September is National Yoga Month! Regular yoga practice is known to provide wonderful benefits for the body and mind, such as greater clarity, balance and stress relief.

2012 Integrative Nutrition graduate Leslie Perryman is on a mission to bring these health benefits worldwide! Through her work at Grokker, a video network dedicated to wellness, she works with fellow yogis to produce content that inspires optimal self-care among users.

Leslie is taking over our Instagram account today! Follow along to get a look into her daily life, and read below to hear more about her inspiring story.

What were you doing prior to enrolling at Integrative Nutrition?

Prior to enrolling at IIN, I was working for a public relations agency, servicing both national and international clients. Needless to say, the long hours kept me from taking care of my health.

What led you to explore the Health Coach Training Program?

I discovered IIN while on my own journey toward better health. I had gained weight in college due to poor eating and lack of exercise and decided it was time to get back on track. Rather than dieting, I started reading healthy living blogs like Eating Bird Food (an Integrative Nutrition grad!). Those bloggers inspired me to get into running and learn how to start cooking for myself. I was amazed at how great I began to feel by making these small changes. The more I explored this new way of living, the more I told friends and family about my experience. I was so excited to share this new way of thinking about wellness with the masses and that's when I discovered the program!

How did your life change after enrolling?

Oh wow, that period of my life brought a lot of changes. I decided to quit my agency job, end a toxic relationship and move back to my hometown of San Jose, California, all within a couple weeks of enrolling. There was a lot going on in my life, but IIN was a beacon for positive change. Concepts I learned in the program allowed me to make what could have been a difficult time of transition in my life, into a time of self-exploration and growth. I'm really grateful for IIN in this way.

What are you doing now?

Since becoming a certified Health Coach, I've merged my passion for wellness with my expertise in marketing by collaborating with Silicon Valley start-ups dedicated to health and wellness.

I'm currently working with an awesome group of people at Grokker. Grokker is the “Be a Better You” video network, which provides expert-led videos in yoga, fitness, meditation and healthy cooking. I'm fortunate enough to manage the yoga category, which means I get to work with passionate yogis everyday to develop content that will be shared with our amazing community of users. For instance, we're getting ready to release a new Vinyasa series focused on activating your endocrine system with fellow IIN grad, Andrew Sealy!

What makes your work unique?

The team at Grokker is truly dedicated to providing content that helps others. We have so many testimonials from our users talking about how the platform has changed their lives for the better and it’s incredibly rewarding to hear their stories.

In addition, we've started sharing our enterprise solution with many companies throughout the Bay Area as part of their wellness initiatives! It's great to see a focus on employee wellbeing in the Bay Area, and to be able to help perpetuate that with our product.

What do you love about your work?

I love that I can help people practice self-care and wellness on a large scale around the world. Though we still have a long way to go, making self-care a priority is something I continue to see more prominently in mainstream media, which is wonderful! Grokker helps foster that healthy Ripple Effect, as Joshua would call it. :)

Is there a need for Health Coaches where you live?

Definitely! Living in the heart of Silicon Valley, I'm in the midst of innovation and hardworking individuals all the time. Taking care of personal health is something we often see fall by the wayside here. It’s shifting in a positive way, as many companies are taking the time and energy to provide wellness programs for their employees, so there is a definite opportunity for more coaches in the Bay Area!

Check out Leslie’s work on Grokker here!