Today we’d like to introduce you to Nina Cherie Franklin, PhD.
Hi Nina Cherie, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’m a healthy living coach, wellness expert and founder of the blog and brand “That Salad Lady” and “That Salad Lady University.” I’m also a happy wife and mom to two wonderful boys.
My career and life’s journey are about as layered as the salad bowls I create.
After decades of working with corporate and private clients in health, fitness and nutrition, I grew increasingly frustrated with the wellness industry spreading misinformation and mismatched claims. As fate would have it, I was gifted a beautiful wooden salad bowl for Christmas 2020. In the new year, the simple gift of this bowl sparked my transformation into “That Salad Lady” and, ultimately, the development of the blog and brand, which officially launched at the beginning of May 2021.
For me, salad bowls and all the possible combinations of fruits, vegetables and other whole foods to fill them trigger the same emotional reaction one might have from being gifted fine jewelry, a designer handbag or something else they’ve always wanted.
For years, friends and family have entered my home knowing they’d be treated to my latest salad creation. Even kids have gotten excited about visiting That Salad Lady’s house. With my new salad bowl, I soon realized what I needed to do – bring my kitchen to people everywhere struggling with what’s in their bowl. I wholeheartedly believe that teaching the art of crafting salads can make a lasting impact on a person’s relationship with food, self-confidence and wellness – and that’s what That Salad Lady is all about.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Rather than a totally “smooth road,” I’d say it’s been one full of peaks and valleys. Still, I definitely consider myself to be one of the lucky ones, as my passion, purpose and pastime are all intertwined in the work I do. But it didn’t start off that way. In fact, my relationship with wellness wasn’t always a good one. Personally, I’ve endured and overcome some of the worst of life’s hardships to get to where I am today.
I’ve lived through poverty and even been homeless. I battled and beat food addiction and obesity. I survived multiple miscarriages, anxiety and depression. It’s been quite the journey, but nevertheless necessary.
That Salad Lady was born from my intense empathy for those who feel they can never lose weight, achieve good health or live the life they want due to their economic, emotional or environmental circumstances, as I’ve been there. While my professional accolades earn me a seat at the wellness table, it’s my personal experiences that really set me apart from the rest. It’s these experiences that make people feel comfortable enough to bring me into their world.
I’m excited to be able to share my salad obsession and collective experiences with the world in order to help others build more layers of lifelong wellness.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Professionally, I offer personalized healthy living coaching and wellness programs for individuals and groups. I hold a doctorate in kinesiology, nutrition and rehabilitation, I have multiple certifications in these areas, and I’m a globally recognized wellness expert. I’ve spent the last two decades successfully helping corporate and private clients and contributing to dozens of national media publications and academic journals as a health scientist.
As That Salad Lady, I’ve essentially coupled my advanced degrees and decades of healthy living coaching experience with an utter obsession for salad making. In addition to the blog and brand That Salad Lady, I’ve also founded That Salad Lady University to help people build layers of lifelong wellness through community, content and creative salad-centric approaches to healthy eating and living.
My sole mission is to boost people’s eating confidence with approachable salad-making, culinary content and community-based programs. As Nina Cherie Franklin, PhD, I remain active in the academic and media world in order to continue my efforts to influence the wellness industry and to advocate for making healthy living more approachable, accessible and inclusive. But through That Salad Lady and That Salad Lady University, I am here to prove that this can all start with a salad.
We’d love to hear about how you think about risk taking?
I think any form of success comes with a bit of risk taking. My transformation into “That Salad Lady” was indeed the ultimate risk. I essentially walked away from a potentially long and stable career as an academic scientist for the pursuit of real happiness. While in academia, I realized I wasn’t staying true to my ambitions of helping people. I was merely vetting scientific theories and mechanisms for potential grant funding, even though they had little-to-no real-life application or impact.
I realized something needed to change. Ironically enough, after having completed one of my research studies, a participant pulled me aside and said, “People like you should work directly with the people, not behind the scenes.” Looking back, I always knew I could have a real impact on the ground. Up to this point, I’d already helped hundreds of people transform their lives for the better.
Coming to grips with the fact that I’d invested over a decade of schooling into an unproductive and unfulfilling career, I was faced with the difficult decision of having to leave that research position behind and choose happiness. Though frustrated, I refused to dwell on my past decisions. I instead embraced my present situation and, ultimately, decided to move on and pursue my true calling. It was a big risk, but the rewards have been even bigger.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://thatsaladlady.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/that.salad.lady/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ThatSaladLady/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/thatsaladlady
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/thatsaladlady
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@thatsaladlady
Image Credits
All photos taken by Katya Vilchyk (Atlanta Lifestyle & Brand Photographer)
