Wallace Vigo Nelson is a natural health fanatic who is obsessed with getting the absolute most out of life through nutrition and self care. He and his beautiful wife raise eight kids and love to travel. He is recognized nationally for his unique approach to holistic health and is a highly anticipated speaker at events nationwide. Nelson is the creator of the Vitavore diet, author of many featured articles, and appears as an expert guest on television and radio, as well as host of the Vitavore podcast.

What motivates you each day?

For me, it is all about serving. At M’lis we are passionate about changing lives with holistic nutrition and skin care. That purpose makes all the difference on those days when things get hard. I have a quote written on the wall of my office that says, “Who out there needs the absolute best that you can give today?” Be all about serving others and motivation is easy. 

What are you doing to ensure that you continue to grow and develop as a leader?

I invest time every day to learn more about running a business and being a leader. I make certain to share the information that I learn each day with at least one other person. Continual learning is the cure for stagnation and sharing what you have learned is the best way to retain it for life. 

How do you approach change/the unknown?

We have a set of core values, one of which is that “we see the opportunity.” What this means is that, in any change or uncertainty, there is both some scary stuff and some opportunity for growth. We choose to see the opportunity because change is constant in business and in life. You cannot avoid it and it is usually the very thing that is bringing your chance to grow, so lean in and find the opportunity and pursue it hard. 

What is your favorite spa treatment?

I don’t know if I ought to admit this publicly, but as a kid I used to sit in the bathtub and read the encyclopedia. Yeah, I’m a nerd. That love for a hot soak has remained in my life, so any time a spa has some type of special mineral bath or soak, that is my go to. 

If you could go back in time to when you were first starting, what advice would you give yourself?

I have learned that most of us overestimate what we can do in a month, but far underestimate what we can do in a year. This leads many to set overly ambitious, short-term goals that are doomed to fail and to not aim near high enough over the year. Dream big, plan big – just give yourself the grace and time to make it happen and do not ever quit. 

How do I stand for what I believe in?

It is all about taking action. It is not by our beliefs that our lives are actually formed, but by our actions. So, gather up all the positive beliefs you have got and start being the biggest living embodiment of those beliefs that you can. 

Early bird or night owl?

Unfortunately, I really want to be both. As busy as my days get with family and career, I need to start out pretty early to get to the gym at 5:00 a.m. – which means I have to go to bed much earlier than I would prefer. 

Sweet or salty?

This is a completely unfair question! Life needs both the salty and the sweet in equal amounts. One only makes you appreciate the other more deeply.

Where is M’lis headed over the next five years?

Showing the world that what you put into your mouth plays as big a role as what you put on your skin when it comes to next-level aesthetic results.

What has been the hardest lesson learned in business?

That my business is broken and it always will be. I had always thought that I would grow to a place where everything ran smoothly and business got easy. I finally learned that this is a fantasy and not even a good one at that. As one area of a business improves, it breaks something else. Over and over again. It is by the process of fixing these breaks one after another that we grow bigger, stronger, and better. 

What are the most important decisions that you make as the leader of your organization?

There are really just two major things to get right: where it is we are going and who needs to be part of the team to get us there. If you get those two right, you can get a whole lot else wrong and still come out on top. 

What is the hardest thing about being a leader?

Loneliness. It is a very isolated position to stand at the front, to have your finger on the pulse of every problem and need, and to feel the weight and responsibility for every one of the millions of things that will go wrong. This is why I believe that self care for leaders is one of the most valuable things we can do. Eat well, sleep, exercise, meditate, and release stress, because every day someone will need the absolute best that you can give. The calling of the leader is to always be ready when their need arises.