Combining a Love for Food and Entrepreneurship w/ Health Conscious Chef Evan Rilling

Join me for this episode of The Wanderlover Podcast as I talk with Evan Rilling who has gone from strength to strength as personal chef to Will Smith to creating his own cookbook and conscious cooking classes. We discuss the power of universal guidance (05:45), staying strong to your vision (21:30) and designing your life around what you value most.

✧ Follow Evan on Instagram: https://instagram.com/freestylekitchen or check out his website: https://thehealthyhomechef.com/ 

✧ Join Healthy Home Chef Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/healthyhomechef 

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Audio Transcript

Intro (5s):
The Wanderlover podcast was created with a mission to enable travel and freedom through entrepreneurship. I’m your host, Danielle Hu business mentor, content creator, and founder of The Wanderlover tune in every week for episodes about travel online business, social media, and mindset that will inspire you to take massive action towards living the life of your dreams. If you’ve been enjoying the Wanderlover podcast, if you’ve been tuning in and finding inspiration and taking away value, it would mean so much to me. If you could take a second to leave us a review on apple podcasts, I continue to record these episodes for you every single week and take all of your comments and feedback to heart.

Danielle (52s):
Thank you guys so, so much. Hi everyone. Welcome back to The Wanderlover podcast, where we interview fascinating entrepreneurs from all walks of life. This week on the show, we have special guest. Evan is a master of health conscious farm to table cuisine and spent four and a half years working as a freelance chef for the actor Will Smith and his family. His love for travel has led him to design menus, create recipes and cook for Health Conscious retreat centers, help food brands and restaurants around the world. Welcome to the show. Evan.

Evan (1m 25s):
Thanks so much. It’s really good to be here

Danielle (1m 27s):
Off air, we were just discussing how Evan tends to rap when he is introduced on Podcast shows. It’s really early in Bali right now where he is, but I’m sure our audience would love to get a sneak peek of your rap skills.

Evan (1m 47s):
Yeah. Can you do any kind of a beat for me?

Danielle (1m 52s):
Honestly, I don’t know if I can.

Evan (1m 55s):
I feel it helps, you know, just like a little.

Danielle (2m 2s):
Yeah.

Evan (2m 3s):
Or like the thing you can get, something like that.

Danielle (2m 8s):
I’ll do that 1, 2, 3 da-na-nah-nah.

Evan (2m 14s):
Yeah. Yeah. It’s about time for me to bust a rap. I’m on the podcast, broadcast world, black people on the mission. They’ve been in traveling as times on rather than I keep on opening. So the possibility is filling me in good food, getting barreled enough to live, but check it out. What’s up. I’m about to slip out of the matrix and in recall in the morning, check it out. Here we go. One, two, huh?

Danielle (2m 49s):
Wow. That was completely freestyle.

Evan (2m 54s):
Yeah.

Danielle (2m 56s):
I love it. Do you incorporate that into your

Evan (3m 0s):
Yeah, I have been a lot more recently. I was something I was kind of like hesitant about, but yeah, I’m doing like videos. I’ve been doing a few cooking videos where I like film the cooking and then once I edit it, I’ll just watch it. And I’ll do like a freestyle rap over the video and yeah, I’ve been doing it on podcasts and just, just opening to it and trusting that the right thing will come at because I never know what I’m going to say.

Danielle (3m 28s):
That’s such a talent. I can barely like, hold my peace, keep going with that. So I guess to start, I would love to take the audience back and me, because this is the first time I’m hearing your story. How did your love for food and sustainable living develop?

Evan (3m 47s):
Yeah, sure. I, I loved food when I was like, as soon as I started eating, I guess like when I was a little kid, my dad would call me Evan, the eater. Cause I would like that much. And I have this thing, they’d call it the big guy. So like when I eat a food, I really love like one of my eyes would get super big. And so I guess it just sort of like part of my journey was loving food. And with that love for food, I started just like learning simple cooking when I was quite young. And like, I think one of my first dishes was like salsa, like home and set.

