Matcha energy bars
Matcha energy bars

Photo credit: Andrew Olsen

Summer has officially begun and there’s no better time than now to get outside and enjoy the beautiful sunny weather. Here in Boulder, Colorado there are an endless number of trails to explore and the only real problem is deciding which one to take! Not everyone loves to hike, but I think it’s true that most all of us are more active in the summertime and generally look to spend more time outdoors.

Eating well away from home is getting easier and easier as plant-based diets get more mainstream attention, but sometimes it still pays off to bring a little snack from home that can hold you over while away. A few pieces of fruit packed away in your bag are great, but sometimes you need something a little more substantial to help you make those extra miles or keep up with the kids.

When digging around on the internet for something healthy and super-energizing, I came across a recipe from One Ingredient Chef that I thought filled the part perfectly. Andrew’s super-easy energy bar recipe takes just minutes to prepare, stores well in the refrigerator, and can be eaten on-the-go. I think these bars would make a great snack before hopping in the car for an outing, or packed away for when you need a second wind.

And there is no doubt that just one of these bars will keep you energized for hours! The matcha powder is stimulating enough to keep you blazing down the trail, but when combined with the dates (a bit of sugar) and the cacao powder (a bit of theobromine), you’ve got a powerful, synergistic combo that will leave you feeling like you could conquer mountains! Matcha has well-known antioxidant properties and the cacao is chock-full of magnesium, which is perfect for strenuous, high-activity days.

Matcha energy bars

Photo credit: Andrew Olsen

Matcha Energy Bars

I really hope you enjoy our Matcha Energy Bars recipe, excerpted from the One Ingredient Chef and perfect for anyone who wants a high-energy, easy-to-digest snack that’s going to keep you buzzing all day long.

As far as preparation goes, this recipe is as easy as it gets. You can have a bag full of bars and be out the door in around 30 minutes and still have leftovers. Just throw everything together in a food processor or high-speed blender, process for a few minutes, and it’s practically done!

Feel free to adjust the amount of cacao and matcha powder if you want to play around with effects. Note that matcha powder contains caffeine and cacao powder contains theobromine. Both are stimulating and eating one of these will feel like drinking a cup of coffee.

I hope you all will take full advantage of the early summer season. I’ll see you out on the trail! Thanks to Creative Commons and Andrew Olsen of One Ingredient Chef for sharing this recipe.

 

Matcha Energy Bars (Vegan, Gluten-Free)

Ingredients

  • 1 cup pitted dates
  • 1/4 cup dried cherries
  • 3/4 cup raw nuts (ideally cashews)
  • 2 tablespoons cacao powder
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 tablespoon matcha powder
  • Pinch of salt

Instructions

  1. Combine all the ingredients in your food processor and let it run for at least two minutes. When it's done, the mixture should form one solid, sticky clump.
  2. Take two pieces of parchment paper or plastic wrap and sandwich the mixture between them. Use something big and flat like a cutting board to press down evenly until the mixture is about 1/4-inch thick.
  3. Keep the layers of parchment intact and transfer everything to the refrigerator for 15-30 minutes to firm up before slicing and using a sifter to dust the tops with extra matcha powder.
https://www.truewellth.org/matcha-energy-bars-vegan-gluten-free

* indicates required

Did you dig this article? Sign up for updates!

 

We will never sell your information or spam you, ever.

Everyday Green Smoothie

Photo credit: Carolyn Vinnicombe

 

It’s no surprise that smoothies are such a health food staple. They’re the perfect combination of easy-to-digest fruits with dark leafy greens, which everyone knows are jam-packed with vitamins and minerals. They leave you feeling full, clear-headed and energized, which means that they’re really great for breakfast. Eating a heavy breakfast (like oatmeal) in the spring or summer will make some people feel heavy and sleepy, which is exactly what you don’t need before a big day of work or a Saturday on the trail.

Carolyn’s everyday green smoothie recipe is super-tasty, easy to prepare, and is filling enough to get you all the way through the morning. It’s sweet, creamy, and has a little bit of bite thanks to the addition of ginger, which warms up the digestive system and makes it even easier to absorb and assimilate.

