen and recognizes the importance of self-care.
3.You´ve lived in many places including Guatemala and Argentina, tell us about living in Switzerland before moving to Madrid in the Summer of 2016
These two countries could not be more different if they tried! Let’s see…. if they were animals, Switzerland would be the orderly, predictable, ritualistic early bird and Spain the bubbly, free-spirited, nocturnal Sugar Glider.
4.If you could wave a magic wand what would you do next in your life?
At risk of sounding dull, we´d be happy to repeat exactly what we´re doing now! Though I’d love to visit the Maldives and venture further into Africa! Professionally, I’d love future work to include teaching body acceptance and intuitive eating to young girls.
5.What is your secret Madrid?
Espacio Orgánico: great selection of organic produce and cool café. Virginia, the foot reflexologist there, is the best!
And Parque Felipe VI: between the quiet, rustic trails and views of the mountains, my dog Leila and I feel miles away from the city on our daily walks.
6.Do you have any stories about adapting to life here in Madrid?
The pothole-ridden dirt roads of Swaziland where we used to live are nothing compared to the crisscrossed, confusing interchanges along the M-11, M-40, and M-30. Once I figured out how to navigate the overlapping highways exits, three splits deep (veer right, veer left, veer right), I felt like I could do anything!
7.Has anything surprised you about Spain and its people?
I was surprised the first time I saw people eating breakfast at 11:30 am. I still don’t understand how people can wait until 10 or 11 pm to go out. Even when I eat a late lunch, there’s no way I can last until 10 pm!
8.Finally – what’s the key to maintaining a healthy relationship to food without obsessing about it?
Finding the crossroads between nourishment and satisfaction in our daily meals. This comes naturally when we define boundaries with a few non-negotiables, then adopt an attitude of flexibility, satisfaction, and variety when making food choices.
Photograph captions and credits:
Picture of Katie and husband, Gregg: M.P. Myers
Picture of Katie and Katie and dog, Leila: Anna Primavera