Evan (4m 27s):
Cause I love chips and salsa and I just wanted to eat good food. So I started being like, okay, how can I make that? And my parents are both really into growing food. And so we always had like really awesome gardens and like the sell side was making, I was picking most of the stuff from the garden. So from a pretty young age, I was just like learning about sustainability and cooking and food. And it was just like a natural passion of mine.

Danielle (4m 54s):
And when did it develop into something more that you realized this is what you wanted to pursue for the rest of your life?

Evan (5m 2s):
I don’t know if I quite realize that it just sorta happened. I, so when I was getting, as in high school and I was going to go to college, I was either going to study art or go to culinary school and I decided to go to art school. But while I was doing that, I got a job in a restaurant. So I started cooking more and I CA I realized I didn’t want to work in a restaurant because it’s pretty stressful and kind of low pay. And so after college I was creating a lot of art and like starting to sell some of my art, but I was also growing a lot of food. And I started doing like private dinner parties with the food I was growing. And that led to the opportunity for me to cook for will Smith.

Evan (5m 46s):
So that was sort of like the moment that I was guided to be a chef, basically like for my career, it was, Well, do you believe in like a spiritual guides? Yeah, I think that’s how it happened. It would be hard to explain. Like I had had the thought when I was working in a restaurant, someone told me about like personal chef that I was a job. And so I’d had that thought and was like, oh, maybe that’d be cool for me. And then this was like a couple of years later and basically, so I was doing the private dinner parties and I maybe did like two or three, not that many of them. And I was also part of a group that was eating all local food for a year, has called locavore.

Evan (6m 29s):
And I met a woman through that that was working for will Smith at the time. And she had, like, I had just met her once and then she was on my email list. So she saw my menus for the dinner parties and the Smiths needed a healthy chef. Basically they went to Kauai, they had like a really healthy chef there and they were coming home and we’re like, we want to eat healthy now, like healthier. And so I think for like the staff and the chefs, it was like a little urgent. We were like, okay, we got to figure out like a healthy chef. And I was just in the right place at the right time. I was working actually cleaning, like bird cages at a Raptor rehabilitation center.

Evan (7m 10s):
And I got a phone call. I had like a little cell phone and I got a phone call from this woman, Rachel Maine. And she was like, do you want to come cook for will Smith tomorrow? And I was like, what? Like apply for it. I didn’t, I don’t think, I don’t think I even knew that she worked for him or it was like, so like not really what I was trying to do or anything and it just sort of happened. And I was like, yeah, sure. I’ll do it. And the lady that I worked for her husband was a chef. So he like, let me borrow a chef jacket. I remember I like, as a kid, I got to get a haircut.

Evan (7m 50s):
And like, and like the next day I was cooking for will Smith. That was, that was pretty wild. I remember like going into their like dining room and like serving them and just be like, what the hell, tell him what else, Smith what’s for dinner and his family. And like, but yeah, they liked, they liked what I did. I was pretty under-qualified in the way of like being trained and experience, but I was quite good at getting really good ingredients. And I was also pretty like creative. And so that was sort of what gave me, I think that’s what gave me edge or like the ability to really like, hold that position was I was bringing such amazing ingredients and cooking with them.

Evan (8m 34s):
That really awesome food for them.

Danielle (8m 38s):
And where did you go after? So after your four years with will and his family.

Evan (8m 45s):
Yeah, after that, I worked for Nativa, it’s like a super food health food brand. I was working for them. And then I started trying to remember, I had of a lot of jobs, but the main thing I said doing was cooking for retreats after that. So like yoga retreats, women’s retreats, essential oil, men’s retreats, all kinds of retreats basically. And that was a super cool job because in that time, like people, like a lot of people started trying my food and I got to interact with them. So I was getting a lot more feedback on like the food I was creating. And that’s, that’s what led to me writing a cookbook actually. Cause a lot of people were like, Hey, how do I make this recipe?

Evan (9m 27s):
I want to learn about this. I remember being kind of annoyed at first. Cause I was trying to cook it and it’d be like cold. But then as I need to like take time outside of cooking, to like write recipes and like give these people what they want. Cause it’s cool that they want this.