Everyday Green Smoothie

Photo credit: Carolyn Vinnicombe

Easy Everyday Green Smoothie

I really hope you enjoy our Easy Everyday Green smoothie recipe, excerpted from Carolyn’s Pantry and perfect for anyone who wants a high-energy, easy-to-digest breakfast that’s sure to put a little extra spring in your step.

As far as preparation goes, this recipe is as easy as it gets. Just throw everything together in a blender and viola, it’s done! If you’d like to get a few extra calories, feel free to throw some granola or nuts/seeds on top. Just be careful, as not everyone digests nuts/seeds and fruit very well when combined.

Preparation time is around 5 minutes and this recipe will make one big smoothie. If you don’t want to finish it all in one sitting, feel free to refrigerate what’s left for later. To avoid the fiber separating from the water/nut milk, it’s best to drink your green smoothie on the same day you make it.

This is the perfect time of year to start incorporating lighter, more energizing foods back into your diet. Thanks to Carolyn for sharing this recipe!

Easy Everyday Green Smoothie (Vegan, Gluten-Free)

Ingredients

  • 1 banana
  • 1 large handful fresh green kale
  • 1 large handful fresh baby spinach
  • 1 stalk of celery
  • 3 ice cubes
  • 1 tablespoon almond butter
  • 1 teaspoon fresh organic ginger (peeled)
  •  
  • Toppings
  • Granola
  • Fresh blueberries
  • A sprinkle of hemp seeds

Instructions

  1. Blend everything up and serve!
https://www.truewellth.org/easy-everyday-green-smoothie-vegan-gluten-free

* indicates required

Did you dig this article? Sign up for updates!

 

We will never sell your information or spam you, ever.

LaniMuelrath-PlantBasedJourney

Today I have a real treat for you, a new interview with Lani Muelrath.

Lani is an award winning teacher and author who overcame her own lifetime struggle with weight over more than 17 years ago when she lost 50 pounds. She’s maintained her weight loss with the tools that she uses to coach others to be successful with weight loss, body shaping, and health.

Lani and I hit it off right away because we share so many of the same philosophies. Here’s one quote from her book that I was particularly excited to share with you.

FoodIsYourBirthright2

One thing I love about Lani’s work is that she puts food in its proper place — as a supporting agent of a life rich in health, happiness, energy and joy. And the more we choose whole, plant-powered foods that nourish our bodies, the more our bodies, and lives, come into balance.

In the interview, we cover this idea and also dive into super practical examples and strategies from our own lives. We talk about meal templates, our meditation practices, the best way to get started with physical activity, and also laugh a bit about the detours we’ve taken on this never ending journey towards optimal health.

Watch the interview and learn

  • How Lani left behind the anxiety and struggle around food and found food freedom.
  • Two of the craziest things that Lani and I did on our journey towards better health.
  • Why mindset is such an important part of making major life changes, and we can cultivate a mindset that leads to lifelong success.
  • The role of meditation in health and weight loss and how to get started with a mindfulness practice.
  • How movement changes the brain and can help catalyze other life changes.
  • The best way to get started with exercise.

Show Notes:

Enter To Win A Free Copy The Plant-Based Journey

Lani and her publisher Ben Bella have been gracious enough to provide a copy of the Plant-Based Journey to our community, and you can enter to win!

We’ll choose a winner by random drawing on Tuesday July 12th, 2016.*UPDATE: The giveaway has now closed. Congrats to our winner Helena!

Here’s how to enter:

  1. Sign up for the email list using the form below. If you are already subscribed, you do NOT have to subscribe again.
  2. Leave a comment below letting us know the following: Do you have a meditation or mindfulness practice? If not, why? Is it something that you are interested in starting?

*Note: Giveaway is only open to residents of the US and Canada


* indicates required

Did you dig this article? Sign up for updates!

 

We will never sell your information or spam you, ever.

