Today we’d like to introduce you to Nicole Cormier.
Nicole, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Registered Dietitian, local food advocate, author, blogger and entrepreneur. I indulge in my passion for nutrition and local foods on beautiful Cape Cod through my nutrition counseling business, Delicious Living Nutrition, through partnership in a cold-pressed juice company, The Local Juice and nature-based retreat collaborative, Project Woods. Underlying everything I do is the concept of sustainability. This is an essential aspect of how I helps clients discover new foods and ways of cooking to put them on a path to health, as well as my own health.
I am passionate about teaching people to play an active role in improving their whole health by developing new relationships with food. Connecting people directly with farmers and helping them understand and embrace their food sources is an integral part of my practice.
By focusing on sharing knowledge and empowering people with this through her work, there is a major impact on my clients, community, and the broader public. I continue to educate my community about health and the local food movement through several publications (Nutrition from the Ground Up Guide, Everything Guide to Nutrition, $5 a Meal Vegetarian College Cookbook, and 201 Organic Smoothies and Juices for a Healthy Pregnancy).
I have created a holistic business and lifestyle where work doesn’t feel like work, and I strives to share this mindset with others. Crucial to making this a possibility is the idea of mindfulness. This allows me to stimulate my creative process and intuitively design programs, recipes, and projects to help my clients. She loves tapping into this mindset through outdoor activities such as gardening, kayaking, walking her dog Tanka, fishing or just sitting outside with a cup of tea.
Yoga has been influential in teaching mindfulness, as well as the process of journaling. Through journaling, I am able to track successes, take on life’s challenges, set goals, understand her own eating patterns, practice mindfulness and layout to-do lists to keep herself organized. She believes it is an essential tool for finding balance and encourages all of her clients to maintain their own journal.
One of the most exciting and fulfilling adventures I’ve undertaken as part of Delicious Living Nutrition is making a full-length documentary about organic farming called Organic Farms Are Everywhere! I drove with her partner, Jim, cross-country in February 2012 and visited nearly two dozen farms. It was an incredible journey and we learned so much that I’ve been able to share with my community.
“As I have become more personally involved in the local food movement over time, my counseling approach has evolved. My clients find that they really benefit from my guided farmers’ market tours, as well as cooking new foods together. One of the most significant parts of my at-home nutritional cooking lessons is practicing what I call “intuitive cooking.” This is a method that centers around using what is readily available in your pantry to make delicious and healthy meals at home.”
I am excited to share my journey into sustainability with my community. My passion for wellness and the local food movement led to my involvement in a variety of projects, all of which have enriched my practices, my clients’ outcomes, and my own life. I love collaborating with two non-profits on Cape Cod, Sustainable CAPE and Cape Wellness Collaborative. Sustainable CAPE has allowed me to join into their Farmer-in-the-School Program and I also provide nutrition consultations at the Truro Farmers Market. Cape Wellness Collaborative provides complimentary services for individuals facing Cancer patients on Cape Cod.
I believe in the power of connecting farmers and consumers to create a more informed community. My passion is helping individuals and families improve their whole health by building new, sustainable relationships with food. I believe in the power of connecting farmers and consumers to create a more educated community.
Whether for our clients, the community or the broader public, my focus is sharing knowledge because it really is power. This is how we make a more lasting impact. I know from seeing it with our clients that knowledge, trust and compassion support and motivates change.
I focus on three specific areas:
Inspiring people to let go of their past relationships with food and health and create new powerful experiences.
Connecting people with their local farmers and helping them discover the benefits of eating locally and seasonally.
Educating our community and the broader public about how they can be more confident consumers.
Why am I doing this?
In building Nutrition from the Ground Up, I’ve set out to live my passions. Underlying everything I do is the concept of sustainability. It is present everywhere, from how we work with clients to help them discover new foods and ways of cooking that put them on a path to health.
…it shows up in how we’ve structured my businesses so that all the different aspects support each other…
…and it’s personal. I’ve designed a holistic life where work doesn’t feel like work. Everything sustains everything else. I’ve achieved this through structuring my businesses to fit into three main buckets.
Counseling – This is the most personal aspect – One on one counseling, programs and presentations.
Community – These are all the ways we connect with customers, clients and our community
Local Food – Connecting people directly with farmers and helping them understand their food sources is a huge part of what we love to do.
Mentoring – Sharing my experience with nutrition students in a transparent style to encourage them to follow their own intuition and passions.
Various types of outreach have been an important way for me to not only build my businesses but to share knowledge broadly. Bringing consumer confidence to our clients and the community through education and exploration is what we love to do. The Nutrition from the Ground Up blog, podcast and programs act as an educational experience and open the doors to health, happiness and a holistic lifestyle for many.