Danielle (9m 44s):
And where are you now? So how have you brought your business around the world?

Evan (9m 49s):
Yeah. So now I’m, I just came out with the cookbook and I’m moving into more like teaching and coaching. So I’m about to launch a course, helping people with their relationship, with food and like creating a more positive relationship. And then I’ve got the cookbook. I’m also making videos. I was doing videos for a brand in Mexico for awhile. And what I’m moving towards is having a Netflix show. That’s like the next thing.

Danielle (10m 20s):
Oh my God. I would definitely watch it.

Evan (10m 24s):
Yeah. I’m super excited. I mean, it’s funny cause it’s been being on camera. Like you used to really scare me a lot. Like are totally free to be so nervous. And but now I’ve been like really working on it and I’m getting way more comfortable. And I think, I feel like I’m ready to ready for that now.

Danielle (10m 42s):
Yeah. And it would be so aligned with everything else that you’re doing, expanding on your mission and teaching people about healthy cooking in general.

Evan (10m 53s):
Yeah. Yeah. And for the show I want to do like basically like travel surf side, be like going on a surf trip somewhere, exploring the food and then also connecting with the indigenous culture. And it’s kind of like highlighting their ways of connection and different perspectives on how to approach food and also like all the possibilities of food. Cause there’s so many, there’s like infinite possibilities and so many really cool, like healthy ingredients that a lot of people never heard about or tried. And so I like opening people’s minds and just sharing all these cool possibilities out there.

Danielle (11m 31s):
Do you have a name for the show? I do.

Evan (11m 33s):
It’s that eat so Cray.

Danielle (11m 38s):
I see it. Have you been pitching Netflix?

Evan (11m 43s):
Not yet. That’s kind of like a next that’s going to happen this year. Right. And how I’ve been mostly promoting the book and then working on this course to help more people with their relationship to food. And then once that is kind of flowing, then the next one is the pitch for the net.

Danielle (12m 1s):
What I admire about your story is just how dedicated you are to your craft. Even at an early age, you were never thinking and putting pressure on yourself that you had to commit to something for the rest of your life. You were simply doing what you loved. And so, because of all your experience, basically following your heart and your passions, so many amazing opportunities have opened up to.

Evan (12m 23s):
Yeah, totally. And it’s, it’s been an interesting journey, like getting to this point now where I’m teaching more and helping people shift their relationship to food is like kind of a result of all the cooking that I’ve done and like learning about food and trying new superfoods, trying different diets. But then also I’ve done like a lot of personal work and studied about how to help people with that. So it’s sort of like this merging of those two skill sets. It’s exciting. I mean, it’s like, I didn’t think I would really go this direction, but I feel like I meant to support people with it. And, and I realized a lot of people have unhealthy relationships with food and it’s, it’s kind of a big burden on their lives.

Evan (13m 9s):
So

Danielle (13m 10s):
What do you mean by an unhealthy relationship?

Evan (13m 13s):
Well, there’s, there’s a lot of ways that could look, but I would say generally it would be like disconnected. So like there’s some people who, when they, they don’t like any healthy food. So like when they’re eating healthy food, like food, that’s good for their body. They’re thinking it’s gross. So they’re not really enjoying it. But then when they’re eating food that they think is good, it feels bad for their body. So like no matter what they do, they’re not enjoying their eating experience.

Danielle (13m 48s):
That

Evan (13m 48s):
Would be one example. And so like I can, I help people shift that one by just becoming more present and like aware of their mindset. Because a lot of times there’s people, a lot of times to try a new food and before they even taste it, they’re like making a face and going like, yeah. And they haven’t even tasted it. So they don’t, it’s like they’ve already made up in their mind. They don’t like it before time. So I like do some drills to help people shift that. And then also like, because I’m a Health Conscious Chef, I have like a lot of knowledge of how to make healthy food. That tastes really good. So I also help them like explore new possibilities of like finding healthy food that they really love

Danielle (14m 35s):
In college. I remember I used to hate pickles, but I just really wanted to get rid of how picky I was with pickles. And like if it was in a burger, I would always take it out. And so I remember buying a jar of dill pickles and I would eat one every day. And as I eating it, I would repeat to myself, oh my gosh, this is so good. This is like the best thing. And over time, like now I love pickle.