Vegan Tempeh Recipe

vegan-tempeh-recipes

Last week we told the story of Jeff and Joan Stanford, a sweet and inspiring couple who dedicated the last 30 years to the creation of a sustainable inn and eco-retreat.

If you missed the article and interview, be sure to take a look. It’s incredible what they have created.

This week we get to peek behind the scenes of The Ravens Restaurant, the inn’s award-winning plant-based eatery that contends with the finest dining establishments in Northern California.

The Ravens strives to show guests from all corners of the globe that plant-based living is ready for the mainstream. Their fare is a testament to how delicious, versatile and satisfying plant-based dishes can be.

Jeff and Joan have compiled the restaurant’s best recipes into a new cookbook that is available now.

While some cookbooks hit the shelves with the recipes untested, these dishes have had to earn their spot on The Ravens menu, served to hundreds of guests and refined to perfection.

Not only do we have a copy of their book to giveaway, they’ve also been generous enough to allow us to feature one of the recipes from the book.

So without further ado, we hope you enjoy this Almond Hazelnut-Battered Tempeh recipe. From Jeff and Joan’s kitchen to yours.

Bon appetite!

Almond Hazelnut-Battered Tempeh (Vegan, Gluten-Free)

Whole food! Tempeh is a fermented soy product, and as those of you who have cooked it before will know, it sometimes retains the taste of the culture used for fermentation. In this recipe, the marinade helps wash away the taste of the culture.

The almonds and hazelnuts provide a crunchy crust. If there is leftover encrusted tempeh from the dinner preparation, we put it out for our staff, who eat it like kids eating fish sticks.

This dish is perfect to use as the base for any holiday entrée; serve with mashed potatoes, mushroom gravy, and a fruit sauce: cranberry—what else?

Almond-Hazelnut Battered Tempeh

Yield: Serves 4-6

Ingredients

    For the Marinated Tempeh:
  • 1 tablespoon sliced ginger
  • 2 cloves garlic, sliced
  • 3 cups water
  • 1⁄4 cup gluten-free tamari
  • 1 (6.5-ounce) package tempeh, sliced 1⁄2 inch thick on the bias
    For the Flax “Egg” Wash:
  • 2 tablespoons ground flaxseeds
  • 1⁄2 cup warm water
    For the Almond Hazelnut Crust and Assembly:
  • 1⁄2 cup raw almonds
  • 1⁄2 cup hazelnuts
  • 1⁄4 teaspoon salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • Spray oil or 2 tablespoons olive oil

Instructions

    For the Marinated Tempeh:
  1. Combine ginger, garlic, water, and tamari in a saucepan and add the sliced tempeh. Cook until tempeh his heated through, about 10–15 minutes.
  2. Drain tempeh from cooking liquid, set aside, and let cool.
    For the Flax “Egg” Wash:
  1. In large mixing bowl, combine flaxseeds and warm water and whisk until thickened. More water may be added as necessary; mixture should resemble thick pancake batter.
    For the Almond Hazelnut Crust and Assembly:
  1. In food processor, combine almonds and hazelnuts and process until coarse, sandlike consistency is achieved.
  2. Add salt and pepper and process for a moment longer until well incorporated.
  3. Place in a small mixing bowl and set aside.
  4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  5. Dip each slice of tempeh into the flax wash and immediately dredge in the almond and hazelnut mixture until the tempeh is well coated.
  6. Spray a large baking sheet with cooking spray, then set tempeh slices on it.
  7. Bake for 20–30 minutes, until golden brown and crisp.
  8. Alternatively, place 2 tablespoons olive oil in a sauté pan, or oil a griddle and heat to medium heat. Place each piece of tempeh on the pan or griddle and cook until golden brown on each side (5–7 minutes per side).
https://www.truewellth.org/vegan-tempeh-recipes

 


* indicates required

Did you dig this article? Sign up for updates!

 

We will never sell your information or spam you, ever.

Sunset-on-the-inn

Jeff and Joan Stanford had few resources to their name and a baby on the way when they purchased an ocean-side inn in Mendocino back in 1980.

