Picture this: an 8-year-old me making pasta experiments in the kitchen, already obsessed with creating the perfect sauce. By 13, I was the designated chef for my parents' dinner parties—they'd buy the groceries, I'd work the magic. That early trust and creative freedom ignited a love affair with food that led me straight into professional kitchens by age 15. For the next 12 years, I learned from incredible local chefs, treating every kitchen like my personal culinary university.

But here's the plot twist—while I was mastering the art of cooking, I was quietly battling some serious health challenges. That's when food stopped being just about flavor and started becoming my medicine. I dove headfirst into research, exploring holistic health and functional nutrition, determined to understand why my body was reacting the way it was. By 2015, this curiosity had evolved into a full-blown passion for how food shapes every aspect of our wellbeing.

When I decided to embrace a healthier lifestyle, something incredible happened—what started as personal health choices became a complete awakening to interconnected systems I'd never noticed before. The world opened up as I began seeing the fascinating connection between how we eat and environmental health. My passion for what's ethical—putting life before profit—transformed every question into an opportunity for deeper understanding. This wasn't just about diet anymore; it was about representing interconnection, environmental responsibility, and ethical consistency.

This journey of discovery strengthened my conviction in making conscious choices. Nature became my spirituality, leading me to protect American Wild Horses, research public land conservation, and become a certified Regenerative Agriculture advocate and Plant-Based Coach. What began as personal transformation evolved into an ecosystem of purpose, each piece reinforcing my foundation for helping others.

That's why I founded VivoNu in 2024. I realized helping others goes beyond just creating meal plans—it's about rebuilding relationships with food through mindful awareness. When people ask "what does my body need?" instead of "what should I avoid?", they develop an internal compass for navigating nutrition and social dynamics. This awareness creates a domino effect—the same mindfulness that tunes you into your body's signals makes you more attuned to the larger systems around you.

While veganism became my path, my role is to guide you to explore food choices within a plant-based framework—your journey is uniquely yours. VivoNu exists because everyone deserves to make health choices from authentic awareness, not social pressure, and to find their own unshakeable foundation. This journey has been personal, powerful, and full of learning—and now I'm here to share everything I've discovered with others ready to start their own path to better health.

~Nicole