Raw Career Advice Needed

Hello to one and all. I have had a bit of difficulty pursuing a career in raw/living foods and am seeking your advice.

For the second time in my career, I have been told that I am not allowed to teach raw/living foods any longer, because it presents a conflict of interest for my employer. (I am referring to a couple of different health food stores. Usually this directive is spoken by the owner or manager). True, they sell meat, milk, canned goods, etc. there and I am a very staunch advocate of raw/living diet. And that is bound to pose a problem.

I have never hid my true agenda. My resume states my background quite clearly. They know what they are getting when the get me. I start out gently, and teach my way through quite thoroughly. I am always respectful and hard working, taking on every task imaginable, from sweeping floors to sacking groceries. I am never regretful of what I teach, or how I teach it, just dismayed by its reception.

I would really like to get out of retail altogether. It’s simply a bad fit for me. I would love to get into clinical practice, but fear the same/similar reception. Would I be able to support myself? I guess I’ve just trusted that steady paycheck more than I trust myself.

In my area, raw/living foods is not well known. There is no demand here for this knowledge. I must create the demand by introducing the idea, myself. As a result, I have become accustomed to teaching to a “hostile” audience; proving, convincing, etc. After 5 years of this, I don’t even know how to teach a “friendly” crowd! Could I even do it?

To be honest with you, I hate conflict. I would much rather not work in a strife-filled workplace. I am truly ready for a change. I’m ready for peace. I’m ready to work with and for people who embrace raw veganism.

I’ve written all the raw spas and retreats that I am aware of and have been told that they are not looking for any new raw teachers. What next?

Comments

  • Hi. That is such a shame to hear that the retail people couldn’t support your efforts. I always wondered that why Natural Foods didn’t have a section for that but they obviously want to make money on all of the other stuff- even though their ceo is a vegan…

    I really think there is a place out there for you and there is a reason why conventional routes haven’t worked yet. I live outside of Atlanta and noticed a Dr. advertising for fibromyalgia relief. I went to him and he wanted to put me on anti depressants. I was kind of bummed out about it because I thought he had something really great because he advertised for it.

    BUT advertising yourself would be a great idea either where you live or as a guest speaker. I know there are a lot of churches getting into raw food and you could advertise or make posting with them or their websites. One church to get involved with would be the unitarians because they are very environmental oriented. You could give talks to interested people there and then set up private sessions with people.

    You could also work with diabetics some how- send out a letter to the Dr.’s in the area or again just advertise. You could really be saving people like that! I even heard of a program out there that offers diabetis dr.’s money to get their paients healthier- you could help them. I don’t have a link for that though.

    You seem to really care about people and I would recommend exploring routes that are out of the box-Advertise or post a flyer at Waldorf schools, yoga studios, dance studios- even modeling studios.

    Let me\us know how it goes- the world really needs people like you!

  • (oops! probably ought to have mentioned that I am very naturopathic, and do not prescribe drugs, perform surgeries, etc. I deal in raw, fruitarian style diet, herbal remedies, some homeopathy, and the like.)

  • Hi I just saw this job available. I don’t know if you are willing to move but it might be something to consider.

    http://www.treeoflife.nu/employ.html

  • ZoeZoe Raw Newbie

    My husband and I have just begun our raw food business www.purelyraw.com we have simply created a website and run some raw food kitchen classes. We are in the UK where raw food is even less known than the USA and the response has been excellent. We are planning to move to the USA, but if we weren’t we could easily have an excellent income giving raw food classes here. It is a great way to make a living. People are very open to learning about it, and they are very interested. I can’t think of anyone we have spoken to who has been hostile, including a few doctors, etc.! Have a look on our website and see what we offer, perhaps you caoul do the same kind of thing. Once people come for an introductory class, they usually want to come again on their own for some kind of extra help/therapy etc, which would work really well with what you do. You could also do talks/seminars etc in local halls to get people interested and open them up to the idea of coming on to a course. I firmly believe that any successful raw foodists could quit their job and have a great income in the raw food world. Another idea is to supplement your income is to make raw food and ship it ot to people, like Matt Amsden’s rawvolution. Once you get started it wuld be no trouble to find someone who you can pay to make the food for you, and slowly grow the business. I feel that is something which is has a huge demmand which is not being filled.

  • Thank you, Zoe. While you are certainly to be congratulated on your success in prepared raw foods, I really am not much of a chef. I’m more like a teacher. (anatomy, biochemistry, biology, physiology, etc.) My niche is a little, well, weird.

    I will happily check out your website, however.

  • ZoeZoe Raw Newbie

    Thanks Natural Doc. Where I was coming from though was that, if you are a raw foodists, then you can simply teach the food you make for yourself, that is all we do, we just teach people the recipes we have been making for the last few years.