Evan (15m 1s):
So you did it yourself. And

Danielle (15m 3s):
I think it’s so relevant to not only food, but to many things. We just have these preconceived notions before we even try something. And we assume that’s what the outcome is. And even thinking those thoughts affect the outcome because you’re closing yourself off of what could be and how much you could be loving it.

Evan (15m 21s):
Yeah, totally. Yeah. And one other thing that came to mind is somebody might be like pickles or say mushrooms. They might try mushrooms once and be like, ah, I don’t like mushrooms, but there’s like with every food, there’s a huge spectrum. Like there’s a bunch of different kinds of mushrooms and there’s a bunch of cooking mushrooms. So if it was like, not that good, a mushrooms and someone cooked them. So they’re kind of like slimy and soggy that’s people aren’t going to like, they’re like really nice mushrooms. And they’re like kinda like crisp and a little golden it’s like that the chance of liking it is a lot greater. So, and then also just the different varieties, like tomatoes, there’s a ton of different spectrum and variety of tomatoes where some of them are like have hardly any tastes and the texture is not good.

Evan (16m 12s):
And then some are like juicy and really flavorful and amazing. So it’s, it’s cool. I love helping people kind of like broaden awareness and mindset around that kind of stuff.

Danielle (16m 22s):
Yeah. And I think it’s also applicable to different cuisines too. So if you try one dish from one cuisine, you can’t base the entire spectrum of everything from that country or that region just on that one dish food, even in experiences in life, just being really aware of how your bias and there’s so much more to what you are currently experiencing.

Evan (16m 47s):
Yeah. Yeah. I think with travel, it’s a huge truth that there’s like so many different experiences and we, because of our language, we like label like going to a ceremony as all ceremonies are like that maybe are all tomatoes are the same and it kind of puts this huge limit on us actually being fully present with each experience and understanding that every moment and every experience is going to be different and being open to that.

Danielle (17m 20s):
Yeah. So true. So where are you now?

Evan (17m 24s):
I located, you mean or okay. I’m in UWA to Indonesia. It’s in Bali.

Danielle (17m 32s):
So you think you’re going to stay in Bali?

Evan (17m 35s):
Yeah. Yeah. I think it’s going to be

Danielle (17m 38s):
Okay. I thought you were still traveling for some reason. I thought you were on the move. No,

Evan (17m 44s):
I mean, I’m fairly grounded here. I have another project that’s called the Ulu food forest. And so that’s like a community garden and food food forest project. So that’s pretty like grounded here.

Danielle (17m 59s):
Can you share a little more about that?

Evan (18m 1s):
Yeah, sure. So that’s, it’s in collaboration with the local temple. They own the land and the project. It’s about 32 ARRA and it’s all like community volunteer basically. And we gather once a week and we have a circle and kind of, we do a few like connection exercises connecting to each other and then connecting back to the earth. And then we work in the garden, regenerating the soil, restoring the water and growing food and trees basically. And for me, a big intention for it was to give people a space to like spend time with the earth and connecting back to the earth.

Evan (18m 48s):
Cause I noticed like a lot of the Westerners here, aren’t, there’s not much opportunity or like kind of need in a way to work with the land because there’s so much like service here from the ball and ease that where most people are being served a lot and having a lot of things done for them, which is really nice, but there’s also a lot of benefit of connecting to nature. So it’s been really cool. Like most people that come feel a lot happier after, and I’m like really grateful and, and also we’re like restoring and regenerating the land, which is something in the future.

