Meet Erika Gardner | Nutritionist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Erika Gardner and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Erika, putting aside the decision to work for yourself, what other decisions were critical to your success?
Other than working for myself the single most important decision I’ve made that contributed to my success has definitely been believing in my craft. I whole heartedly believe and know that the products that I’ve deceived to sale not only work well, but they are also great for our bodies overall health as well. We sale cold-pressed juices which is the healthiest way of extracting the liquids from fruits and vegetables in order to consume them. I’ve tried many juices before. Some were cold-pressed juice and some weren’t, but I could always tell the difference! Being able to stand behind my brand knowing the benefits that it brings into peoples lives has definitely contributed to not only my success, but also my confidence.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I am a graduate of Bowling Green State University. My degree is in Criminal Justice and Forensic Science. I worked in my field for a while and then realized I was not passionate about my work. I wanted to make a change in the court system, but change wasn’t something I saw approaching. Once I quit that job I tried many entrepreneur ventures. I worked in the beauty industry twice which I failed in completely. I also began teaching CPR courses. Finally I began juicing. Juicing for myself initially. Juicing is something I would do regardless of if I was paid or not because I loved the process and also the results once the juice was digested.

Over the years I felt very discouraged by all of my endeavours flopping. It was very rough completing a 5 year degree spending a massive amount of money for school just to realize that wasn’t the field for me. I was very ego stricken when I failed in the beauty industry. Teaching CPR was fine, however it still wasn’t a thriving business. Once I found my passion it was as if it was waiting for me. Customers came immediately and so did the funds and fun!

The overall lesson I’ve learned is to do what you love! The moment I found my passion is when things shifted for me. Everything fell right into place. I was able to turn my passion into a job that eventually turned into a business. I would like the world to know that at Truly Rooted Juicery we are truly passionate about wellness and healthy lifestyles. We are truly here to help change peoples lives by introducing them back to nature. One thing we know for sure is that through nature any disease or discomfort can be cured.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
If my best friend was visiting the city I would first stop by Truly Rooted Juicery to get a ginger shot and a juice. It’s great to start your day off with a ginger shot because it gives you energy (vs coffee/ espresso). Next we would enjoy some juice from Truly Rooted Juicery because it’s great to start your day on a liquid diet than it is to have solids right away.

I would make sure that we workout at Milestone Gym which is Willoughby Hills. I would take her to get reiki done by Alicia Cleveland which is a method of energetic cleansing. We would go hang out in Chagrin Falls. There’s a great restaurant by the name of M Italian right by the falls.

We would definitely go on a couple nature walks. My favourite place to walk is near water so ideally we would be somewhere around the lake.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would love to recognize my dear friend Alicia Christine Cleveland for not only her friendship, but for her mentorship as well. I signed up to work for Alicia in 2020 to help her with her thriving business as I was out of work due to the pandemic. Helping a friend out turned into a mentorship that neither of us had in mind originally. I was so inspired by Alicia’s dedication to her business and her hard work. I knew I wanted to become an entrepreneur, but I had yet to find my passion. Through working with Alicia I learned a lot! It was at one of her events that I found my passion. I passed out ginger shots just to help boost the attendees immune systems and from there I became “the juice lady”. People wanted more and I delivered. As I grew my business all the information I learned working for Alicia in 2020 became my foundation. Without the opportunity provided by Alicia and her mentorship over the years I would probably not be in business today. For her I am grateful.

Website: TrulyrootedJuicery.com

Instagram: Truly_rooted_juicery