My love for culinary experiments that include a higher mission led me to crafting The Local Juice with Jen Villa. We both have a deep passion and love for local sustainability, community advocacy, and health + wellness. We also both share a love for juicing! In March, 2014, we decided to join forces to create The Local Juice in order to unite our passions and create delicious products to better the lives of their entire Cape Cod community.
After selling our cold-pressed juices locally for over two years, we opened our very first brick + mortar location in the heart of Hyannis in July of 2016.
We are thrilled to be able to continue growing and supporting our local farms and farmers and are on a mission to educate our customers on how to live a sustainable and healthy life.
I also choose to live the majority of my time on our sailboat with my husband, Shawn Vecchione, surfboard shaper of Vec Surfboards, my stepdaughter, Maile and our two dogs, Kalea and Tanka. We are sharing our lifestyle practices as I curate a sustainable pantry, design recipes and healthy living tips.
Has it been a smooth road?
Through mentoring nutrition students through summer internships for over 5 years, I have shared my story, experience, growth patterns and many challenges I’ve faced along the way. Some personal life transitions, lots of learning curves and understanding how to listen to my own intuition. I feel it’s important to be a transparent practioner and therefore I share a few words that have helped me the MOST in my life. The quicker you work on your internal nutrition practice, the quicker you will be on your journey.
H E A L I N G: Recently, some people have mentioned that it seems I have grown emotionally, appear to be grounded, positive & how did I do it?
P R O C E S S: Honestly, I’m still in a process of healing. I have to give credit to a trauma that happened when I was 21. I was forced to seek out places that offered space for releasing pain. The intensity of the pain was unbearable and I had no other choice. .
S U P P O R T: I found therapy, yoga classes, new friends and mentors that had coping skills to share, workshops, self-help books, nature walks, yoga teacher training, India, “work” that was rewarding (I receive just as much as I give when working with clients), gardening, foraging, cooking as art, and opening myself up to learning from others & life moments. .
P R A C T I C E: I am always reminded of the residue that still sits in my body. I have learned it is a natural part of the process to have particles from that residue surface. It may be triggered by a personal relationship (transference from a past experience), stress, memories or anything. When this happens, my coping skills are to SIT & ALLOW my uncomfortable feelings and emotions to move. Yes, it may seem unbearable, but in the end, the release is healing and creates a sense of freedom.
We’d love to hear more about Delicious Living Nutrition, The Local Juice, and Nutrition from the Ground Up.
Delicious Living Nutrition is a private practice offering nutrition counseling + wellness programs throughout Cape Cod and the Islands. Our practice is comprised of experienced Registered Dietitians who provide medical nutrition therapy for various health issues and concerns.
WE SPECIALIZE IN IBS, FOOD ALLERGIES/INTOLERANCES, AUTOIMMUNE DISEASES, HASHIMOTO’S, INFERTILITY, CANCER, HEART DISEASE, DIABETES AND EATING DISORDERS.
We offer programs for clients to achieve success with as much support that is necessary. Our programs may include:
Office Hour Group Calls
Worksheets
Trainings
Reminders
Check-ins
Weekly Emails
Phone Calls
1-on-1 meetings
Meal plans
Therapy Sessions
Meditation/Yoga Classes
Cooking Classes
Digestive toolkit
MRT Food testing
The Local Juice Meals
Summer Internships for nutrition students:
Our internship gives students experience in several areas, including nutrition counseling, food service, nutrition communication, social media, Internship blogging and community nutrition.
Feedback from Interns:
“It was an exciting and educational summer to be a part of all these components; in addition to being empowered to realize that one person can do so many different things when working as part of a network within a supportive community and when constantly being inspired by others’ energy and goals.”
“I was able to experience the effectiveness of creating a business with a diverse network of ideas and partners, as a way to form a niche and support a community rather than working in isolation.”
“Nicole has effectively incorporated the idea of integrated and civic agriculture into her business model—allowing for, and encouraging, networking and community building rather than the very fragmented, isolated, and dehumanized conventional food system that many of us are so used to.”
“Nicole’s passion is undeniable. My supervisor strives to connect people to their food and by doing so she also connects consumers to their hometowns, their local farmers, businesses, artists, and to the very environment that is fueling their daily lives.”
“I think the result is a very clear success—my supervisor has gained long-term clients, customers, business partners, and friends that incorporate her work into their lifestyles.”
“Nicole is a registered dietitian, she believes there is much more to whole body health than solely counting calories, but instead it is about understanding your body’s needs, the foods you consume, and creating a healthy and happy relationship between the two.”
