Muses: Uriell Carlson of Inner Wild Nutrition
Hi There!
I hope you enjoyed getting to know my long time friend, Ellen Stryker as much as I loved sharing a bit of her story with you!
For the second spotlight, I wanted to bring it back a bit closer to home and introduce you to a fabulous woman from my small village in Vermont. With that said, I am delighted to share with you a piece in collaboration with Uriell “Uri” Carlson (née Proft). If you have yet to cross paths with this beautiful woman, you are certainly in for a treat. I love reading her posts for her company Inner Wild Nutrition and getting helpful tips on developing healthy eating habits via her instagram. She even has a few options and offerings on her website if you’d like to dip your toes into her philosophy. I love a woman that tells you that you should probably be eating more!
Uri is an inspiring human of whom grew up not too far from me in our tiny town in Vermont, Dorset. Within a ratio I can certainly relate to, she is one of five children and the only woman amongst four brothers! It was so much fun having her as my childhood friend Luen’s (far left) older sister growing up. Although we didn’t overlap too much, I have heard many stories over the years of her badassery as well as the farm, Someday Farm, she was raised on.
For those who have passed through the Dorset/Manchester area, or those who have not but should, Someday Farm is a beautiful small, organic local farm that had been passed down to her mother, Scout. Since 1983, Scout has contributed greatly to the community and in turn raised her family on the farm with their father Matt. I have some fond memories visiting as a middle schooler, swimming in the pond and even getting into a little trouble as a young adult. I especially loved picking up fresh produce and yummy berries from their farm stand at J.K. Adams in Dorset each Saturday. As a kid, it was mindless that composting was an important way of handling food waste and her family is instrumental in collecting composting as well as redistributing nutritious, organic soil to local family gardens.
Someday Farm is a mighty little farm that has a profound impact in the community. The farm even raises the town’s turkeys and pheasants for Thanksgiving and each year. Just before the big day, Luen and our friends Matt, James and more would “prepare” the turkeys for local families. Let’s just say feathers were flying…
Her parents Scout and Matt are some of the warmest members of the community and they seriously raised the kindest kids. The farm continues to be committed to teaching the importance of land stewardship and Vermont food sovereignty to students of all ages. The farm has not only been hugely influential within the community, it has had a great impact on Uri’s own path that now is rooted in Breckenridge, CO with her husband and pup. I look forward to learning more about her company Inner Wild Nutrition alongside you, dear reader and I hope you become inspired.
xo,
Brooke
Name: Uriell Carlson
Company: Inner Wild Nutrition
How long you have been developing since March 2015
Your mission: to help active humans optimize their performance, energy and body composition without hanger, diets and short term fixes.
What are seven things that make your life as an entrepreneur shine?
1. I can make my own schedule + thus say yes so much more often
2. That everything I create is a direct reflection of me (semi frightening, but also exciting!)
3. I get to decide the direction I want to move in, every time
4. All of my wins are because of the hard work I’ve put in (I often have to remind myself of that)
5. I, single handedly, get to help people change their lives (again, frightening but incredible!)
6. I can work from anywhere!
7. The work that I get to do is as much a personal passion as it is a professional passion - for that I am lucky.
From what have you grown the most as an entrepreneur?
I did a program with my business coach Shannan Monson called the Icon Mastermind and it has helped me grow and scale my business with so much more clarity than I ever could have gathered on my own.
Who is your dream client?
That person who has always had 100s of questions milling around in their brain about food and nutrition, but they don’t have a trusted place to find answers. They’re active on a regular basis, to any degree, because they care about their health, longevity and getting the most out of this wild life by supporting their body to allow them to do that! Oh, they have to LOVE food too:)
What is your favorite project to date?
The 30 day #realfood Athlete Bootcamp that I run is a program I am incredibly proud of because I built it from scratch and it has generated incredible results for so many people.
What is the most challenging thing about running a business?
There are so many unknowns! I’m always learning something new and/or Googling to try to figure out how to do this or that. That takes time.
Do you have any side hustles that help you unwind from your primary outlet?
I coach mountain biking in the summer. I coach a series of all women’s skills clinics and I run a junior mountain bike program for middle school and high school aged kids. It’s semi-related to nutrition, but not so much that it doesn’t allow me to unwind.
What makes your world go round?