The only way they were able to pull it off was with a loan to cover a good portion of the downpayment, lent to them by the previous owner.

But they followed their hearts and went for it.

Fast forward 30 years, and they’ve transformed the property into the Stanford Inn by the Sea — a renowned Four Diamond Inn dedicated to sustainable living.

Along the way they added a gourmet farm-to-table restaurant and grew their gardens into a full-fledged organic certified farm that provides fresh produce to the restaurant as well as nearby establishments.

Their restaurant, called The Ravens, is a 100% plant-based eatery that contends with the finest dining establishments in Northern California.

The Ravens strives to show guests from all corners of the globe that plant-based living is ready for the mainstream. Their fare is a testament to how delicious, versatile and satisfying plant-based dishes can be.

Dining At The Ravens

Jeff and Joan have a new recipe book out that gives you a glimpse into the delectable tried and true dishes served daily at the Stanford Inn.

And while some books hit the shelves with the recipes untested, these dishes have had to earn their spot on The Ravens menu, served to hundreds of guests and refined to perfection.

I sat down to talk with this super fun and sweet couple about this project to which they’ve dedicated most of their lives, how their vision has changed over the years and what inspires them to keep at it after all these years.

Sitting Down With Jeff and Joan

Like this video? Subscribe to our youtube channel

 

Show notes:

Enter To Win A Free Copy Of Dining At The Ravens

Joan and Jeff and their publisher Ben Bella have been gracious enough to provide a copy of Dining At The Ravens to our community, and you can enter to win!

We’ll choose a winner by random drawing on Thursday March 17th, 2016.

UPDATE: We have a winner, congrats Kathy M!

Here’s how to enter:

  1. Sign up for the email list using the form below. If you are already subscribed, you do NOT have to subscribe again.
  2. Leave a comment below letting us know the following: Have you ever put yourself out there and followed a crazy dream? Have a dream you haven’t yet pursued? Tell us about it!

*Note: Giveaway is only open to residents of the US and Canada


* indicates required

Did you dig this article? Sign up for updates!

 

We will never sell your information or spam you, ever.

Find A Doctor That Prescribes Plants

Have you ever received bad nutrition advice from your doctor?

According to a recent survey, only 25% of medical schools require a nutrition course, and med students receive, on average, just 19.6 contact hours of nutrition instruction.

There is more conflicting health advice than ever, and unfortunately many people leave their doctor even more confused about what to eat to lose weight and gain health.

Lack of support is one of the biggest barriers to following through with a lifestyle change, and it’s especially hard when your healthcare provider isn’t on your team.

Our mission is to give you the tools and support you need to make and sustain lifestyle changes, so we’ve spent the last few months working to develop a new free resource.

The aim? To connect you with a healthcare practitioner who understands and supports the plant-based lifestyle.

The site hasn’t officially launched yet, but we wanted to let our DLTC family know about it first before it goes live.

We are thrilled to introduce you to the Plant-Based Doctors website.

map

The site is a free, international database of plant-based healthcare practitioners. You can search for a practitioner by location, credentials and specialty.

We owe Lindsay S. Nixon of Happy Herbivore a huge thank you for providing the initial list of practitioners.

And now for this to become a truly great resource, we need your help. This site is community managed, which means that we don’t provide the information — you do!

So if know of a plant-based health care practitioner that isn’t yet listed, please take a moment and add them to the database.

We invested our own money and months of time in creating this site, and we are always more than happy to invest in your success.

But if you’d like to consider a small donation to offset some of the initial costs and future web hosting and management, we’d greatly appreciate it.

We hope this new resource helps you build an even better lifestyle support team. If you have any thoughts on how to make the site even better, we’d love to hear them.

Check out the site and let us know what you think.


* indicates required

Did you dig this article? Sign up for updates!

 

We will never sell your information or spam you, ever.

InterviewWithThomasCampbellMD

We have a special interview and book giveaway to share with you today.

