Twenty-five years ago, Joshua Rosenthal founded Integrative Nutrition with the mission of improving global health and happiness. Today, we're not just a school - we're a movement that's larger than ever, with over 100,000 students and graduates worldwide. To celebrate our 25th anniversary we’ll be featuring the journeys of 25 rockstar graduates over the next few weeks! Follow along and read their stories here.

We’re thrilled to introduce you to Elizabeth Rider, an Integrative Nutrition graduate who went from working in accounting to helping women around the world improve their health. Best known for her fun and accessible approach to food and healthy living, she’s built an online wellness empire from scratch.

We recently connected with Elizabeth, and here’s what she had to say about her experience with Integrative Nutrition’s Health Coach Training Program.

What brought you to Integrative Nutrition?
I was four years into my corporate career in public accounting and very curious about health and wellness. I think I was browsing in a forum one night, and someone had mentioned Integrative Nutrition. At first, I just wanted to do the program for my own knowledge and personal health. Once I was in, I realized that I could turn it into a career.

What were you looking forward to most?
I was pretty burnt out health-wise from working long hours and traveling so much for my job, so I was just ready to soak up as much wellness education as possible!

What did you love learning about most?
It’s too hard to choose! I loved so many aspects of the program, but I have to say that learning that many different ways of eating work for different people was really eye-opening to me. That’s also the most powerful message that I apply to my practice, too. Everyone is unique and different ways work for different people.

What did you learn that surprised you?
When I started at Integrative Nutrition, I was really open to learning new things so I wasn’t hugely surprised by any of the content. One fascinating thing that sticks out, though, was learning about Dr. Weston Price’s work and learning about the Swiss community, who ate loads of raw dairy and no processed foods and didn’t have any cavities or dental abnormalities.

What was your experience with Integrative Nutrition like?
I participated in one of the first distance learning programs (the program used to be live, in-person in NYC). I was a little afraid that I wouldn’t feel connected or that I’d miss out, but once I was in the program I knew that I’d found my home. I was connected, and the entire process was simple and effective.

What do you love most about the school?
That’s easy! The community. Finding your tribe of like-minded people is one of the best feelings possible.

What do you love most about being a Health Coach?
Definitely the lifestyle. Health Coaches have a lot of options as to how they work (for a company, as an added benefit to healthcare, etc.) and I choose to work for myself. I love the freedom to create my life and center it all around eating healthy food. It’s a lot of work, and owning your own business requires a major commitment to personal growth, but it’s worth it. I really love what I do every day!

Connect with Elizabeth:
On her website
On Facebook
On YouTube
On Twitter
On Instagram

Photo credit: Elizabeth Rider