Evan (19m 30s):
I want to do like large scale reforestation projects. Cause there’s a lot of deforestation happening around the world. But specifically in Indonesia there’s quite a lot and it’s a cool like ability we have as humans to work with nature and regenerate forest and create more life and more abundance

Danielle (19m 51s):
As you start at yourself. That’s incredible. I’m on the website right now and it’s

Evan (19m 58s):
Yeah. Yeah. I started and now there’s another woman Maggie, who is like a co co-founder she’s she actually built the website. She’s been super helpful. And we had like very similar vision. So she came to one of the work days and then we became friends and she’s really helped grow it. Yeah.

Danielle (20m 17s):
And how did you get this idea? How did you start the first steps? If someone listening, they want to start their own project, their own movement. What would your advice be around going about

Evan (20m 30s):
Y so the first question, how did I get the idea? I, I was, I was living in New Zealand actually and I did a road trip and I, there was kind of like this large scale deforestation happening and just to like see that I could feel that impact. And I think I felt pretty sad, like just seeing nature being destroyed on that level. And then I spent a month, there was like a month where I was kind of alone a lot. And I was in the forest on the south island, which are like really beautiful forest. And I just started getting like a message to grow a forest. So I guess I think one of the first steps is really like taking time and listening within and being guided.

Evan (21m 18s):
It’s quite helpful because it, I feel like the things that I’ve done where I’m a little more guided to do, then they just sort of happen a lot easier than if I’m trying to force it, which I’ve done too. I’ve definitely tried to force things, but if so, like finding the guidance and then I guess like, yeah, just trusting when the opportunities open and also holding the vision of going like, okay, this is something I’m going to do in my life. And then when the opportunities open, just taking the next step forward and especially with the food forest project, I’ve really like, I feel like it’s sort of like this bigger vision that’s outside of me.

Evan (22m 4s):
Like it exists in the universe and I’m just kind of like walking the path and at the right time, the right information comes in and then I go, okay, cool. I’m going to like take this action or the right people come in to help and support. And so just holding the vision and then listening and taking the action in the right timing. Right? Yeah. Yeah. Confidence is key. Just kind of, I’m going to do this because at first it was like just me, my girlfriend at the time. It wasn’t very many people. I mean, it was like hot and like, it wasn’t very developed, so it wasn’t like so nice.

Evan (22m 48s):
Yeah. Now it’s nice, but, but just kind of knowing like, Hey, this is something I’m supposed to do and I’m gonna like stick with it. And I think that’s also a big lesson I’ve had is like, not like, like sticking with something and holding the vision for a long period of time because the, the journey is not, I mean, for me, it’s, it hasn’t necessarily been easy with my projects. And there’s times when I fail or I run into my own fear insecurity, and then I need to spend the time to like handle that within myself to open to the next expansion and the next step.

Evan (23m 32s):
And, and just to keep going, like, even though like, I’ll go and I’ll get somewhere and then maybe it’ll like drop off a little bit and then re kind of like recenter myself and then keep walking the path.

Danielle (23m 45s):
And what would you say? It sounds like a lot of times when you are tested with things going wrong, or you do run into things that might throw you off, you might base your inner shadows. What are some practices that have really helped you on your entrepreneurship journey and just pushing through and holding strong to your vision?

Evan (24m 10s):
Meditation helps me. That’s a pretty good one. Sometimes surfing is really helpful and just like relieving the stress and just having fun. So I don’t know if it necessarily, like, I don’t think it like shifts the, if it’s a big thing within myself, that’s blocking it or a big lesson I need to learn, which usually I would say it is meditation. And then I also do something it’s called processing work. So I work one-on-one with a woman and the processes are like series of questions to help find more truth and explore like what’s going on in myself.

Evan (24m 53s):
So maybe like the patterns or I’m using a certain identity, that’s not the right identity to accomplish what I want. Or like, self-sabotage, there’s kind of a lot of things that could be happening. So that’s been super helpful for me. And I actually

Danielle (25m 12s):
Never heard of that. It’s called processing work.