“I really value the fact that Nicole welcomes suggestions and advice in order to make her business and many projects the best they can be and I think this is an important part of working in a team.”
“We ought to think of the relationship between a local business and the surrounding community as a reciprocal thing—when the business aims to support its community then that community can help ensure the business’s continuing success by taking part, both economically and socially. This idea very much falls in line with the experience I have had at Farm Fare Market this summer.”
“I truly believe that Nicole’s success arises from the passion and energy that she puts into her work.”
“I find it incredibly empowering to know that a young woman has been so successful and happy by working with other strong partners (mostly other women), helping others in her community, and contributing to the alternative food system. I am so happy that I was able to be a part of this network and community and truly hope to do something in my future like Nicole is doing now.”
Which women have inspired you in your life?
There are many that challenge us to understand ourselves, grow our spiritual practices and cultivate our lives. This series is to share with you a few of my own personal mentors that whether they are aware of it or not, have made a huge imprint on my life, love, and world
Bridget Pasalacqua – First, a little bit about our friendship. It started with her husband, an elementary school friend of mine. Mike Pasalacqua was in a band called Bogged Down, and let’s say I was a “big fan”, pretty much groupie status. As I made it to the front of the stage every show, I was surrounded by all of the girlfriends of the band. They made me feel like I was supposed to be there. This show experience created an instant sense of community through music, which became a valuable tool of mine. Every year, our friends come together to travel to the Catskills to the Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival. Bridget and I have bonded through music, growing as individuals, food, gardening, loving life and building our lives every day. She’s my soul sister.
Why? Because when I asked her what inspires her, this is how she answered, which I felt inspired me!
I am inspired by art, music, nature and inspired most by those who stand up for what is right. By this, I mean those who seek truth and aren’t afraid to point out problems as long as the next step is a solution. Together we can do anything! I am blessed to have so many inspirational people to look to. From well-known role models such as Jane Goodall to those closest to me such as my husband, He manages to work a full-time job, come home and work in the garden, brew beer, and beekeeping to keep us connected with our food and its healing properties. That’s inspiring. The look on my daughters face when she discovers something new, that’s inspiring. How we live is how our children are taught. There is nothing that inspires me to live well more than my daughter.
Amanda Converse:
A little about how the amazing Amanda Converse, owner of Shift, an eco-conscious clothing store, came into my journey. I was on a new venture in my nutrition practice, opening a brand new office on Cape Cod. I had no idea why I was here or what my big goals were at the time. I just had an intuition, I had to “go for it.” Go for what? A very important question for an entrepreneur in her twenties. My nutrition counseling company was the tool that rooted me in a very unique and inspiring community on Cape Cod that I soon found would change (grow) my life forever. One of the first inspiring individuals that crossed my path, was Amanda, a clothing eco-educator. Right off the bat, I caught myself thinking about where my clothes came from, who made them, what where all these materials, and the questions continued and are still continuing. I am proud to say, I now know how to be mindful of my food choices AND my clothing choices.
I really was inspired to her about what she has cultivated along the way through her journey?
“I’d like to think I cultivated self-awareness, trust in myself, patience, and genuine connections. I’d also like to think I have helped cultivate other people’s love and appreciation for Cape Cod and its natural environment.”
Briget Bride:
Briget has had a successful practice serving Boston, the South Shore, The Cape and the Islands for more than 20 years. She is a compassionate therapist who teaches people new ways of perceiving themselves and their problems in order to bring about a higher quality of life.
We talk food, inspirational recipes, foraging adventure stories, life challenges and eating emotions. I should mention she is a psychotherapist and expert food preserver. Two of my favorite things!
Some of my favorite words of wisdom she has shared with me are about what she’s cultivated along the way?
Basically myself. I realized through the therapy I was engaged in, when I cultivate the things that I need in my life, I am happier.
Such as: therapy, it was a crucial process to help me connect with myself and learn kindness toward me, investing in my marriage and good friendships. Reconnecting with nature by spending more time outside, curiosity about art in many formats, clay, sewing, singing, gardening, and currently, nutrition, cooking for my health needs and fermenting food. All of this has helped me be a happier person who has more to offer all of the important people in my life.
Contact Info:
- Address: The Local Juice – 539 South Street, Hyannis, MA 02601
Delicious Living Nutrition – 11 Potter Avenue, Hyannis, MA 02601 - Website: www.nutritionfromthegroundup.com
- Phone: 508-813-9282
- Email: nicole@deliciouslivingnutrition.com
- Instagram: deliciousliving
- Facebook: nutritionfromthegroundup
Image Credit:
Andrea Lynne Skane
Lydia Leclair
Natalia Chitwood
Getting in touch: BostonVoyager is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
