As the end of the year comes to a close, I often reflect on the events from the past months. This is not simply that a new year is upon us, but because my birthday just happens to be right at the beginning of December. As an old year comes to a close and I prepare to make new goals, I find myself evaluating every aspect of my life including health and fitness. This year has been no exception, in fact it has been a year of rapid change and growth in both of these departments. Since this IS a food blog, I’ll share all of those juicy details!
In February, right before the world was impacted by COVID-19, I was laid off from my job and found myself 10lbs heavy with cortisol weight and barely cooking anymore. Suddenly unemployed, I changed that within an instant. I came back to my kitchen, started to cook healthy meals again and truly found my love for the process once again. With every sizzle of protein in my cast iron skillet, my passion for amazing, delicious, healthy food grew. Sheltering in place and nothing to do but share my life on social media, I of course posted to my Instagram account and was given immediate praise from my followers. Many of my friends encouraged me to start a YouTube channel and the seeds for Cooking Rules with Julez were planted!
The birth of my cooking business didn’t occur until the end of April, when we were 30 days deep into quarantine. Home workouts with water jugs were the rage and people were forced to cook for themselves. That’s when my sister, a CrossFit coach (and nutritional advisor for her gym) approached me with a proposal. Her gym had initiated guided zoom workouts and she was implementing nutritional guidance during quarantine. She asked if I would like to feature my recipes and YouTube videos with the athletes at her gym and Cooking Rules with Julez was brought into the world!
Each week I made an ingredient light meal that was easily executed. Every Wednesday I posted the video to my YouTube channel and shared it with her gym members. To support the videos, I built a webpage and started to blog about my weekly adventures with food and overall wellness. The Instagram page came along as well and that is where I really grew my fan base. My DM’s would light up with people asking for recipes or asking how I executed the feature meal. It was amazing to be able to share my simple and nutrient dense meals with people! My heart was elated when I got follow up responses that said they had made my meals and it was simple and delicious! That is when I knew I had to continue past quarantine and grow my platform.
As my business grew, so did my own personal health. I lost the 10lbs of cortisol weight, began contracting with an online coaching app called TaskHuman, and had a whole community of people that wanted to live a health minded life like mine. 2020 has been a year filled with only blessings for me. I was forced into a metamorphosis by circumstance, but came out stronger and more focused than ever. I’m still not working full time, but that doesn’t cause me any angst because I know, no matter what the rest of this insane year throws at me, I’ll catch it and volley it right back!
As for new projects for the coming year, I am writing an e-cookbook and launching an online cooking tutorial program for those who want to learn my rules. Julez rules in the kitchen, in the gym and in life! The more I can serve others and teach how to live a full and healthy life, the happier I become. It’s been an honor sharing my foodie world with you all! Here’s to the next 12 months of food, fitness, and friends!
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