Who is Annika Nicole Wellness?
Hi! My name is Annika, I’m a recipe developer/cookbook creator, Functional Nutritional Therapy Practitioner (FNTP), and I specialize in interpreting HTMA (Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis) tests!
My goal is to help women return to the way God designed them to eat and live. In a world where diet culture and being skinny is valued over true health and wellness, my purpose is to show women how much more there is to life when they break through the lies and get back to their purpose.
I’m also the co-founder of Wild + Well-Fed Wellness Collective, a membership platform where for only $19.99 a month, myself and my business partner Laura Lyons of Wild Lyons Wellness, share a TON of wellness information ranging from recipes, to guest speakers, to videos, blog posts. We also answer questions directly, which is something we can’t do through platforms like Instagram. We find it’s the best way to help the most women for the most affordable price! We want wellness to be accessible to everyone.
Can you tell me a little bit about your pre-health journey? What were your days like and what took the majority of your time in that season?
Before actually starting my health journey, I was dead-set on being a “boss babe” career woman. I went to business school and started off in the corporate world right after I graduated, and was ready to “hustle” and make things happen! It’s so funny to talk about now because I realize I was living off of stress hormones and off of masculine energy, when that could not be more opposite from who I truly am and what my heart truly desires.
“It’s so funny to talk about now because I realize I was living off of stress hormones and off of masculine energy, when that could not be more opposite from who I truly am and what my heart truly desires. “
My days were filled with commuting, airports, business meetings, hotels, business dinners, working until 11pm, and living in the grind day in and day out.
What was your first job? What has been your favorite job?
My first job (out of college) was working for Toyota Motors USA (I know, I know – I’m clearly not a car girl so it seems odd 😂). My job included traveling to out-of-state Toyota dealerships 3-4 weeks out of the month as a District Service and Parts Manager. It was exhausting, but I’m so thankful I had the opportunity to do it because it allowed me to save enough money to start my DREAM job, which is what I’m doing now!
Getting to do the work I do now of educating women on how to get back to the way God intended them to eat and live is my dream and I have to pinch myself every day because sometimes I can’t believe it’s finally my reality, after years of dreaming it up!
Were you always passionate about creating food and helping others heal? Or what was that aha moment that you wanted to share your knowledge and experience with others?
I think it has always been a passion of mine, but unfortunately, like most women, it started out in the diet industry. I got really involved with the keto/paleo diet space, developed an extremely unhealthy relationship with food, and preached the keto diet to everyone like it was a religion.
I thought I was being healthy, but looking back it was the sickest, most restricted, and most unhealthy I had ever been.
My aha moment actually was during my 1.5 hour commute to work each way, when I listened to a lot of church and a lot of podcasts on true health and femininity, and I realized I had to make a drastic change if I wanted to heal.
Then in 2020, I found the “pro-metabolic” space (AKA just eating REAL food without restriction), and that’s when everything changed for me. I feel so blessed that God showed me the way and has helped me lead other women in that direction as well.
When did Annika Nicole Wellness and all that you offer become more than for yourself, friends, and family?
In 2019, I switched jobs from my first job at Toyota to a start-up CBD company. It was the worst experience of my life, mostly because the office space I worked in was filled with toxic mold (you could literally see it, and water dripped through the ceiling on a daily basis). I got extremely sick, I had just finished my training with the Nutritional Therapy Association, and God made it clear that it was time to get out of there and start my own business! The building and the company itself were toxic, so it was the perfect time to get out.
“God made it clear that it was time to get out of there and start my own business!
The building and the company itself were toxic, so it was the perfect time to get out.“
What was the moment you almost didn’t follow through with bringing Annika Nicole Wellness to life?
When I announced that I was almost done with my training as an FNTP, and ready to take clients, I thought my inbox was going to be overflowing with people wanting to work with me! 😂 Rookie mistake! I got discouraged and was just confused as to why no one was jumping all over the opportunity. I quickly realized that I had to really work to put myself out there, and that as a business owner, just because you have a certain skill, doesn’t mean people will be lining up for your services. I learned that marketing and communicating value is one of the most important aspects of business.
What got you past that hurdle?
I had a moment where I sat down and realized there were so many women already doing what I wanted to be doing (or similar at least). My thought was if they can do it, why can’t I? There’s literally NO reason why they can do it and I can’t. I realized the only thing stopping me was myself, and that if I wanted to live my dream, I had to push through my fears and insecurities and pursue what I wanted with all my heart.
