Tracey Miller had her first meeting with a Health Coach in 2005 when she was trying to get pregnant, and within two years, she had a baby—and had earned a Health Coach certification from Integrative Nutrition herself.

Before she completed the program, Tracey started offering cooking classes for moms. "The moms from the birthing class I attended were really eager to learn how to cook and make sure they were giving themselves and the baby nutrient-dense foods. They also wanted to be with other moms and learn from each other," she said.

A year later, she quit her job at the World Bank in Washington, DC and moved to the seacoast of New Hampshire to slow down the pace of her life and speed up her Health Coaching practice. That’s where she teamed up with Kath Gallant, owner of the farm-to-table restaurant Blue Moon Evolution, and the two of them began leading cooking and ethical eating classes and seminars for women around Earth Day.

They took things a step further when they launched the Food and Health Forum, hosting dinner seminars with farmers, chefs, and authors to raise awareness around local food and sustainability. More than 1,000 people participated in their events, which also included cooking and wellness classes and wellness challenges. Women were seeing such great results from the wellness programs that, after three years, Tracey and Kath decided to launch Dig In: Real Food Solutions. The program combines cooking and coaching, and is designed to help women be more creative in the kitchen and empowered about what they eat and why they eat it.

"It starts with you, but it also starts in the kitchen," Tracey said. “We want to take the confusion out of food and get people excited about cooking up fresh seasonal food that gives their body what they need." 

For people who live too far from New Hampshire to participate in the community meet-ups where Kath and Tracey host cooking classes and support groups, there’s also an option to join virtually from anywhere! Dig In members also get a seasonal cookbook and a food-mood journal for them to record "aha" moments when they see how food affects their body, plus daily touchstones to help them stay on track and a weekly video with cooking tips and strategies for the week. "Change takes time, so we start small and help people change their habits slowly and thoughtfully so that they last," Tracey said.

Dig In just opened its headquarters in the space above Blue Moon Evolution where they will host their weekly meet-ups, and is hoping  to expand to other locations throughout the country—and is on the search for Health Coaches to help them do so! If you're interested in digging in and finding out more about how you can get involved with leading meet-ups and other wellness classes, Tracey would love to hear from you! Contact her at tracey@diginrealfood.com.

What would you teach at your wellness class? Tell us in the comments section below!