Theresa “Sam” Houghton is out to transform today’s broken food system. As Chief Nerd at The Modern Health Nerd, she is using smart strategies and great content to help Plant-Based brands bridge the gap between their products and their customers.
“Sam” to her friends, clients and just about anyone who knows her, has dedicated her personal and professional life doing all she can to raise awareness about the benefits of a Plant-Based lifestyle.
Her transition to a Plant-Based and vegan lifestylist had what she refers to as, “Embarrassing beginnings.”
Sam explored being vegetarian in her teens because she heard vegetarians tended to be thinner. This reasoning was the start of digging deep into healthy eating.
Sam dealt with an eating disorder that put her at an unhealthy 90 pounds. And, contrary to many people’s experience of losing weight, with a healthy Plant-Based diet, filled with lots of whole foods, as well as a good weightlifting exercise regime, she was able to put on a very healthy 25 pounds of muscle.
Her research uncovered what virtually every vegan discovers; the horrors of factory farming, harm to the environment and overt health issues those who consume meat and dairy experience.
Beyond Her Health
Once she realized how deep the problems with animal and dairy went, she committed to identifying as a vegan. This was in 2009.
“I started out with a lot of the transition foods, a lot of the convenience foods. When I was vegetarian, I practically lived on bean quesadillas, and I’ve come to the point where I lean heavily whole food plant based. I still will go out for a burrito once in a while,” she readily admits.
Fast forward to today, and Sam has settled into a very healthy vegan lifestyle, including who she consults with and the various services she offers to her clients.
She is delighted to work with those who are on their way to identifying as vegans, such as pescatarians and flexitarians, because many of those people will release the need for all animal and dairy over time.
Her business journey was such that she started as a health coach. This evolved into a unique opportunity that defines her business today.
Sam is a graduate of both the Bauman College Nutrition Consultant program and the T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate program. She uses this expertise to bring a unique perspective to content marketing.
As a combination content marketing business and media company, The Modern Health Nerd helps Plant-Based brands bridge the gap between their products and their customers by building strategic content libraries — and creating content consumers can understand and appreciate.
God’s Whisperings Transforms Desperation
Like many business owners, things were humming along quite nicely in 2019… until the shutdowns started.
Losing her biggest content writing client, Sam felt what so many others felt at that time, desperation.
This was the catalyst for her hiring a business coach who encouraged her to merge her health coaching background with her content writing background. This proved to be a very smart move.
She began working with brands in the Plant-Based space. Her passion is working with those in the consumer packaged goods (CPG) space. She also enjoys clients who are working with functional ingredients that are healthier.
With more people being concerned about their health, sustainability and the environment, there is ample opportunity for companies that help their customers and clients eat better and live better.
Hands down, Sam is one of the biggest nerds you’ll find in the Plant-Based space. The benefit to those working with her is her attention to detail and strategy.
Before digging into a solution, she makes sure her clients fully understand their customers’ and/or clients’ needs and wants, their own big why, what the market is asking for and how to effectively reach their market.
Business Meetings with God
Sam makes no secret of the fact that she is a devout Christian. Her faith is at the core of all she does… and doesn’t do.
So much in fact, she has what she refers to as, Business Meetings with God.
“About a year ago, I heard on a podcast about having business meetings with God. I thought, “I need to do that,” and I’ve literally been doing it every single week since I listened to that podcast.”
Since making this a part of her business practice, she has watched things blossom in ways she never could have anticipated. She is also more discerning on her decisions.
Her practice includes writing down ideas she gets during her God Meetings, answers she receives in pray, and gentle nudges she knows is the Lord.
Sam recommends that you see your Plant-Based journey as you do your business journey. Take things a step at a time, put one foot in front of the other and trust the process.
More About Sam Houghton
Theresa “Sam” Houghton’s journey to improve her health turned into a passion for sharing actionable, life-changing information. In 2009, she went Plant-Based; in 2014, she became a health coach. All the while, she was writing content to pay the bills.
But Sam has been crafting stories and writing informative reports since she was a kid. Her love of exploring interesting topics — and helping people learn to make better, healthier food and lifestyle choices — inspired her to merge health coaching with content creation.
Thus, The Modern Health Nerd was born. As a combination content marketing business and media company, The Modern Health Nerd helps Plant-Based brands bridge the gap between their products and their customers by building strategic content libraries — and creating content consumers can understand and appreciate.
Sam is a graduate of both the Bauman College Nutrition Consultant program and the T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate program and uses this expertise to bring a unique perspective to content marketing.
Her writing appears regularly on NutritionStudies.org and the Upside by VitaCost and has been featured on Green Queen Media. She has been a guest on WMAC’s Food Friday, the Just Ask David podcast, Pandemic Punditry, the Vegan Stories Podcast and Let’s Eat with Mark Samuel. When she’s not writing or cooking, Sam likes to read and study the Bible, cook tasty Plant-Based food, hang out at farmers markets and knit crazy socks.
Contact
https://www.modernhealthnerd.com (Website)
https://www.modernhealthnerd.com/news (Blog)
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-modern-health-nerd-podcast/id1534888069 (Podcast)
Social Media
LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/theresahoughton/
Clubhouse: @modernhealthnrd
Twitter: https://twitter.com/modernhealthnrd
Instagram: https://instagram.com/modernhealthnrd