Emily let’s kick things off the old-fashioned way. Please tell us a little about yourself. Who you are and what do you do?
ER: My name is Emily Ryu and I am a certified Holistic Health Coach, Recipe Developer, and a Marketing Director at Ryu Creative. My goal is to help people live healthier and happier lives through inspiring and educating others on living more holistically. Changing my lifestyle has transformed my life and I’ve never been happier and spreading my knowledge and passion with others brings me more joy than anything. The world needs more plants and we’ll only eat more of them if they taste good and I am determined to make that happen.
Why did you decide to launch a healthy lifestyle travel-focused Instagram account?
ER: My friends and family would always come to me asking for advice on health and wellness so I wanted to extend my knowledge to people outside of my core group because I noticed that a lot of people feel lost when it comes to their own health. Health is a vehicle not a destination and I’m still learning myself.
If you were to work with any brand on a collaboration, which brand would you choose and why?
ER: Sakara, no brainer. Their philosophy, model, and the way they market themselves through social media down to their packaging is exactly how I would do it if I had a brand.
Emily, I am sure you had the opportunity to travel to many places around the world. How do you stay healthy while also trying to enjoy the culture and the food of the location? Can you give us some tips?
ER: Pick one big meal of the day and eat lighter around it. For instance, if I know I’m going to have a big dinner, I would just have a salad or veggies for breakfast and lunch. Also, just enjoy yourself because it’s not like you normally indulge on croissants plus the quality of food in Europe and Asia are SO much better than the US so I say go for it.
What central message do you hope your audience to take away through following your adventures?
ER: I hope that they can think of food as medicine and pleasure, and an incredibly potent catalyst for change. Once you realize that what you put into your body shapes every aspect of your life, food becomes your most important ally in feeling strong, smart, successful, sexy, and spiritual.
Emily, can you share with us your mindset when things get challenging in life, and how you come out the other side better than ever?
ER: Sometimes, it’s totally okay to not be okay. And it’s okay to not know why you’re not okay. It will pass so just ride the wave
When you think about communication, what would you say is the one thing that all communicators do well?
ER: Being able to really listen and ask thought provoking questions
What is your favorite healthy food? and favorite cheat cuisine?
ER: I don’t like to think of any food as “cheat” cuisine, so I guess my favorite healthy food is the Ryupure Everyday Salad. I have it for lunch on repeat!
Can you recommend any books that helped shape your career and shape your lifestyle?
ER: Oh wow! I have so many but the most recent one is by Eckhart Tolle, “A New Earth” I can’t summarize it because of the complexity of the message but it has taught me to be more present and focus on living in the now.
What is your “Why”? Why do you get up in the morning, and what keeps you motivated to be your best every day?
ER: My husband, family, friends, and my two cats.
