Today we’d like to introduce you to Alicia Connor.
Hi Alicia, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
Known for always being positive, surprisingly to me I am also positive during my own hard times, and I don’t mean smiling through hard times when that feels uncomfortable. I have a grounded sense of knowing this is temporary.
My first career in food service and hospitality felt aligned because the simple act of nourishing customers and holding space for good food and the multisensory experiences As a cook and chef, I found enjoyment in providing tasty food made from quality ingredients a true delight. I’ve worked in bed and breakfasts, small restaurants, and well-known institutions (like Zuni Cafe in San Francisco). Many people have biases toward people or food preferences and/or are star-struck; one of my values is treating people the same, with respect and kindness. Growing up as a picky eater, I learned healthy eating from my mom’s home-cooked meals and how I felt. As a high schooler for a couple of summers, I worked with a landscaper, I learned that the ratio of what I ate (enough protein, carbs with fiber) made a significant difference in my energy and recovery. With other injuries in early adulthood, I’ve learned to tend my body and ensure movement (working in food service is physical, now most of my work is desk/ computer station) – movement changes but is essential for a well-functioning body. In my almost 15 years supporting clients and patients as a coach and registered dietitian nutritionist, I’ve noticed that there’s a certain cadence that comes with paying attention to health. In diet culture, there’s this notion of being all-in on a program. This becomes unsustainable for 2 reasons: 1) it’s too much pushing for a period of time; 2) it’s somebody else’s program; the way I’ve seen sustainable change is in supporting people to find their way. My coaching style is not a push coach like a personal trainer; rather, I’m a pull coach (comes from you) and a wayfinder – help people find their wa, I am a guide for long-term health and happiness. This approach doesn’t take more effort, it takes less. Built into the current lifestyle and is flexible with change, just like a bridge is built with flexibility into the design.
I went back to school at 27 to become a dietitian after a diagnosis of a hereditary, degenerative vision condition. Diagnosed with this condition at 19 and was told “at some point” I would have to give up driver’s license – at 24 I started to feel vision changes. When I was 20, a good friend asked if I wanted to move from the East Coast, I grew up in Brookline, Massachusetts and was living in Providence Rhode Island at the time for my first attempt to college, to San Francisco. That January, we packed up a rental van and drove cross-country. When I parked the rental van on Haight Street in San Francisco, that was when I gave up my license, and it was my last drive. Even though it was still safe to drive, I created space for whatever my vision loss was going to be. Also, eliminating future hard decisions. A proactive decision for unforeseen challenges ahead; the safer choice for me and everyone.
What I know for sure is that change is inevitable; we might as well get good at transitions, feeling feelings, to expand our true capacity to live our fullest and best life. We don’t need to spend a lot of time in the gym or cooking everything from scratch. We each need a village, support and systems that make life easier, knowing that there will be challenges. Here is a podcast interview about my chocie/ last dirve https://www.ever-changing.net/episodes/s2e11-the-last-drive-83ten
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
In addition to what I already mentioned.
Growing up, my mother did her very best as a single parent and she did not stress about money in front of me, but I knew there was just enough. I started working at 12 babysititing and got my first tax-paying job when I was 14. My father passed away in 2017. He was a combat veteran in the Vietnam War and suffered for it, as an alcoholic, and did not truly live. When I was a kid my father would come and pick me up for a day adventure in downtown Boston, and what I found profoundly helpful was my mother’s reaction to when he didn’t show up or call to say he wasn’t coming; she would just say he wasn’t coming; she did not add more drama or disappointment. It just was; he wasn’t coming. Looking back, I see that my mother’s calm reaction helped me not take my father’s not showing up personally. Also, I could tell as a child that he loved me, and he was struggling to show up. I was able to forgive him and accept him as he was at a young age, this did not take away the disappointment, but it certainly did not feel like personal rejection. In high school, I reconnected with my father and visited him at the shoe repair shop he worked at for 17 years in Harvard Square and after a couple susscufful meet ups he stopped showing up. I was the first in my family to complete higher education, including a master’s degree. In my extended family, there is a lot of addiction, alcoholism, and mental illness, and I have not personally struggled with these and have invested the most in personal development. I did not know my grandfather on my father’s side was a pilot in WWII and was honored with medals upon his return, and when he came home, he had a family and was an alcoholic. From both sides of my family, we come from brave people. There are not enough tools available today that could make what happens during war okay; what is seen and felt can’t be unseen or unfelt. For this reason, I decided a couple of years ago to celebrate my birthday every day, not with cake, but with birthday spirit, we are still here!
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Quick & Delish Life is an online program encouraging reflection and focus on life and health. This includes meal planning support and systems, recipes, nutrition simplified, and workshops. Examples of workshops include Enjoying the holidays your way, Creating a crazy busy week plan to show up nourished, and How to translate the Mediterranean diet into ordinary days. I support clients one-on-one with personalized support and systems to enjoy travel, busy seasons, and focus on health. Health issues stem from inflammation and nervous system dysregulation and relationships fall apart with close ones or ourselves from not paying attention to what is important often times not seeing what is important until it’s gone or over. In life, we get to practice. There is a story by the wise man in the book The Alchemist; to summarize there is a spoon with oil not to be spilled and a world of beauty that can be overlooked if we pay too much attention to not spilling the oil. I want to be remembered for helping people learn and surrender into resting & nourishing themselves daily. Culturally, we wait for vacation to stop and breathe. Daily practice of rest, breathwork, meditation, time in nature, naps, and intentional living helps the body recover from living. Nutrition is what nourishes the body and living a nourishing life includes what you want; protect that because it matters. I’ve lost my sense of humor twice, and after the first time I thought it wouldn’t happen again and after the intensity of the pandemic, I visited the island of burnout and despair and in that darkness I almost lost hope, and my soul reminded me that this is not a way to live; that there is more life for me. I peeled off the crust of burnout and escaped the island 3 years ago. It was leaning into self-care and daily practice that helped me get here. With Rest & Nourish Collective, the three of us, including Lisa Taylor, Holistic Life Coach, Marian Wells, Clean Skincare Concierge, and myself, provide realistic, honest support that comes with sustainable habits and routines that make life more enjoyable. https://www.restandnourishcollective.com/
What matters most to you? Why?
Besides what was already mentioned.
What matters most to me is that people feel that they belong.
As a kid and adult, I always felt different, and I know from my white skin tone, this skin comes with privilege, even if I don’t want it to and know that this is not right.
I learned differently; I benefit from experiential learning, immersive, multisensory. I also experienced vision loss; from looking at me, you can’t tell when you first meet me.
The thing is, everyone and everybody is literally different, and we are all human, a part of one tribe. I define health as including physical, mental, social, and financial health. We each need a village for a healthy society. Isolation and suicide is increasing. I have two cousins who have committed suicide and they were alcoholics, and one cousin was shot by her husband with unmanaged bipolar disorder and she is paralyzed. I know my family is not unique and the solution is to build in systems to make it easier for people to ask for help and get what they need. The more people get what they need, the more we will all feel like we belong here! After escaping teh island of burnout, I decided that I belong wherever I want to go and be until I decide otherwise.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.aliciaconnor.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/quick_delish/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alicia.connor.qd/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alicia-connor/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/QuickDelishbyAliciaConnor
- Other: https://www.restandnourishcollective.com/