But first we wanted to say thank you to everyone who took the time to send us travel questions and well wishes on our move! We made it safe and sound and are enjoying getting settled here in the DC area.

Next time, we’ll go behind the scenes and share all the tips and tricks we use to eat well on the road.

But for now, on to the feature du jour…

If you are at all interested in nutrition, you’ve likely heard of The China Study.

This landmark book has sold over a million copies and the New York Times called it the “most comprehensive large study ever undertaken of the relationship between diet and the risk of developing disease.”

The China Study was co-authored by legendary nutrition researcher T. Colin Campbell, PhD, and when it was time to write the book he asked that his son Tom move back home to help out.

This supposed one year project ended up taking four years to complete, and during the process Tom developed such a passion for the subject that he went on to become a physician.

The Campbell Plan

Fast forward to the present, and the now Thomas Campbell, MD has released a new book that offers a practical follow-up based on The China Study principles.

His book The Campbell Plan explores the science behind recent dietary confusion, feeding kids as well as what to stock in your kitchen, how to read labels and shop, and what to watch for in social and eating out situations.

And of course recipes! 55 delicious and easy recipes to be exact.

You already know how nerdy I get about behavioral psychology, so I was especially excited to see that the book addresses some of the behavior change principles behind making and sustaining healthy eating habits.


If you liked this video, subscribe to our youtube channel.

Show Notes:

  • (1:35) How strong is the evidence showing the correlation between the consumption of animal products and chronic disease?
  • (5:57) Why is there so much dietary confusion and how do we navigate it?
  • (14:50) Why information alone is not enough to change our behavior, and the three most important factors that help us change.
  • (19:00) The surprising reason why making a 100% commitment is sometimes easier than making gradual changes.
  • (22:30) What Dr. Campbell thinks is the most important thing to eliminate from the Standard American Diet and why.

Enter to win a copy of The Campbell Plan

Dr. Campbell has been gracious enough to provide a copy of his book to our community, and you can enter to win!

We’ll be randomly selecting one recipient (see entry details below) and notifying the winner on Monday April 6th, 2015.

UPDATE: The giveaway has ended. Congrats to Tracy C! We’ll be in touch to send you a free copy of The Campbell Plan.

Here’s how to enter:

  1. Sign up for the email list using the form below. If you are already subscribed, you do NOT have to subscribe again.
  2. Leave a comment below letting us know the following: How has your decision to eat healthy impacted your relationships with friends and family? Give an example and be specific.

*Note: Only open to residents of the Continental U.S.


* indicates required

Did you dig this article? Sign up for updates!

 

We will never sell your information or spam you, ever.

MattAndJulieanna

When it comes to health, I believe joy is the key to sustainability.

Plant-strong works long-term because it’s not about restriction, deprivation, counting calories or other forms of socially accepted self-torture we like to call dieting.

Instead we can celebrate awesome nutritious meals and delectable dishes that are made of super fresh, vibrant, wholesome, and nurturing ingredients.

We don’t have to give up comfort food, dessert, snacks, treats, or the enjoyment and satisfaction of a hearty delicious meal.

Instead, we can “trade up,” exchanging unhealthy options for a version that supports our desire to live a healthier life.

And this helps cultivate the right relationship with food as a wonderful and important piece a balanced, joyful, and fun-filled life.

Which is why I’m so excited to share Julieanna Hever’s new book The Vegiterranean Diet with you today.

Julieanna is a nutritionist, best-selling author, and has been featured on the Dr. Oz Show among many other noteworthy accomplishments.

Her material is always extremely well-researched and succinctly presented, and she has a special gift for condensing a ton of information into one or two easy take aways.

The Vegiterranean Diet is all this and more, but what I loved most was how she channels the culture of the Mediterranean to share her passion not just for health, but for life.

Picture long dinners shared amongst friends, celebrating life, food, and friendship with beautiful ocean views.

In order to stay on plan long-term, we have to make things fun, delicious, abundant, joyful, and just a touch indulgent. This book is just the catalyst we need.