My family, my dog, the ability to be outside in nature and my health, all of which I’m very grateful for.
What is your favorite way to unwind?
Go on a long bike ride with my dog, Takoda
If you could save one aspect of the world, what would it be?
This is a hard one. The first thing that comes to mind is to save the climate and reverse climate change. But then I think of this: if every single person in this world could find happiness, I think that unbelievable things would happen.
How do your roots guide you?
I grew up on a small organic farm in Vermont. I didn’t know it then, but I now know that growing up with the best food in the world, entrepreneurial parents and having the opportunity to be a part of all of it was a huge factor in my decision to work for myself. My parents loved farming, so my goal has always been to build a career that I love and have it be something that is also a part of who I am on a personal level. When I found out that I could make nutrition a profession it all clicked for me and I knew this was my place.
Where do you turn for support?
It depends on what the support is needed for, but I turn to my husband, my family, my closest friends and to the female entrepreneurial community that I have been connected to by various means over the years. My business coach Shannan Monson has been a big part of building that female entrepreneurial community.
What does success look like to you?
For me, it comes down to freedom. Freedom to take the time to do things that I love, to travel, to make my own schedule, to be able to afford the time and cost to visit my family on a regular basis and to enjoy everything that fills up my life. At the same time, success also means having the reach to change people’s lives by helping them with their nutrition. If I can continue to do that, I’ve left my mark on the world.
What sacrifices have you had to make your dreams come true?
Long hours, long nights, and oftentimes limited structure. I don’t work 5 days a week and take 2 days off every week. It ebbs and flows. It can be challenging to turn off and unplug from work since it’s so much a part of who I am on a personal level as well as a professional level.
Where did you find this path?
I spent 3 months living in Italy shortly after I graduated from high school. While I was there I met a personal trainer and nutritionist and I was fascinated by the work he got to do. He was the one that told me I could study nutrition. Once I was back in Colorado for the winter I took my first nutrition class at Colorado Mountain College and I was hooked. Based on my background as a farm kid and an athlete, it all just made sense as well! I knew it was right. I ended up going to the same school that my teacher for that first nutrition class went to. I actually went back to that class this year as a guest speaker. Talk about full circle!
How do you get your mornings started?
I always start with taking my dog outside for a bit, a good cup of coffee and then either some meditation or gratitude practice.
What is your favorite type of cuisine and why?
I don’t really have a favorite type, as I like so many aspects of so many cuisines. I will say that the best food I’ve ever had was when my husband and I spent 10 days in Bali a couple years ago. I still think about that food. Everything was so fresh and flavorful and it was all just real food. No preservatives, packaging, processing, fake ingredients, fillers, etc.
Where are you dreaming of traveling to next?
There’s so many places I would love to go. I would love to go ride my bike in South America and Slovenia.
Is there any one place (or few) that inspire you most?
New Zealand - for its simplicity, wilderness and the people. I spent 7 weeks there and paid for a place to sleep for no more than 7 nights, if that gives you an idea of New Zealand’s generosity.
Where would your dream studio be?
It would be up on a hill in the woods surrounded by nature.
What would it look like?
It would be super simple, but it would have huge windows to let in all the natural light and it would always be warm and cozy, so there would definitely be a fireplace blazing and a beautiful, well-lit kitchen.
What are your thoughts regarding luck?
I think it’s a factor, but you can’t just count on luck because that won’t work. Persistence, believing in yourself and hard work are all essential.
Favorite vice?
There’s no stopping me from baking a batch of cookies or brownies at 9PM on a Tuesday or 8AM on a Saturday. I have an ongoing list of ALL the things I want to bake and I’m not afraid to go out of my way to get the random ingredients I might need to make it happen.
What brings the most light to your life?
Being outside and the ability to push my body to its limits to explore the mountains in Colorado and everywhere else that I have been able to go on my bike (New Zealand, France, Santa Cruz…)
If you had to wear two colors for the rest of your life, what would they be?
Dark Heather grey + green/teal
Are you a night owl or an early bird?
I wish I was more of an early bird, but I naturally gravitate towards being a night owl no matter what I do to try to change that.
When is your witching hour?
Between 9-10PM when I know I should be getting ready to go to bed, but I suddenly become super productive..
This interview was originally published on December 28th, 2019