Denise Has the Best Products & Workshops to Help You Live Your Healthiest Life

What’s your story?
A journalist by education, I am a holistic nutritionist and wellness warrior by experience. It was my two time journey with stage 4 cancer that catapulted me into the world of nutrition and holistic healing. Diagnosed at age 26, with a relapse less than two years later, I knew that my survival and future health would need more than just a team of conventional doctors. My cancer journey is now what inspires me to share my new found appreciation for life by teaching and motivating others towards a more natural way of living and healing, through our retail stores and platforms, run by Food for Life. 

What excites you most about your industry?
I believe life is to be lived well. The majority of us go through life with mediocre goals which lead to mediocre experiences. If health is what allows us to live life to its fullest, then optimal health should be one of our life goals. The health industry has evolved a lot in both science and scope. Today, we are seeing a greater integration of diverse health professionals banding together to bring people to a greater state of being. It is no longer just the doctor or the dentist. It is the community that will be able to bring true health to all..

What’s your connection to Asia?
I was born and raised in Toronto, Canada. However, my parents are from Hong Kong. They made the move back to Hong Kong in 2003 when they started a health food distribution company, when they identified a need and opportunity here, as compared to the West. I followed in 2007, spending two years in Beijing, just before my diagnosis in December 2009. It was then that I moved back to Hong Kong for treatment. 

Favourite city in Asia for business and why?
Hong Kong, it’s the link between the East and West and has established business ethics, experience, and laws that continue to make it enticing. But it’s also the people, who are very hard working, efficient and (mainly) honest. Lastly, the very fact that my original roots are from Hong Kong, I want to invest in my people and my city. 

What’s the best piece of advice you ever received?
Failing is necessary to success, but only if you learn from it. 

Who inspires you?
My community of family and friends always inspire me, but sometimes, I gain great insights from strangers. Also, on a day to day basis, it is the wisdom found in the Bible, that was written thousands of years ago, that is still so relevant to me today, that gives me direction and the vision to see beyond the day’s tasks into a much bigger vision for humanity. 

What have you just learnt recently that blew you away?
Ten simple minutes a day of practicing gratitude can increase our immunoglobulin (a critical part of a healthy immune response) by 50%. 

If you had your time again, what would you do differently?
I would not let guilt, fear or shame hold me back from truly experiencing and learning from life and all of its ups and downs. I would relish the good, without guilt, and be bold when bad things happen, without fear, though, I’m still working on this. 

How do you unwind?
Food and nutrition is a big part of my life and so I love creating new dishes. Experimenting in the kitchen with flavours, textures and cooking methods is like therapy for me. And, when I’ve perfected a recipe, my favourite thing to do is unwind with friends over this healthy meal (and let them do the washing up).

Favourite Asian destination for relaxation? Why?
Bali, it never gets old. It has the mountains and water, but more importantly, for me, it has a ton of healthy cafes. I can spend a full day cafe hopping, trying all the amazing foods and gaining inspiration for my own creations. 

Everyone in business should read this book:
“Dare to Lead: Brave Work. Tough Conversations. Whole Hearts,” by Brené Brown. You may have the best business plan and unlimited resources, but a business is run by people. Taking care of your people, and leading them well, is fundamental to a successful business.

Shameless plug for your business:
Shop with confidence at Food for Life in our four locations and online. Knowing how hard it is to not only find, but more importantly choose, quality products, we have done the research for you, so you can shop with confidence. From whole-food supplements to gluten free and dairy free foods to organic skin care and cleaning products. Food for Life has all that you and your family needs.

Stay updated with health and wellness information by joining our workshops and tuning into our YouTube channel, Food for Life TV, and our blog, at foodforlifehk.com.

How can people connect with you?
On any of our social platforms :
IG @foodforlifehk
FB @foodforlifehk
YouTube Food For Life TV
Website: www.foodforlifehk.com
Email: [email protected]

This interview is part of the ‘Callum Connects’ series of more than 500 interviews

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is callum-signature-new-1024x587.png

Callum Laing is an entrepreneur and investor based in Singapore. He has previously started, built and sold half a dozen businesses and is now a Partner at Unity-Group Private Equity and Co-Founder and CEO of MBH Corporation PLC. He is the author of three best-selling books ‘Progressive Partnerships’, ‘Agglomerate’ and ‘Entrepreneurial Investing’.

Connect with Callum on Twitter and LinkedIn
Download free copies of his books at www.callumlaing.com

Recently Published

Key Takeaway: Artificial intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing investment by making professional financial insight and portfolio management accessible to everyone. AI-powered robo-advisers, such as Betterment and Vanguard, are democratizing investment and providing tailored advice to a new generation of investors. With 31% of gen Zs and 20% of millennials using robo-advisers, the financial industry is adapting […]

Top Picks

Key Takeaways: Stock market enthusiasts often claim to predict financial market trends with great accuracy, but this is not possible due to the uncertainty and unpredictable nature of the environments in which we make daily decisions. Human cognition tends to favor a reductionist approach to information processing, sometimes called “tunneling,” which can lead to biased […]

Trending

I highly recommend reading the McKinsey Global Institute’s new report, “Reskilling China: Transforming The World’s Largest Workforce Into Lifelong Learners”, which focuses on the country’s biggest employment challenge, re-training its workforce and the adoption of practices such as lifelong learning to address the growing digital transformation of its productive fabric. How to transform the country […]

Join our Newsletter

Get our monthly recap with the latest news, articles and resources.

Login

Welcome to Empirics

We are glad you have decided to join our mission of gathering the collective knowledge of Asia!
Join Empirics