Today we’d like to introduce you to Laura Schoenfeld.
Hi Laura, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
My journey into business coaching started in 2011 when I landed what I consider my “unofficial MBA”—working behind the scenes with wellness entrepreneur Chris Kresser as he built his multi-7-figure online health business.
I had a front-row seat to everything: the brand building, the product launches, the content strategy, and more. It was like getting paid to study how successful online businesses actually work.
After earning my master’s in Public Health and becoming a registered dietitian at UNC Chapel Hill, I was ready for my turn at entrepreneurship. I launched my own online nutrition consulting practice in 2014 and spent the next six years building it into a thriving multi-six-figure business. Along the way, I made every mistake you can possibly make (and a few you probably can’t even imagine). But I learned, adapted, and kept growing.
Here’s what I loved most about that work: helping clients stop obsessing over food and their health so they could finally turn their attention to bigger things, like their relationships, their careers, their impact in the world.
The transformation wasn’t just about what they ate or how they cared for their bodies. It was about breaking free from that all-consuming mental loop around health and stepping into a more expansive life of purpose and possibility.
Then 2020 happened. The world shut down, and suddenly every practitioner I knew was frantically Googling “how to take my health business online.” Meanwhile, I’d been doing it successfully for six years. I watched colleagues and friends (and even my mom!) struggling to figure out what I’d already figured out, and something sparked in my brain.
It was one of those rare moments where everyone was feeling inspired to reinvent themselves and try something new. So I took the leap and launched my signature program, The Nourished Business Accelerator™.
The response was overwhelming. Within weeks, I had dozens of health professionals enrolled in the program, eager to learn how to start, grow, and scale their online businesses. It was exciting to have so much momentum so quickly, but it also brought up an inner conflict around how to best spend my time and energy as a business owner.
That’s when I had to make a decision that felt both scary and absolutely right: I shut down my nutrition practice to go all-in on business coaching.
The transition made perfect sense because I had been building towards this for years. I was still helping people break free from obsession (this time with hustle culture and burnout instead of food rules) so they could focus on what really mattered in their personal life. (Same mission, different arena!)
Since then, I’ve worked with over 500 coaches and practitioners through The Nourished CEO programs. I help them build sustainable, profitable businesses using ethical marketing and sales strategies that actually work… no sleazy tactics, no endless hustling, no sacrificing your life for your business required.
These days, I specialize in helping established coaches and practitioners design and scale premium signature programs and automated sales systems that generate consistent income while giving them back their time and sanity.
I’m a mom of 2 girls, a wife, and a firm believer that your business should serve your life, not consume it. Because what’s the point of building something successful if you’re too burned out to enjoy it?
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Smooth? Not even close! But that’s entrepreneurship, right?
One of my biggest struggles early on was the fear of choosing a niche. I never wanted to turn anyone away, so I tried to help everyone with everything. If someone wanted nutrition support, I’d work with them. If they needed help with hormones, digestion, weight loss, athletic performance, autoimmune conditions—sure, I could do all of that!
What I didn’t realize was that this “generalist” approach was actually making everything harder. My marketing message was diluted because I was trying to speak to too many different people at once. My client work was exhausting because I was constantly having to research and customize protocols for wildly different conditions.
And ironically, by positioning myself as someone who could help with “anything,” I was actually devaluing my expertise. Specialists can charge premium rates; generalists often have to compete on price.
It took me years to understand that niching down wasn’t about limiting my income potential, it was about amplifying my impact and making my work sustainable.
When I finally got clear on who I served best and what transformation I delivered, everything got easier. My messaging became clearer, my clients got better results, and I could charge what my expertise was actually worth.
The transition from nutrition practice to business coaching brought its own challenges too. I had built my entire professional identity around being a dietitian, and suddenly I was pivoting to something completely different.
There were moments of serious self-doubt where I wondered if anyone would take me seriously as a business coach. Imposter syndrome was real! But I had to remind myself that I’d been running a successful online business for years and helping my old boss Chris Kresser build his. I had earned my stripes, even if they looked different than traditional business credentials.
One of the harder lessons came from learning how to show up fully as myself online. After a few difficult experiences where clients, peers, and even a mentor were unhappy with me for various reasons, I found myself walking on eggshells. I started second-guessing everything I shared, worried about who I might upset or disappoint.
As someone who genuinely cares about people, it was painful to feel like I’d let anyone down.
But here’s what I eventually realized: trying to make everyone happy is not only impossible, it’s also a recipe for losing yourself completely. I had to learn how to continue showing up as someone who deeply cares about others without giving my power away in the process.
That meant getting comfortable with the fact that not everyone will like me, agree with me, or appreciate my approach… and that’s okay. The people who are meant to work with me will resonate with who I authentically am, not some watered-down version of myself designed to avoid conflict.
