Rising Star Actress Catherine McCord: “Here Are 5 Lifestyle Tweaks That Can Dramatically Improve Your Wellbeing”
Create a list of 10 healthy foods your family loves and keep it on your phone or on a piece of paper so you always know what to buy at the grocery.
Catherine McCord is an entrepreneur, author, and food expert. She is the inspiring founder of the popular Weelicious brand, a trusted content resource synonymous with family and food, and the author of Weelicious and Weelicious Lunches. A graduate of the Institute of Culinary Education, she has created online how-to videos that have amassed more than fifty million views and has appeared on TODAY, Good Morning America, and The Doctors, and is a regular on the Emmy-winning NBC show Naturally, Danny Seo as well as Food Network’s #1-rated Guy’s Grocery Games. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and three children.
Thank you so much for doing this with us Catherine! Our readers would love to “get to know you” better. Can you share your “backstory” with us?
I started modeling when I was 13 years old which meant I traveled nonstop around the world. I became fascinated at a young age with why people eat such a variety of foods in other countries and why Americans in general have pickier kids. My grandparents grew some of their food and went to “U pick” farms weekly, so I learned to love fresh produce from a young age. After I finished culinary school, I worked in several restaurants and catering companies until I had my son. Then I realized my real goal was figuring out how to make him a great eater from day one. That’s how Weelicious was started and my journey into food really began.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started your career? What were the main lessons or takeaways from that story?
The daily emails and messages I receive from parents who are frustrated and struggling to figure out how to feed their families 21 meals, plus snacks each week are the most interesting part about what I get to do. Feeding is the one thing that never goes away. I like to help parents find simple strategies to make cooking easier for parents is my goal.
Can you share a story about the biggest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
For the first two years that I had Weelicious I didn’t take in any ad sales or revenue. I felt somehow like it was my service to create this brand and community. Once I realized I was working 40–50 hour weeks I learned to value my time, work and effort. I was treating Weelicious more like a non-profit than a business.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
Since I founded One Potato, I’ve met some of the most dynamic, giving female founders who have become friends. When you’re starting a new business, you’re wearing an endless assortment of hats. I feel grateful that I can reach out to a large handful of women when I have questions or need support and pay it forward every week.
Ok perfect. Now let’s jump to our main focus. When it comes to health and wellness, how is the work you are doing helping to make a bigger impact in the world?
My goals are massive. If I had a wish, it would be for every parent to feel good about what and how they’re feeding their kids and for children to learn to love real food and make good choices.
Can you share your top five “lifestyle tweaks” that you believe will help support people’s journey towards better wellbeing? Please give an example or story for each.
1. Create a list of 10 healthy foods your family loves and keep it on your phone or on a piece of paper so you always know what to buy at the grocery.
2. Grocery shop with your kids. Allow them to pick any fruit or vegetable, taste it and teach them about it. This helps a ton in expanding on a child’s willingness to try new foods.
3. Cook together. When kids become active versus passive participants it encourages them to try a variety of foods.
4. Start a tiny garden even if it’s just one potted herb plant. Nourish and grow it to become something you can enjoy and use in recipes.
5. Start your day with a smoothie using fruits, vegetables and protein. Even if its super simple you’ll be proud of yourself for making a positive delicious choice that’s easy to digest and good for you too. It sets you on a positive path for your day and taste incredible too.
If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of wellness to the most amount of people, what would that be?
The Smoothie Project! If everyone started their day with a smoothie in hand packed with nutritious brain and body fueling foods that happens to taste delectable too, I believe it would change some of the health issues that plague part of our country.
What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started” and why?
1. If you don’t already have your MBA, starting a company will make you feel like you’re getting one.
2. Owning your own company is a 7 day a week job.
3. Working for yourself is the most rewarding experience you’ll ever know.
4. Get a partner to lean on and to bounce ideas off of on a daily basis.
5. Watch out for what you wish for because the ride is extremely bumpy.
Sustainability, veganism, mental health and environmental changes are big topics at the moment. Which one of these causes is dearest to you, and why?
Everything you said and more. Everything in my life revolves around moderation, balance and making the best choices possible at every turn. At One Potato we use recycled packaging and send organic food. I shop at the farmers market every Sunday and do my best to reuse bags and only buy what I need to feed my family in a week to do away with waste. If we all made conscious decisions throughout our day about the food we eat, how we eat it and more we would be helping our planet in return.
What is the best way our readers can follow you on social media?
@weelicious and @onepotatobox!
Thank you for all of these great insights!