So many women, home educators, moms, etc. have great ideas. Ideas they have been pondering for a long time, maybe even years, but you moved forward, why do you think you acted and what encouraged you onward?
I think the biggest thing that prevents people from moving forward is that they are scared of what other people are going to think. And specifically, what the people they know are going to think about them. I have always been one of those people that doesn’t care much about what other people think about me, but I noticed that I did start to care and got insecure and self-conscious about putting myself out there for my business.
I just had to accept that it was part of the process and that the people who really mattered to me would support me no matter what. After 3 years of running my own business, I have realized how true this is. The people that care will support you through every phase of your business (even the cringey phases, lol), and won’t judge you.
I knew that God had a purpose for my life and my passion that no one else could fulfill. It had to be me, and no matter who stuck with me, who judged me, who talked poorly about me, and who thought I couldn’t do it, I knew I could because God had put this dream in my heart for a reason.
I felt that if I didn’t do it, I’d be missing out on God’s calling for my life that He had made very clear to me. I’m so glad I pushed through the discomfort and the hard parts, because I see now that God called me to this role and no one else could do it. And that’s true for EVERY woman who has a dream in their heart! God gave that to you for a reason, and ignoring it will be a disservice to you and to Him, because no one else can do what you are called to do! It’s unique to you and the world needs what you have to offer.
Tell us about your initial launch. What did you expect?
My initial launch was truly one of the best experiences I have ever had in my life. I learned so much, and was absolutely blown away by the response. My first launch was at one of the darkest times in my life, and God used my launch to give me hope and restore my confidence.
What surprised you the most?
What surprised me the most was the support I got from hundreds of people on the internet that I didn’t know. This is why I’m so passionate about supporting small businesses. To the people that bought my cookbook, they thought they were just spending $14.99 for some recipes. For me, I literally got emotional over every single order that came through and over every recipe that was made and shared. It was a life-changing experience and made me so happy and thankful to see my recipes were blessing other homes and families.
What is your day-to-day like?
Every day is slightly different, which I love! If I’m in a recipe creation/cookbook creation period, it means I spend a lot of time in my kitchen (my FAVORITE!). If I’m not, I spend a lot of time creating content, sharing information and answering questions for the members in Wild + Well-Fed, and brainstorming business ideas for the future!
In the early days before launching when you were dreaming up Annika Nicole Wellness what is the ultimate goal?
The “if I can accomplish X” it will all be worth it!
I always said, “if I can help even one woman break through the lies of diet culture and fine relief in the way God intended us to eat, I’ll be happy”. I think I have done that at this point and I feel so blessed to have been able to help not only one woman but hundreds and maybe even thousands.
What has been the biggest unexpected blessing to come from the adventure that is launching Annika Nicole Wellness?
The amazing friendships and partnerships I’ve made through Instagram. I know social media can have some very big drawbacks, but the benefits of connecting with like-minded people and meeting friends all over the country and the world that share my values have been the biggest blessing.
What are you currently reading?
“High Altitude Gardening” so that my vegetable garden isn’t a massive failure next season like it was this season, unfortunately! Gardening at 8,000ft is no joke! I’ve also been reading “Aligning with God’s Appointed Times” about the Biblical holidays, and I’ve been loving that as well.
What is your favorite podcast?
Oh gosh, there are so many good ones but I’d have to say Freely Rooted, The Sincerely Mir Podcast, and The Spillover have been some of my favorites lately!
What is your ‘everyday superpower’? Ex: always picking the fits “just right” container for leftovers.
I remember dates, outfits, and birthdays like nobody’s business. Ask me what I learned in college and I couldn’t tell you, but I could certainly tell you my brother’s 3rd grade best friend’s birthday 😐 It has proven to be seriously unhelpful so far, but I’m hoping someday God will reveal to me why he gave me this strange gift 😂
Thanks for being here!
I hope you enjoyed this interview with Annika Nicole Wellness as much as I did. Annika generously gave us a code “4PPB” good for anything in her shop. I highly recommend any of her cookbooks. We use them regularly in our home.
You can connect with Annika Nicole further via
I loved learning about annika’s “why” and am aready enjoying one of her recent cookbooks … gather.
Thanks for sharing