Who is The Organic Chic?

My name is Jackie Blake and I am a 31 year old woman living in the Flatiron section of Manhattan. I am “The Organic Chic” and I’m here to give you the truth about holistic lifestyle, eating and affording organic food, nutritional supplements, exercise, emotional healing and any other wacky New Age topic I feel like writing about.

Most people ask if I grew up on a hippie commune in California or an organic farm in Vermont. I usually thank them for the compliment, but reply that my upbringing was not at all eco-fabulous. Living in the housing projects of Brooklyn until I was 12, and then moving out to suburban Central New Jersey, my upbringing was the antithesis of the organic movement. My parents very much believed in blindly trusting the conventional medical paradigm. We lived on margarine and aspartame. I was addicted to Diet Coke by the time I was 10. I was sick (and usually medicated) most of the time. My brother and I had several birthday parties at Burger King and have the pictures to prove it. We used the microwave way more than the oven. We ate Cocoa Puffs! I could go on, but I’m sure you get the point: that unless YOU grew up on a hippie commune, I grew up a lot like you did. As you can imagine, my early years were riddled with depression, anxiety, acne, weight problems, food addictions and low self-esteem.

So what gives me the right to call myself The Organic Chic? Well, after graduating from Rutgers University with a B.S. in Exercise Science, I became certified as a personal trainer by The American Council on Exercise and worked at Equinox Fitness Clubs in New York City. I learned a lot about the gym and working out which was cool, but was I still overweight with acne and depressed. During this time, by the grace of God, I “randomly” wandered into a Paul Chek lecture which was the moment that changed my life. For those who don’t know, Paul Chek is a leading educator in corrective exercise, organic food, metabolic typing, and holistic healing. I went on to become a CHEK-certified Nutrition and Lifestyle Coach (Level 3) and Exercise Coach. I am also a Metabolic Typing Advisor (Level 1) certified by Healthexcel, and a Certified Yoga Teacher through Yogaworks. In January 2007, I founded The Organic Experience LLC, a holistic lifestyle coaching company, in order to educate people about how to achieve and maintain lifelong wellness.

Okay so those are my official stats, however that’s NOT what makes me an authority. My main credential comes from the fact that I’ve gotten healthy the right way. I lost weight eating organic food for my metabolic type. I cleared up my skin by cutting out junk food, drinking clean water, and switching over to all organic food, a feat declared impossible by my dermatologist. I even ended my battle with depression and anxiety through my new eating habits, taking nutritional supplements and the implementing the right exercise program (not overtraining like I was doing before). I permanently kicked all of my food addictions through nutritional healing, emotional and spiritual counseling and forgiveness work. I’ve seen the same results with hundreds of my clients. And I can teach you how too. I’m no different than you. I do not have “lucky hot chick” genetics. Having grown up deeply entrenched in the junk food way of life, I can tell you it’s never too late to change. I promise you it’s not hard, and in fact it’s the only way. “What do you mean, it’s the only way?” I hear you asking. Well, what else do you have to do? The only reason you are here on Earth is to contribute to humanity in some way. Which particular way is for you to decide. However, you cannot contribute to your fullest potential unless you are healthy and in balance. You cannot shine your gifts on humanity if you are weighed down by illness and exhaustion. Make no mistake, every single human has gifts to share with the rest of us. That’s the whole reason we get healthy: to enjoy the gift of life that we have been given and then give joy and love back to the world. That’s been my experience of this journey, as well as the experience that has been reported by countless clients.

I now gladly embrace an organic lifestyle every day (in New York City no less) and scream it from the mountaintops (or my fire escape) every chance I get. I only buy organic food and eat at organic restaurants. I belong to a special club to get raw dairy because it’s illegal in New York (breakin’ the law!). I don’t own a microwave. I use all non-toxic cleaning supplies and toiletries. I say affirmations and meditate daily. I talk to angels and God. I wear crystals and essential oils. I have an intuitive, an astrologer, a shaman and a colon hydrotherapist on “my staff.” But as you can see from my picture, I’m not entirely “granola” in that I do highlight my hair, wear makeup and shave (hey a girl’s gotta keep it fresh in NYC!).

This blog is for people who are fed up with being sick (or having sick kids), being overweight, feeling lethargic, being miserable, looking older than you are, and being lied to by doctors, advertisers, pharmaceutical companies and the media. Hey guess what? Health and wellness are your birthrights! Are you ready to stand up and claim them? Everything I promote in this blog has been tried and tested on myself and my clients. Sometimes I’ll be totally vulnerable with you and sometimes I’ll crack you up. So open up your mind and get ready to claim the highest experience of health through knowledge and self-empowerment.