I had the privilege of interviewing Julieanna about her new book, and I know you’ll love her approach as well as the facts.

Watch The Interview And Learn:

  • (2:53) What it is exactly that makes the Mediterranean Diet so health promoting.
  • (4:15) The role of olive oil in the diet and how it affects weight loss.
  • (5:26) How loving food is an integral part of overall health.
  • (10:20) Is there one magic pill or silver bullet for health? What does it really take to get healthy?
  • (12:10) The inspiration for the 66 recipes in The Vegiterranean Diet
  • (15:55) Why Julieanna’s parents staged an intervention and took her to a steak house!

Did you like this video? Subscribe to our youtube channel!

 Show Notes:

Enter to win a copy of The Vegiterranean Diet

Julieanna’s publisher Da Capo Press was kind enough to offer two free copies of her book to our community.

I’ll be randomly selecting two recipients and notifying the winners on Tuesday January 6th, 2015.

UPDATE: The deadline is now closed. Congratulations to our winners Rachel and Karen!

Here’s how to enter:

  1. Sign up for the email list using the form below. If you are already subscribed, you do NOT have to subscribe again.
  2. Leave a comment below letting me know what inspires you to eat more plants. What is your goal? Your dream?

*Note: Only open to residents of the US and Canada


* indicates required

Did you dig this article? Sign up for updates!

 

We will never sell your information or spam you, ever.

ZTLLogo

In 2009, a strange twist of fate found me in Oregon trying to track down a Czech yoga teacher that I heard had about during a year abroad in Ecuador.

When I walked into Sujita’s class, I found a beaming older woman, maybe in her 50’s or 60’s, talking non-duality to a class full of uninterested college freshman as she flawlessly performed back-bends, push ups, and other difficult and unpronounceable yoga postures.

I was immediately struck, and I remember thinking that this was the first example of a truly successful human being that I had ever met. Incredibly healthy, kind, charming, and just absolutely in love with life.

I  had found what I was looking for, and I was so impressed that I told her, “I want to know what you know. Anything you tell me to do, I’ll at least give it a try.”

Well she really ran with that! Next thing I knew I was off to a 10-day silent meditation retreat and found myself on a strict 100% raw food diet!

Over the next two years, with Sujita’s help, I transitioned to a plant-based diet, started meditating regularly, and attended her yoga classes every single day.

I was amazed at how the synergy of these three simple lifestyle changes completely transformed my quality of life. After just a couple weeks I was sleeping perfectly, waking up feeling amazing, and generally feeling a sense of meaning and fulfillment.

I was simply, easily, truly, happy.

And I knew that I wanted to spend my life helping others to implement these practices into their lives.

* indicates required

Want to learn more? Sign up for updates!

We will never sell your information or spam you, ever.

The Wantepreneur and the Mystic

If you are reading this, then you probably have some version of this story. You have something that has inspired you, something you care deeply about, something you want to bring into the world.

Or maybe you are still looking for that “thing” and know that an online business would help propel you towards a lifestyle with more freedom and possibility.

Whatever the story, connecting the dots between the dream and reality of full-fledged and profitable online business takes more than passion. As I learned the hard way.

See, after the initial spark, my time with Sujita, I spent the next few years dreaming about how I was going to change the world.

I just knew that I was going to make a big impact, and I was constantly diagraming all the different products and programs that I could offer.

Unfortunately, I didn’t get much past the imagination stage. I dreamt for years but made very little real progress towards the destination.

I thought that I was moving forward — drawing up business plans, writing up mission statements, and even putting together a couple product ideas and building a few websites.

But the masses never magically appeared to celebrate my hard work. The projects never took off.

During this time I was reading books and taking courses, and I was learning more and more about business and marketing.

I inhaled articles on advanced concepts like a/b testing, affiliate marketing, conversion optimization, cohort analysis, kpi’s, etc, but I didn’t have enough traffic to put any of what I learned into practice in my own business.

Looking back I see that it was still 90% theory and maybe 10% action.