Evan (25m 15s):
Yeah. The study of it is called knowledge ism. And then like the practice is called processing or life enhancement. Yeah. And it’s, it’s been really a powerful tool in my life. The study is like kind of, I guess it’s like universal knowledge and those practices and communication presence exercises, but then there’s the processing part of it that really helps kind of like go within and, and understand what’s blocking or getting in our way, but also helps optimize us to create the futures that we want and like create really strong visions for our future and optimal identities so we can accomplish what we want, that kind of stuff.

Evan (26m 2s):
And yeah, it’s quite cool. And I’ve studied it too. And I do some processing. I didn’t do a lot of it, but I do some for other people also. And that those skill sets help also with like helping people with their relationship to food. I don’t do the exact processes, but I’ve actually developed some of my own processes to help people with food, which is pretty cool.

Danielle (26m 25s):
Would you mind sharing some of them

Evan (26m 29s):
Like running you through one or sharing about it

Danielle (26m 33s):
Or just sharing one of your unique methods that you take people through?

Evan (26m 38s):
Yeah. So one of them is it’s called like the connection exercise, and it’s sort of like a mindfulness practice and you basically go through the senses. So you first, you like look at an ingredient and you see the energy of it and like the colors and what do you notice? And then you touch it. You feel it, see what you notice. And in the process, like if something gets triggered, then I would like handle that. Or you’d be like, if someone goes, I’d be like, oh, what’s happening that’s.

Evan (27m 19s):
And so I basically like go through all the senses and then eventually they like eat it and connect with it. So it’s just a process of getting very present with an ingredient. And it’s actually, I mean, some people have like kind of deep trauma come up with certain ingredients. Like it reminds them of things and it can be quite powerful and healing like more than I understood. But now that I’ve been applying it, it it’s like, yeah, it can help make some very big shifts. And then there’s also a process I’ll do, that’s a recipe creation process.

Evan (27m 59s):
So it’s like, I kind of broke down like my mental process of how I visualize creating a recipe and simplified it. And so that process allows someone that maybe doesn’t feel creative in the kitchen, or doesn’t cook at all to create like a simple recipe and understand what is the process of doing that just mentally. And that’s quite cool too. I’ve had people like done it on people that haven’t cooked for a long time and they’re like, ah, I can cook. Like I want to go cook now. So like kind of opens this.

Danielle (28m 35s):
Yeah. And I think it’s just breaking down some barriers, some mental blocks, like when I think about cooking, it’s daunting. Right. And I feel like I don’t know what to do. I have no idea how all the ingredients work together, but then giving people the guidance and the support to make it fun instead of intimidating. I think that’s so powerful and what you do.

Evan (28m 58s):
Yeah. It’s, I mean really like simplifying. It is a big thing. And another big thing for people that are like yourself that are like, ah, it’s intimidating and is to start by learning how to get really good ingredients and not trying to get ingredients for a recipe, but just like going on an adventure. So like going to a farmer’s market or a farm, or just kind of like on this adventure and be like, okay, I’m going to go try and find a new, some new food in the area I live. And in that process, like you usually make friends and usually you find some really awesome ingredients that make cooking way easier because they already tastes really good.

Evan (29m 41s):
And then based on that is how I like get people cooking. Cause a lot of people start with a recipe and they’re like, okay, let me look up something online and then mission to try and find those ingredients. Cause they might not be in season. They might not have them in the stores. And a lot of times when people get home, they’re like kinda over it.

Danielle (30m 9s):
I don’t know what happened to these ingredients.

Evan (30m 12s):
Yeah. Whereas if you just go and find ingredients and like, especially like a farmer’s market, it’s a pretty easy place. Cause you can like talk to people, you can sample things and you just find a couple of things that like tastes good and then, you know, okay, these are like in season or where I live, then you could look up a recipe with those ingredients and it’s like, you’re going to have really good ingredients. You already know where to get them. So it just makes it much easier.

Danielle (30m 41s):
Awesome. I’d love to hear what is the essence of the cookbook just for our audience lists?

