Welcome to the series, Scoop Spotlights. Here I’ll be spotlighting all of my favorite instructors, businesses, studios, etc. Feel free to nominate a place or individual to spotlight!

Today we are chatting with Ethan Schiff. He is the definition of an inspiration. His story is fascinating and his absolute passion for making health and wellness feel accessible (bc it should be!!) is astounding. He has a way of making everyone around him feel comfortable – especially when talking about potentially triggering topics such as weight and diet culture. He is your go to guy when it comes to wellness and I’m so excited to introduce you to him!

What’s your name and tell me a little bit about yourself

My name is Ethan Schiff. I got into the health/wellness space after a several year, 130-lb weight loss journey transformed every part of my life. It led me to dissolve a successful company I owned for a decade in pursuit of helping others improve their health, and today I run a health coaching practice, Optimized Health as well as Diet Culture Day

What is your business and where are you located? How did you get started?

My health coaching practice is called Optimized Health. Our coaches are based between the Bay Area and Los Angeles, though we provide virtual 1:1 health coaching for clients around the country. In addition to this health coaching practice, I created Diet Culture Day, which is an in-person event series, providing single day wellness events in cities around the country. The goal there is to bring communities together and make wellness accessible and local, as opposed to luxury and exclusive. Lastly, I host The True Health Podcast, which provides quick tips on rethinking health and wellness to live your best life, with new episodes every week.

What do you specialize in?

I help people choose themselves instead of choosing their next diet. Across any of my platforms, the goal is not to tell people what to do, but help create a framework for self-inquiry and personal growth, which ultimately allows them to personalize and create the health and life they want.

Who is your ideal client?

My ideal client is someone who is ready to put in the work to improve their health, and willing to do it in a long-term, thoughtful way, rather than quick-fix that comes and goes.

What sets you apart in your industry?

A lot of people in the wellness world are former athletes, genetically gifted, or have always been active. I got into this space after going through a weight loss journey that took several and changed every part of my life. I have gone through everything all of my clients have, which allows me to have empathy and connect with them on a deeper level.

Tell us about the biggest hurdles you have faced?

In my business, the biggest hurdle I faced was deciding to dissolve a successful talent management company I owned for a decade to pursue this. I had run that company in Los Angeles for many years, with an office downtown and world travel built into that job. I dissolved the company to start from scratch in helping others improve their health, which was an incredibly intense and scary process.

How about some of your biggest successes?

Yesterday I got a text from a client who I worked with that absolutely despised her job, hated the city she lived in, and felt totally stuck. While we did work on her health in our time together, we spent a lot of time exploring the connection between her getting unstuck in her work and life with her willingness to push herself in her health journey. The text she sent me was her telling me she just accepted a job in the town of her dreams, and is moving next month to start the life she’s always wanted. That is a perfect example of the types of shift our coaching work can have – we are impacting much more than calories!

How can this community support you?

This community can support me by reaching out to share if this sort of work resonates in any way. Whether it be someone looking for a health coach, someone wanting to get involved in a Diet Culture Day event, or someone wanting to simply share their story and say hi, I’m here for all of it!

What’s next for you? Any fun events or promotions coming up?

Diet Culture Day: Columbus is happening Saturday Sept 9 in Dublin (Bridge Park) and we only have a few tickets left! 

Any exclusive ~scoop~ you can share with us??

Katie is the absolute best human I have met in a long time. That is the scoop – genuinely!! 🙂

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After reading about Ethan and his story I am sure you can fully understand why I am obsessed with him lol. He is such a * light* and I love his passion for helping others on their health journeys. 

I can’t wait to attend his VERY FIRST Diet Culture Day in just a few weeks. As of right now, there are only four tickets left. Will I see you there?? 

** Get your ticket here. Use code ‘STUDIOH’ to save $50.**