Amber Marie has been working as a private chef and nutrition educator for about a decade in both South Florida and the Savannah/Hilton Head area where she currently resides. She holds a culinary degree from Johnson & Wales University, an education degree from New York University, and a law degree from CUNY School of Law. Prior to entering the culinary field, she was an attorney for the government in New York City - but her lifelong passion for cooking and a series of health challenges led her to reconsider her priorities. She has studied nutrition extensively to not only regain her own health but to better support her clients, and she seeks to inspire others with her shift from the "employee" mindset to the more creative lifestyle of the entrepreneur - which required her to face her lifelong struggles around vagueness with time and money as well as compulsive busyness. In her free time, she enjoys writing poetry, yoga, nature photography, music, sailing, travel, pondering the spiritual dimensions of existence...and cats.
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Being an attorney is often thought of as prestigious work, but as Amber Marie explains, the pressure and stress of the role led her to reconsider. Facing personal health challenges, and seeing how her health improved as she changed her diet, Amber realized that perhaps her true calling was to pursue a culinary and nutrition-focused career.
Of course, the change would also contradict her mentality to help people and make a difference in the world - or so, she initially thought. As Amber explains, given time to reflect upon her career options, she recognized that our days are made of the seemingly ‘little things’ - like catching a beautiful sunrise, or enjoying a delicious meal - and her goal became clear. She’d focus her energy on making meals that would be a highlight in the day of her clients, while also being nutritious.
Joining us to share her story, Amber opens up about the role her spirituality played during her career transition; the importance of keeping your eyes on your own paper; speaking up about your needs at work; and trying new things instead of later regretting the choice to not try at all.