Evan (30m 46s):
Yeah. So the cookbook is called retreat and it’s based on my experience cooking for retreats. Like I was saying, that’s people were asking for the recipes. So that kind of started me on the journey of like, okay, I’m going to write a cookbook. And the main concept, like someone I would cook for a retreat, people want to like take that experience home with them because they’re having so much fun. They’re feeling connected. They’re eating food that they love. And like it’s just, it’s kind of a different reality than like most people’s everyday life where there’s a lot more connection. Vulnerability. Laughter good food, all these nice things.

Evan (31m 27s):
So my kind of main goal with the cookbook was like, how can I like have a book that allows someone to create some of this experience in their own home, even someone that hasn’t been to a retreat. And so the book is all about connection, really how to become more connected to the earth, how to use food, to connect with your friends and family and this kind of idea of like, what are all the unseen blessings in cooking and eating and like the process of food other than fueling our body. So it’s like an invitation for people to go, Hey, I’m gonna like take this Sunday and like just cook and like see what I get from that experience.

Evan (32m 16s):
Or I’m going to take three hours, like turn off my phone. No, no computer, no TV. And like just cook with my family or cook with my kid or make a meal for my partner and kind of using that as a, a beautiful experience of life rather than like, okay, I gotta cook something quick. Like everyone’s hungry

Danielle (32m 39s):
As a chore.

Evan (32m 41s):
Like I have to do it and I get to do this. This is going to be like, I get to be creative. I get to like make something that tastes good and like smell all these flavors and have beautiful ingredients. So that’s kind of like the, the essence of the book. It also has kind of like references to spiritual connection and like connecting with this spirit of ingredients. And I, so like for me through time, I’ve developed a relationship with my spirit guides and I think they, you know, they helped me get the will Smith job.

Evan (33m 21s):
That was when I first kind of became aware that that was like happening for me. And so they helped me in the kitchen. Like when I’m cooking, sometimes I’ll just be like, but how much should I put? And I’ll just get like an answer of like put three of those leaks or I’ll be cooking and it’s like, check that and then I’ll go check. And like something’s about to burn. It’s like kind of helping me and it’s, it’s really cool and special. So I have, I did a lot of illustrations in the book cause I’m an artist as well. And there’s these little guys that are the spirit guides. So they’re like throughout the book tips on things to help you in the kitchen basically.

Danielle (34m 4s):
And where can we find your book?

Evan (34m 7s):
It’s on my website, it’s the healthy home chef.com.

Danielle (34m 13s):
And if we want to connect with you, what are your other links and socials?

Evan (34m 18s):
Yeah. So freestyle kitchen is my Instagram and Facebook. I have a Facebook group called the healthy home chef. Cool. I’d say if you want to connect directly with me, like to learn more about working on your relationship with food, messaging me on Instagram is the best way.

Danielle (34m 39s):
Awesome. So I will link all of those in the episode description, but ultimately I just loved hearing how passionate you are about what you do and seeing everything come together so beautifully, so aligned in your life.

Evan (34m 55s):
Yeah. Thank you. Me too.

Danielle (34m 60s):
Do you have any last words of

Evan (35m 2s):
Advice? Yeah. I think just like having your priorities straight of like, what’s really important to you. And I feel like once I had that, I was able to create what I wanted to create more and more and that’s always changing. So I’m always kind of like creating my next reality, but really from a young age, surfing was quite important to me. Like the first half of my life, it was a priority. And because of that, I like created a life and a lifestyle that allowed me to travel and surf. So I think it’s just to know anything’s possible.

Evan (35m 44s):
And it’s just a matter of like creating priorities and, and also like asking yourself, how could I do that? So if you’re wanting to create something, ask that question and write down like 20 answers and just be like, oh, if I wanted to have this, how could I do it? And just like do your best to expand your mind. And, and usually there’s like some pretty good options, so

Danielle (36m 7s):
Yeah. And trusting that it will all work out for you.

Evan (36m 12s):
Yeah. Yeah. And going for a journey. It’s an adventure. So,

Danielle (36m 17s):
Well, thank you so much for your words of wisdom avenue is a pleasure happening on the show.

Evan (36m 23s):
Thanks for having me really good to connect with you.

Danielle (36m 25s):
See you guys all next week.

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