It was easier to stay in my comfort zone learning about advanced concepts and imagining products then actually taking the very basic steps needed to put myself out there and promote what I was doing.

After two years of work on my latest and greatest website, I had a total of 46 subscribers (all family and friends except for two!) huge dreams of all the products and programs I was going to launch, and yet I couldn’t figure out how to take the next step forward.

I had made virtually no progress.

From Dreams To Action

At this point I had been following Ramit for a couple years, and had used his free material to grow my freelance web development business.

I appreciated his systems and psychology approach, and at this point I understood that I was being held back by my own psychological barriers and invisible scripts.

I had all the knowledge that I needed — I was even helping others launch and improve their own businesses and getting measurable results!

But when it came to my own business, I just wasn’t taking action.

What if I put it out there and nobody liked what I was doing? What if I got started down the wrong path and invested tons of time, effort, and money into something that ended up failing? What if the dream of having this business was better than actually running it?

AfterZTL

Did Zero To Launch Help?

So when Ramit launched Zero to Launch last year, I knew that I would be signing up as soon as I read the first email about the program.

Why?

Because I needed accountability. I needed a system. I needed the support. And funny enough, I knew that I actually needed to lay down a fair amount of money in order to push myself to follow through.

Long story short, it worked.

I’ve taken other similar online marketing courses from Marie Forleo, Derek Halpbern, and others and the most important difference with ZTL was actually how Ramit simplified the process of building a business, and made it perfectly clear what you did NOT need to be doing, especially in the beginning.

By elminating the distractions and focusing on the few, critical actions that you need to be taking at each step of the process (identifying the right idea, building a site, reaching your audience, developing and launching a product, etc) it becomes so much more likely that you’ll follow through.

As long as you follow the steps (and trust the system as we are consistently reminded), you’ll make steady progress towards building a lasting and successful business.

But the most unique and particularly valuable aspect that truly sets this program apart is the focus on the intangibles, the deeper strategy that goes beyond the tactics of sales funnels and “what autoresponder should I use.”

This is the secret sauce of IWT and what allows one business, program or product to be 10 or 100 times more profitable than others.

I thought I knew how to get inside my customers heads, how to validate an idea, how to find and solve a burning pain, but I was blown away by the degree to which Ramit understands his customers, and the ability to create a product that is almost guaranteed to sell.

It’s quite a bit more involved than an Ideal Customer Avatar.

In the first module, I went through the exercises and found that the idea that I had been developing wasn’t solving a burning pain for my audience. It didn’t have wings and would never amount to much.

But instead of abandoning ship entirely, I was able to pivot and reframe the idea in a way that made it much more powerful. And the results have spoken for themselves.

My Results

In drastic contrast to my previous website (two years to 46 subscribers), the first two weeks after launching my new site I grew my list to almost 300 subscribers.

Since then I have experienced steady growth and am just about to reach 1,000 subscribers after four months.

List1
My pre-ZTL venture. List created July 17th, 2012. Total subscribers: 46

List2
My post-ZTL venture. List created July 17th, 2014. Total subscribers: 994

Following the ZTL process I have a crystal clear idea of what my customers want, and when I release my first product (planned for March) it’s almost guaranteed that it will sell.

And if it doesn’t sell, I’ll know what went wrong and how to adjust my strategy in order to end up with a valuable product.

Of course there are no guarantees. Maybe my launch will be greeted by crickets instead of paying customers.

But I feel like I have the toolset and have built the foundation for a long-term, sustainable, and profitable business, and as long as I keep working at it and following the steps the chance that I’ll eventually succeed are high.

Who Is This For?

As I said before, if you want to bring something important into the world using the internet as a vehicle, I don’t think there is a better course to walk you through it.

It’s too easy to dream about these things. It’s too easy to put them off, to succumb to latest terrible advice on the top 10 things you absolutely have to be doing to grow your blog/online business/mojo and skip the fundamental steps that will actually lead you to the goal.

This program addresses the barriers, and pushes you through them to the other side. And for someone like me, being held accountable was an important enough reason to invest right there.