  • germin8germin8 Raw Master

    I agree with Zoe. It seems like the only business is in teaching about raw food and/or being a raw chef. However… I have visited several missions in the United States where they provide natural healing services, promote a vegan lifestyle, and educate on raw food preparation. I have been thru two cleanse programs, Eden Valley in Colorado and Voice in the Wilderness Mission in Massachusettes (both good, but this one is the best). They educated on the importance of a vegan diet. They gave people cleanses using herbs, hot-cold treatments, and other natural healing methods. They didn’t teach about the science of a raw food… but, they did encourage to eat more raw foods and taught how to prepare those foods. However, their emphasis is not on raw, it is on NEW START . I have visited to 2 other of these missions – Uchee Pines in Alabama and Wildwood in Georgia. You could probably look at what they are doing and do something similar. These missions are run by Seventh-day Adventist (you may have read about them in National Geographic as one of the three groups that have the most centenarians and the only one of these three groups not losing their longevity “edge”. Here is another nice link to watch ). Adventist are known for their health ministry; they do have hospitals worldwide… but their missions (better known as lifestyle centers) are also found worldwide. There is one in Sulphur, OK. It is Lifestyle Center of America

    As I mentioned, they are not focused on raw… mostly vegan lifestyle. But some do teach to be 50%-75% raw.

    Then, there is Hallelujah Acres I don’t know much about them. Here is another link for them.

     

  • FYI:hallelujah acres is 80% raw and 20% cooked but has a large following. You might checkout eatingintheraw.org. This website belongs to Chef Mandy a personal friend of mine in Edmond. She runs classes out of her home during the school year. Her food is amazing and she is working to develop a raw community. I realize Edmond is an hour or so from Broken Arrow but you might want to give her a call and get some tips. Also there is a chef that teaches occasionally at Wild Oats in Tulsa. I don’t remember her name but Mandy has taught there as well. ANd I met some people in there one day who had Matt Amsden’s book in the cart and were obviously searching out specific ingredients. Cynthia Beaver also works in the Tulsa area. You can check out her website at pureraw.com. I ate at her restaurant in Dallas and her food is excellent. She has built a successful business shipping food to people. I know you said you do not want to teach food prep but I think it could be beneficial for you to try networking with these people. We all want to see healthly food awareness increase in OK. I personally helped coordinator and teach a class in Davis/Sulphur and I found people to be quite eager to learn. I think you have just not found the right people to connect with in BA. There will be opposition, fried food and heavy meat consumption run deep in OK but there are people who are trying raw on their own and think they are the only person in the entire state. Keep getting the word out. There are others!

  • chriscarltonchriscarlton Raw Newbie

    If you can benefit from free rent and food, you could become a live in care taker to someone needing to go raw for disease reversal or heavy detoxing. I have had similar offers and this is a much needed role. Even if you are not a great chef you could make food for someone who needs it. You may find someone who has a lot of space and would allow you to take on others for short stays for detoxing, disease reversal or kickstarting a new raw lifestyle. before you know it you could have your own raw healing center. Also I would work on your prosperity consciousness. http://www.wikihow.com/Develop-Prosperity-Consc…

  • Thanks to all of your for your responses.

    Actually, Chris, a raw healing center is EXACTLY what I am looking for. I would love to be a teammember on something like that. That is my dream! I will follow your prosperity link to see what that turns up.

    As for what I, personally, eat, I am the lamest raw foodist in the world! I have several pieces of fruit or a smoothie for breakfast, green salads for lunch and dinner, and snack on fruit if I get hungry in between. Like most “doctors,” I’m not very good at practicing what I preach! Be glad that the naturopaths are NOT the chefs within the raw community! LOL!!! I know the patients are! Ha!

    Brenilou, you sound very familiar with my area…are you from Oklahoma?

    I am familiar with HAcres, but also disagree with consuming grains (I just don’t think they are anatomically appropriate foods for humans, who lack grain-processing organs, like a crop, and a gizzard.)

    I am insecure about my comfort level regarding working at some of the clinics that have strict religious expectations. I am very commited to my personal faith, and really don’t want to feel pressured to change to someone else’s. That’s why Tree of Life was a no-go for me, and the Seventh-Day Adventist’s would be, too. I really need to be able to practice my own beliefs.

    That being said, I do believe this is do-able. I am sensing a release, a freedom, inside me about this new adventure. It’s coming. I know it is.

    Please keep the ideas coming. One of them is bound to be the right fit.

  • germin8germin8 Raw Master

    Hi Natural Doc.

    Yes, it is a challenge to find a place that teaches what one believes – whether food or religion. This was just an idea of things that are out there and how they do things… and maybe you can do something similar (not changing beliefs). I hope you find what you are looking for. I can totally understand. Here is a link to The Natural Healing Center but I don’t know their stand on raw foods. Hallelujah Acres seems to be the better fit! Good luck on your search.

  • yes I live in Davis, OK. Near Turner Falls and Lake of the Arbuckles. Currently we are in Hendersonville, NC for the summer.

Sign In or Register to comment.