To continue our celebration of Women’s History Month, we were so happy to chat with Elizabeth Stein, Founder + CEO of Purely Elizabeth, the natural food company she started in 2008. As of July 2017, Purely Elizabeth is the #1 selling granola in the natural channel.

When did you first become interested in having a health counseling practice, prior to launching Purely Elizabeth?

In 2008, I was doing tons of triathlons and had found a renewed interest in health and wellness. I wanted to find a career that was more in line with this passion. I was unhappy at work and felt like I needed to do something that was more meaningful and impactful. I found the Institute for Integrative Nutrition online one day, took their 10-part questionnaire, and signed up on the spot. It was truly a life-changing moment.

What inspired your love of baking – and of health-supportive baking?

While I was in school, I started working with a lot of clients who were gluten free.  I was always suggesting products for them to buy, but when it came to sweet alternatives, there weren’t really any healthy gluten free options on the market. So I starting experimenting with nutrient dense ingredients I was learning about in school like chia, millet flour and coconut oil and created recipes for them (and me!) to enjoy. 

Tell us more about “living purely”.

To me, living purely is a holistic lifestyle, it’s a conscious effort to include all aspects of health and wellness. For me, that means a balanced 80/20 approach to eating, focusing on a mostly plant-based diet, spending time with loved ones, pushing myself out of my comfort zone, exercising, self care, living my best life, the list goes on…

What’s your favorite Purely Elizabeth + Lavva pairing?

Classic pairing – Vanilla Lavva and our OG granola. 

Who’s your role model?

My grandfather.  Certainly I’m biased, but he was one of the most incredible humans. He inspired me to never give up, made me believe I could do anything I set my mind to and taught me how to treat people.

What’s your biggest piece of advice for female entrepreneurs?

Go after your dreams and don’t let anything hold you back.  I think when I started I was so naïve that it allowed me to not get in my own way. I just asked as many questions as I could and dove in head first. It’s so easy to get caught up in making sure that everything is perfect that so many people get stuck and never move forward to go after their dreams.