If you are already very successful and are looking specifically for more advanced marketing tactics, this probably isn’t what you are expecting — though I still think it would be valuable.

After all, Ramit shares the “secret sauce” of IWT and rather than some shiny tactic, these are fundamental skills that can alway be improved — truly learning how to exhaustively understand your customer so you know them better than they know themselves.

Once you can relate to your customer on that level, then you know how best to serve them. And truly serving them is what it’s all about.

Oh, there’s a caveat. Expect to work. Expect to have to face your fears, your demons and put the time in.

If you are looking for a quick solution, a get rich quick scheme, or any kind of shortcut to the top this isn’t it.

But if you are in it for the long haul, want to do the best work possible and find the people who are willing to support it, I think this is the best roadmap currently available.


* indicates required

Did you dig this article? Sign up for updates!

 

We will never sell your information or spam you, ever.

Nora’s post is shared with her permission and referenced in this article: The Great Diet Hoax (And What To Do Instead)

Nora H.

September 14 at 7:31pm

I had been morbidly obese all my life. As you can imagine, my life has been one failed diet after another. For me, a diet never lasted more than three or four weeks and I ended up gaining the weight back and then some! I was so miserably fed up with diets and failing that I swore I’d never diet again. I said I would be happy just as I was and to hell with anyone that didn’t like it. That mentality worked for awhile. I felt as if the weight of the world had been lifted from me. However, my weight continued to climb and before I knew it I had hit the 410 lb. mark.

I accepted it because I had no hope of ever losing weight and I wasn’t going to go on another diet. My health began to decline and I was miserably depressed. There wasn’t a day that went by that I didn’t think about suicide. I had no hope. I didn’t want to live one more miserable day in the state I was in. I felt my only option was to end my miserable life.

I was sitting in front of my computer one night crying and planning my suicide. I started browsing Netflix and happened upon, “Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead”. After watching, I suddenly had TWO options! I could die or I could LIVE. I chose to live!

It was a few months after that that I read Eat To Live by Dr. Joel Furhman. I was ecstatic that I never had to worry about dieting again. I literally screamed it at the top of my lungs, “I NEVER HAVE To DIET AGAIN!!!” I jumped into [the Eat To Live program (ETL)] gung-ho and did well for three or four weeks and then I came crashing down and went on a three or four week binge. I started over and did well for three or four weeks and crashed again, going on another few week binge. I became very discouraged and continued starting over, binging and starting over again.

I thought ETL wasn’t working for me. I was failing miserably. What was I doing wrong??? I was doing everything right, I thought. I was weighing and measuring everything. Scrutinizing over everything; weighing in every day or so and I was failing…

Within in the same week I had come across two quotes that were basically a slap in the face to me. The first one was, “To have something you’ve never had; you must do something you’ve never done.” Hhhmmm… So, in order to succeed I must stop doing the same failed method over and over again expecting to succeed… The next one was from ETL where Dr. Fuhrman says, “Focus on getting healthy, not losing weight.” I suddenly realized that even though I had screamed I never had to diet again; I was treating ETL exactly like a diet. I knew then what I had been doing wrong. In order to have something I never had, (health and weight-loss) I had to let go of my diet mentality and “live” ETL. When I learned to do that, great things began to happen. I was getting healthier AND losing weight – 170 lbs. so far. Never in my wildest dreams did I think this could ever happen.

It doesn’t matter from what state of mind you’re coming from. It doesn’t matter how many times you fall down. Tell yourself resolutely that you’re going to change your life no matter how long or how hard you have to work on it. Accept that you’re going to fall down and when you do, GET UP!! Don’t start over, don’t tell yourself what a failure you think you are. Look forward! Take a tiny step forward! Onward and upward! I KNOW that if I can come this far from a place of misery and hopelessness, you CAN!!

Nora’s post is shared with her permission and referenced in this article: The Great Diet Hoax (And What To Do Instead)


* indicates required

Did you dig this article? Sign up for updates!

 

We will never sell your information or spam you, ever.