Member Spotlight, Angelica Hodges

Other than a double shot espresso, what method or tools do you use or attribute to your increase business productivity?

HMMMM, routines are great! Reishi coffee is always my go to! I make the time to write each and every day. To let my thoughts flow on paper and get out of my headspace. At times, time blocking is a great tool. Having people hold me accountable is also something that drives me.

Did you always know that you’d be in your current industry? Tell us your story of how you arrived at your current success.

Oh, if you would have asked me if I was going to be a nutritionist as a child, I would have most likely said no. My first dream was to be a marine biologist, and when I had the chance to explore that in real life, I was afraid of how big the ocean and the water was! My second dream was to become a designer in fashion. In many ways I got to explore that world, my first visit to New York at the age of 21 changed my life and how I viewed mainstream fashion. I fell deeply in love with creating, but I suppose that was always there. You could often find me painting and drawing as a young child all through my adulthood. 

When I arrived in the holistic health space it was by complete design. My husband went to our local chiropractor for rehab and told me about the office needing to hire, and at the time I wanted to move jobs (to be closer to home) so I jumped in. I was offered the job and after a few months of receiving treatment and realizing my body felt amazing I dug deeper into healing my body. We had also joined our local CrossFit gym and completed our first Paleo challenge. This was back in 2013-14. When I say that food changed my life, I mean food changed my life! I was hooked after that, I searched for how to make it a career and I arrived at the Institute of Integrative Nutrition and the Nutritional Therapy Association. 

To tell you I love my career falls short. Deep down, I truly believe I was meant to help people. I find ways to use my creative brain in the kitchen, I use my skills I’ve learned through motherhood and apply them when I’m working with people and families. I’ve learned to adapt to my environment over and over and over again. 

I’ve become an advocate for my family, my children first and foremost! 

And there is still so much to be done, so much I want to achieve and share with the community I have around me.

Many of us have worked either for another business at some point in our professional careers. How do you go from being an employee to a business owner?

Honestly, it comes down to being a natural leader. I do not say that with conceit, but in a world where we have a lot of not-so-great leaders; I’ve been able to see what my greatest strengths and weaknesses are. I know my love for helping is bigger than my ego, and my ability to adapt has taken me far. Also, my wanting to have more, do more, go further has driven me to speak up. At times working for others has meant my opinions do not matter. And I’m a very opinionated person! 

I’ve learned through the years that I need people as well. I love team building. I love collaboration! But I also love the creative power and freedom to use my own voice, to stand for what I believe in or to support those who haven’t been heard. 

The transition is never easy, I will say that. I’ve fallen down more times that I want to say. But I also get the beautiful opportunity to design the life of my dreams. To be home with my children, to travel and vacation with my family. I get to lead the way for those who want to achieve the same. That’s important!

What digital marketing platforms have you utilize and how did it make your company more profitable?

Canva is where I go to design most of my posts, it’s more attractive. Facebook is where I hold my small group settings. Instagram is where I show up almost everyday to show you my day to day life.

A healthy work/life balance is important. What’s your take on it?

I live more than I work. That’s 100% transparency. I would never dream of living to work! I’m not a fan of hustle culture. If anything, I try my hardest to teach that in my sessions with clients. How to slow down, enjoy what they have in front of them. How to be still, how to listen, how to create abundance around them. 

For me, it wasn’t an option to allow work to take over my life. My children needed me more. I had to work so dam hard to achieve the health status they have today. When I tell you that no one would care for them the way I have, I mean that. People could have but could and would are two different meanings. 

It’s interesting how I’ve watched myself and those around me grow so much in the world we live in today. So much of what I know now I’m trying so hard to pass on to my children. For example, my oldest is about to be in 8th grade so we talk about the future a lot. When he asks me what I want him to do or who I want him to be, I say, “As long as you love what you do, you can find a way to support the life you want.” That’s what my dad told me as a child.

How long have you been in business or the industry you are in now?

It’s been a short 8 years and I have a lifetime to go.

How long have you been in business and where are you located? Does your business serve the Lake Houston area and/or online?

I’ve worked for myself in different form for the past 5 or 6 years. I’m located in Crosby and have had the privilege to travel as well as offer services to all of my surrounding areas including the Lake Houston area.

You’ve done great things professionally to get you where you are today! What are some of your professional achievements?

Opening my first kitchen was one of the proudest moments I’ve ever had. Cooking for the women’s retreat was such an honor and it humbled me greatly. Sharing my story about my son and writing an ebook was pretty big for me as well. I love to talk, and most times I’m an open book! For some reason when it comes to sharing my emotions, I tend to hold back. But a new project I’m working on I’m sharing everything. Every piece of me and more.

What was your drive to become a business owner?

My family is always my driver. The things I’ve learned from my parents to what I want to teach my children and the future generations.

What is most crucial to you in a business?

Community for sure. I do not pretend to know everything, and I love that I have a community of like-minded colleagues I can turn to or refer to.

How did your areas of improvement drive you to find your strengths?

Listen, being a business owner means you either sink or swim. I’ve learned that asking for help and mentorship is BIG! With a lot of reflection and asking myself some very serious and deep questions, I learned who I was and who I wasn’t. After a lot of trail and error I learned what I was willing to do and what I would never do again. I learned boundaries. I learned how to say no thank you. Has networking been an asset to developing your business? and How? Absolutely. You never know when the conversation turns a new friend into a client or your future collaboration. What greatest success have you ever had in the business industry? I had the greatest honor of cooking for a women’s retreat for an entire weekend. That was a huge highlight for me. It’s changed me in so many ways that I find hard to articulate.

What’s your best selling product, package, or service? Why do you think that is?

Consults for sure! I offer a variety of things, but my mainstay is nutrition consults.

Knowing what you know now as an entrepreneur, what would you tell your younger self?

Do it! Don’t wait for permission to be great, go after it.

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