Seedling Magazine

I wanted to be a plant­based nutritionist and health coach. So I
took the steps necessary to become those things. Then I
wanted to create an e­course that would teach new vegans
what to eat, how to prepare it, and how to get adequate macroand
micronutrients for optimal health. So I did.
Of course, I doubted myself along the way. I often asked
myself, "Who are you to be doing this?" I told myself that
there were better nutritionists out there. There were better
chefs out there. There were better teachers and coaches out
there. I was a just a little nobody with a big dream.
In those moments, I’d feel very afraid that I was going down a
road toward failure and debt. But if I had let fear keep its grip
on me, I wouldn't have been able to help so many people
transition to a plant­based diet.
To conquer fear and self­doubt, I decided to voice my
insecurities aloud and then explain to myself why those
insecurities were lies. Then I rewrote my goals as if I’d
already accomplished them, and read them aloud to myself.
This tactic removed the mental blocks that were getting in the
way of me becoming the person who achieved the goals.
Here’s an example:
myself from getting stuck.
Don’t let self­doubt kill your dreams. Try the 6­step process to
conquering it. SM
How to Conquer Self-Doubt
1. What is the aspect of yourself that you are
doubting, or that you feel insecure about?
Write it down, with an actual pen and paper.
2. Read it out loud.
3. Recognize that insecurity as a lie, and
refute it. It helps to imagine you are saying
this to a loved one, like a partner or child.
4. Write down the truth.
5. Rewrite your goal as if it already happened,
using the truth you’ve just figured out.
6. Keep moving forward and become the
person who accomplished that goal.
Insecurity: “I’m not a chef, so no one is going to buy
my e­course about plant­based cooking.”
Refute the lie: “You may not be a trained chef, but
you are great at plant­based cooking and you can help others
who know nothing about vegan cooking. It will be less
intimidating for them to learn essential cooking and meal prep
skills from you rather than from a gourmet vegan chef,
anyway.”
About the writer
Rewrite the goal as if it’s already
happened: “New vegans are finding and purchasing your
course every day because you teach them step­by­step how to
cook plant­based foods and meal prep for the week. Your
course is full of valuable tutorials, and you are changing the
world little by little by making it easier for people to stop
eating animals.”
Through this mindset shift, I created my e­course and enrolled
students, started coaching moms one­on­one, and wrote a
couple of recipe books.
Farin Montanez is a certified holistic
nutritionist, coach, and blogger based in
California. She’s also a mother of two, a
military wife, and an ultramarathon runner.
Check out her e-course on plant-based meal
prepping at spiritedvegan.com/courses.
But my mindset work is never over. Self­doubt is a constant
struggle, and I have to do this exercise continually to keep
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