Meet Alex Tsocanos | Holistic Nutrition Consultant, Artist & Educator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Alex Tsocanos and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Alex, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?

Nina Alexandra Nutrition Consulting is a holistic health coaching and education service that was born out of my passion for creating accessible healthcare, especially when it comes to reproductive health.

In my first career as an artist, many of my projects focused on empowering people to take ownership over their bodies and inspire self-determination. One of these projects led me to research the roots of herbalism in reproductive healthcare. I began studying herbalism with Mary Blue, the owner of Farmacy Herbs in Providence, RI and became fascinated with the nutritional and healing properties of plants.

When the pandemic began and my day job ended, I took the opportunity to go back to school and dive deeper into the world of holistic nutrition through a program at Bauman College. After graduating, I started my one-on-one coaching business focusing primarily on reproductive and endocrine health from adolescence through menopause and andropause. I love collaborating with clients to understand their individual health goals, map the bigger picture, and shape a plan that they feel confident and excited about. It’s an honor for me to guide people through their journey, witnessing and affirming their progress and successes.

Along with the coaching service, I use Instagram (@nina.alexandra.nutrition) to share my enthusiasm for the power of food and herbs and familiarize people with how they can be incorporated into their lives. By using social media as a platform, I hope to challenge the inundation of fast-food and big pharma advertising that most people are exposed to day after day.

Having my own business allows me to use my voice for the issues I care about and the freedom to easily respond to the needs of my family, community and clientele.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
My holistic nutrition consulting and health coaching practice is based on a whole body approach to health and wellbeing that considers the person’s mind, body, and spirit. I work with my clients to understand their bio-individuality taking into consideration their unique state of health, life circumstances, budgets, preferences, ethnic and cultural backgrounds, age, history, and other life factors. Whether they are looking to optimize their health in a preventative capacity or are looking to support larger health challenges, I work collaboratively with my clients to learn about their story, help them understand the root causes of their health concerns, and gain the tools needed to reach their health and wellness goals.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.

My family and I recently moved to the small island village of Jamestown, RI. When we are not working in our garden, there are many beautiful nature activities to do like hiking, swimming, or clamming. Something I love sharing with visitors is that  Jamestown is a designated Tree City USA by the National Arbor Day Foundation and you can take a self-guided walking tour of some of the award-winning trees around town. There are also several historic farms on the island with trails that you can walk around, see the animals, and buy a variety of pasture-raised meats and seasonal vegetables from.

I also like introducing visitors to the art scene on the island which includes the Clancey Glassblowing Design Studio which is an artwork in-and-of-itself. The Jamestown Arts Center hosts an impressive array of international and local exhibitions and events in their gallery and offers art classes and camps throughout the year. Every other year the Arts Center also hosts an outdoor public art exhibition which is a great way to explore the island.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?

I credit my mother for instilling a life-long passion of learning in me and always recognizing the interconnectedness of the world. My mom, who homeschooled my siblings and me until she became the founding head-of-school for the Connecticut (Quaker) Friends School, has always led with the pedagogical philosophy that experiential learning and following one’s interests leads to more motivated students and engaged members of a community. Using that idea as a starting point opens the door to explore many different aspects of a subject and perspectives of the people involved (i.e. studying gardening could lead to engineering water-catchment systems, or the design history of protective-wear for farmers, or the chemistry of baking).

Not only has this attitude allowed me to weave together my own hyphenate-career, it also helps me as a nutrition consultant see a client’s health history from a more macro-level. No body system, disease, or symptom is an island. The food we eat, the environment we live in, and the people we surround ourselves with play a role in how our health manifests. By helping clients piece together the bigger picture we can start taking control of the narrative and shaping a path forward.

Website: https://www.ninanutritionconsulting.com

Instagram: nina.alexandra.nutrition

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-tsocanos-244b5025/

Other: artist website: https://www.alextsocanos.com

Image Credits
Alex Tsocanos