Meet Sue Van Raes | Functional Nutritionist, Food Psychology Specialist, Integrative Health Practitioner, and Author

We had the good fortune of connecting with Sue Van Raes and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Sue, what is the most important factor behind your success?
If I had to pick the most important factor (there are many) behind the success of my brand I would have to say that it is infused with my deepest inspiration, authenticity, and creativity. Since its inception and over the past two decades, I have been working both in my business and on my business. I think both are so important.

I love working with my clients, leading retreats, and being in real-time with the folks I work with. I love the deep connections made, and watching folks find their path to health and self-discovery.

I also love working on my business and infusing it with content that feels very authentic and inspiring to me – creating from pleasure rather than pressure. This includes navigating the ways my business has shifted and changed over the years, attuning to what my clients need most, my writing (including my new book, Food and Freedom: Discover Your Personal Recipe to Eat, Think, and Live Well), the colors, graphics, and design that are most representative of my current work, and the new projects I take on.

I do my best work with consistency and structure, but I am also willing to pivot to follow my own inner spark and what is best for my clients. I think the flexibility around this has been super integral in my brand.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Sure! Thank you for asking.

My work is a much-needed counterpoint to the current diet culture and presents new science and psychology for food freedom and body compassion that has helps women improve their health and their lives

After working with thousands of clients over two decades, as a functional nutritionist and food psychology specialist, I realized that what we eat is not just about the food. How we eat is a metaphor for how we live. Our relationship with food highlights the other places in our lives where we are stressed, out of balance, or needing our own loving devotion and attention. My work takes folks on a journey to reclaiming their wholeness to experience more mindfulness, personal fulfillment, and pleasure around food and in life.

I help folks turn folks back to their strength and courage to show up in life as who they truly are, to trust themselves through the innate intelligence of their bodies, and to infuse their lives with healthy pleasures and soulfulness.

My work today feels pretty in the flow. It is not always easy, but as time has taught me, the hard moments most often pass pretty quickly, and I continue to learn more resiliency and self-trust, to keep me going through it all.

After my life-long struggle with food and my two decades of private practice, I discovered a surprising pathway to a renewed relationship with food and life. I draw on my experiences from the lens of a body, mind, heart, and soul approach that helps us all come home to our wholeness. The only way I’ve been able to make a shift was by compassionately empathizing my way through all the places I felt my not-good-enough-ness and to keep practicing more self-love and self-acceptance within it, despite it. Over time, I gradually noticed more inner ease, self-trust, and empowerment in the process

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I love this question. I love the Boulder area and local mountains so much, and after nearly 30 years of residing there, I love to take folks to explore my favorite local spots.

Boulder Area:
Grabbing a tea at Pekoe Sip House
Hiking in Chautauqua Park and brunching at the Chautauqua Dining Hall
Taking a drive up Flagstaff to take in the view of the continental divide
Stopping for a glowing skin care treatment at Vasu Skin Solutions
Take a fabulous afternoon yoga class at the Yoga Pod or a dance class at Alchemy of Movement
Walking along Pearl St to take in the sights, shops, and interesting people
Stopping for the perfect Margarita on Centro Boulder patio
Grabbing a delicious dinner at Oak, Frasca, or The Flagstaff House

The stunning mountains in Colorado:
Snowshoeing/hiking in Red Feather Colorado (looking for moose)
Skiing in Summit County and grabbing Apres ski on a sunny patio
Cycling through the foothills
Paddle boarding on Lake McIntosh
Soaking in HotSprings at Joyful Journey Hot Springs and Spa

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Honestly, there are too many to list.

Having just written my second book and immersed myself in the acknowledgments written at the end, it is amazing to see how many folks have been of support of me and my business growth. From family to business mentors, and clients, to others I have collaborated with, it is very apparent to me that like anything, entrepreneurship takes a tribe.

I would especially like to shout out my partner, Jason, for always being there and having my back. Also, to my many business and writing mentors (Joelle Hann, Mary O’Donohue, Kate Northrup, and Andrea Lee) for continually inspiring and guiding me, and to my retreat co-facilitator, Lauren Lewis, whom I have learned and deepened alongside of for over a decade.

Website: https://www.bouldernutrition.com/

Instagram: @bouldernutrition

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yoginibliss

Image Credits
Jitka Perez (for all the solo photos of me, except the Balinese)