Emily Hudak: Take Charge of Your Holistic Wellness

Taking care of one’s health has never been more important, with a global health crisis acting like the much-needed eye opener about our compromised immune system. It comes as no surprise that health coaching is one of the fastest-growing professions worldwide. Taking a holistic approach to health means addressing how all aspects of a person’s life affect overall well-being. It is not just the food we eat but the exercise routine we follow, personal and professional relationships, work-life balance, and much more. These mentors and wellness experts help people feel their best through personalized lifestyle changes that align with their unique dietary, emotional, and physical goals. One such expert is Emily Hudak, a certified holistic health coach who guides people in discovering how to fuel their lives with an integrated approach.  

Educational Background  

Emily received her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Rutgers University and her master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from The College of New Jersey. She is also a Board-Certified Holistic Health Practitioner through AFPA and a Licensed Associate Counselor. During her graduation years, Emily felt a strong pull toward holistic wellness and wanted to explore the relationship between mental and physical wellness, the effects of nutrition, and lifestyle factors on overall health. She started working as a mental health clinician, but the bug of entrepreneurship kept nagging her as she felt confident in her independence, ability to lead, and her self-sufficiency, along with her penchant for interacting and connecting with people.   

Holistic Wellness  

Emily’s niche background demonstrates her profound interest in nutrition and mental health’s connection to our physical well-being. She started Whole with Emily in 2021, which is centered on the wholeness of the mind, body, and soul through nutrition, exercise, hydration, stress management, sleep hygiene, self-care, gut health, and more. Emily is not a believer in calorie counting or restrictions but rather stresses developing consistent, health-sustaining lifestyle habits and choices that will help the client achieve the set health and wellness goals.     

The services offered by the company include 1:1 coaching through two programs: The Appetizer (three months) and The Whole Mea l (six months). Additionally, a 90-minute 1:1 intensive call is also a segment where a deep analysis of the client’s health and wellness aspect is done to optimize the process and guarantee results. Further, an A La Carte option can also be availed by those interested in working together for individual sessions (weekly, biweekly, monthly, etc.)

No Quick Fix  

Everyone wants “quick fixes” in this fast-paced world since lifestyle development, and habit building take time to cultivate, nurture, and reinforce. Getting on a health and wellness journey can seem daunting, given our tight schedules. However, patience is the key, and one has to trust the process. It is important to acknowledge the root cause and not simply put a band-aid on the signs which might prevent overall healing. Further, Emily also encourages the process of awareness building throughout as this allows the client to connect on a much deeper level with themselves and goes beneath the behavioral surface. She also urges her clients to focus on short-term results rather than get overwhelmed by the bigger picture. Another aspect that cannot be undermined is stress management, which enormously impacts the quality of life. “We can eat all the right things, take all the right supplements, and do all the walking, but without proper stress management, all efforts are fruitless,” said Emily.   

Feeling Ready  

Be it health and wellness or entrepreneurship, Emily feels one must step out of the comfort zone to achieve the desired goals. “Anything new feels scary and overwhelming, but the real ingredients of growth lie in navigating the curve balls that come along with the territory,” said Emily. What holds people back most of the time is their frame of mind of preferring a safe environment rather than any distinct lack of knowledge. The idea is to keep pushing yourself each day, as growth does not come from a place of comfort. As that comfort zone is stretched, you will be able to notice the ripple effect of your choice on the other areas of your life. Familiar and secure is boring, juggling new challenges and overcoming them is where the magic happens.