Today we’d like to introduce you to Stephanie Selvaggio.
Stephanie, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
My journey started when I moved back from California in 2010. I had made it as a semi-finalist in the first year of Hatch Detroit for a vegan restaurant & tea room concept. Although I did not move forward with a brick and mortar space, I spent the next few years doing pop-ups & catering all around Detroit, serving up creative & satisfying “food is medicine” type food during a time when there was not a ton of options in the city.
During this time, the resounding question I would receive is “How do I do this at home?”. I would share recipes and kitchen tips, but it eventually inspired me to search for some sort of credential to empower & support my customers in creating healthy habits & routines in alignment with their personal goals.
I only knew 1 person that was a health coach at the time and it was someone I interned with in New York City. I started my training with Institute of Integrative Nutrition where I took a deep dive into how to share wellness in a way that meets people where they’re at, that is tailored to their individual needs and is in alignment with what’s important to them.
It’s now 2026 and I’ve been certified in many things since then, but my 2013 certification as an integrative holistic health coach is the cornerstone that has inspired and encouraged what started as a dream and now is a reality.
I’ve worked in many capacities as a health coach: In doctors offices, in outpatient recovery, in gyms and yoga studios, with big corporations, in schools and hospitals, with groups and individual.
This path has led me to create The Empowered Life Planner- a wellness inspired day planner that helps individuals breakdown, big goals into smaller steps while being intentional about their day. It has also inspired me to lead wellness retreats in places I would’ve never dreamt of traveling to. I’ve had the opportunity to create courses, programs and trainings that have helped many people, but also enriched my life in ways I could’ve never imagined.
Being a lifelong learner and always looking for different ways to support my clients’ and my own curiosity, I’ve taken many trainings and have been certified in many modalities to broaden my toolbox with a range of specialties. From physician weight loss to emotional weight loss, intermittent fasting & continuous glucose monitors, from meal plans to macros coaching, from habit change to self worth, yoga, stand up paddle boarding and much more, with the intention to help myself and others add to & create more satisfaction in life.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Taking chances and fear of failure is always challenging. And I can definitely say I’ve failed in various ways in business, but there is so much growth on the other side of failure. In a time where no one knew what a health coach was, to be pursuing it was shocking for some.
There has definitely been months where I’ve had to dig into savings to pay my bills. And many times during the first five years where I’ve had second thoughts about my career path. But I can honestly say I would not be as fulfilled and satisfied with life had I chosen something else.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Empowered Life Planner
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.iamnaturallyempowered.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/naturallyempoweredlife
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/iamnaturallyempowered
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephanie-selvaggio-212785a5/