And then there’s the ongoing challenge every entrepreneur with kids faces: the work-life balance struggle. My daughters are growing up so fast, and I don’t want to miss these precious years. But I also have big goals and ambitions for what I’m building.
I’m still figuring out that balance, honestly! But that’s exactly why I’m so passionate about helping my clients build businesses that actually support their lives instead of consuming them, because I know how hard it is to get that equation right.
Here’s what I’ve learned: every struggle taught me something invaluable that I now get to pass on to my clients. The mistakes, the burnout, the niching struggles, the people-pleasing patterns… all of it made me a better coach and a more empathetic mentor. I can easily spot the warning signs in my clients’ businesses because I’ve lived through them myself.
So no, it hasn’t been smooth. But it’s been worth it!
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
The Nourished CEO is a business coaching company designed for coaches and practitioners who want to build profitable, sustainable businesses without sacrificing their lives in the process.
My clients are typically highly educated experts—coaches, consultants, practitioners across all industries—who are incredible at what they do but struggle to simplify their businesses.
Many have built something that works, but it’s complicated, exhausting, and requires them to work non-stop just to keep it running.
What sets me apart is my ability to take what could be a highly complex business and streamline it into the most effective model possible. I help my clients translate their genius into programs that actually sell.
Because here’s the thing: being brilliant at your craft doesn’t automatically mean you know how to package it, price it, or market it in a way that attracts high paying clients consistently.
I specialize in helping practitioners build premium signature programs with automated sales systems that work ethically and consistently, without the 24/7 hustle, without the sleazy sales tactics, and without requiring you to be “always on.”
I’ve been in the online business world since 2011, and I’ve seen every flavor of “just work harder” and “sell at any cost” advice out there. I teach the opposite: strategic systems that sell for you while you’re living your life, using marketing that feels good and honors your integrity. My clients work less while earning more, serving more dream clients with less of their direct time.
Here’s what I’m most proud of: I’ve helped over 500 coaches and practitioners completely transform their business models. I’ve watched clients double their revenue while cutting their working hours in half. I’ve seen practitioners go from booked-solid burnout to selective, strategic CEO energy.
Watching someone get back their time and their life while building something genuinely profitable and impactful never gets old!
I offer both group programs and high-touch strategic consulting, depending on where you are in your business journey and what level of support you need.
Whether you’re looking to learn the frameworks and implement them yourself, or you want customized guidance to scale to multiple six or seven figures, I’ve got options that meet you where you are.
What I want readers to know is this: if you’re a coach or practitioner who’s great at what you do but feel like your business model is working you too hard, there’s a better way.
You don’t have to choose between impact and income, or between business success and being present for your offline life.
You can have both… but it requires a fundamentally different approach than what most business coaches are teaching.
I believe your business should nourish your life, not deplete it. That philosophy is baked into everything I do, from how I run my own company (I work around 20-25 hours a week) to how I coach my clients to build theirs.
What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
The most important lesson I’ve learned is this: building a business based on what you think other people want is the fast track to burnout.
For years, I designed my offers around what I assumed my clients needed, what my competitors were doing, or what the “gurus” said I should be selling.
I contorted my schedule to accommodate everyone else’s preferences. I priced my services based on what I thought people could afford rather than what my expertise was worth. I said yes to clients who weren’t the right fit because I didn’t want to turn away business.
And you know what? I ended up exhausted, resentful, and not even doing my best work.
The breakthrough came when I realized that the most profitable, sustainable coaching and expert businesses are the ones that actually put the coach’s needs first.
I know that sounds counterintuitive, and maybe even selfish… but hear me out!
When you’re fully resourced, working in your zone of genius, serving clients you actually enjoy, and operating on a schedule that works for your life, you become magnetic.
You show up with more energy, more creativity, more presence. Your clients get better results because you’re not running on fumes.
And you’re able to charge premium rates because you’re delivering transformational value from a place of abundance, not desperation.
A joy-filled, thriving coach is infinitely more powerful than a burnt-out martyr.
Taking a “my needs met first” approach to business decisions is really hard when you’ve been trained to be a caretaker of others.
As practitioners and coaches, so many of us were literally trained to put everyone else’s needs before our own.
But the good news is that when you’re thriving in your business, it’s actually a win-win for everyone.
Your clients benefit from working with someone who’s at their best. Your family benefits from having you present and energized. And you benefit from building something that actually nourishes your life instead of depleting it.
So now, when I’m making business decisions—whether it’s what to offer, who to work with, how to structure my programs, or what to charge—I always start by asking: “What do I actually want? What would feel good to me? What would allow me to show up as my best self?”
That shift in perspective has changed everything. And it’s the same shift I help my clients make, because I’ve seen firsthand that when you design your business around your own needs and desires first, everyone wins.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://lauraschoenfeldrd.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauraschoenfeldrd/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lauraschoenfeldrd
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@lauraschoenfeld
- Other: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-nourished-ceo-podcast/id1485026269
