What My Food Healing Journey Taught Me About Business, Balance, and Wu Wei

What if the rules you were taught don’t apply to your body or your business after all?

11 months ago, I embarked on a food healing journey with a Taiwanese TCM practitioner who also happened to be a fitness coach. The program wrapped up in mid-December last year.

Now, almost 6 months later, I’m finally writing about that transformative experience and how it became nutrients for building and running my business today.

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The Unexpected Pull

Let me take you way back. I had stumbled across his Instagram, likely through another Taiwanese creator’s IG story, and was immediately drawn in. Part of me was curious about how he structured his IG content. But the deeper pull was the fact that in his food healing program, each meal plan is tailored according to your body’s constitution (體質), blending the wisdom of 中醫五行 (Five Elements in TCM) with Western hormonal science. In his system, there are 25 body types, and depending on which one you are, your meals and exercise plans shift accordingly.

I grew up around TCM, so food healing wasn’t a new concept. But this was different. It felt more holistic and personal. At the time, I was still dealing with persistent health issues, so I decided to give the program a try.

Detox First, Then Depth

In our first consultation, we reviewed my intake form and he shared some surprisingly unconventional philosophies. That alone told me this wasn’t going to be a surface-level program.

The first two weeks were a full-body detox. He gave me a strict meal plan, a long list of foods and drinks to avoid, and a specific daily green juice. I wasn’t sure how long I could hold up…but I made it through.

The wildest part? Every health issue I had mentioned quietly disappeared by the end of those two weeks.

We continued adjusting my plan over the next few months, and I also had two non-food healing consultations called “心靈探索” (inner soul exploration). What we talked about in those conversations lingered within me long after the program ended. Because what we talked about wasn’t just about food and health. It was about life, identity, energy, and truth.

The entire experience changed how I relate to my body, my business, and the way I move through the world. And here’s what I’ve carried with me since last December.

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The Business Lessons Hidden in My Healing

1. When we seek perfection, we’re actually creating imbalance
   In our first session, he asked why I am doing this program and essentially, I told him I want to get my body back in balance. But he told me that seeking a perfect balance is an imbalance. Your body naturally balances itself, so it doesn’t need to be constantly “healthy”. You can strive for balance, but don’t go overboard because the body knows better than your brain how to do its job. This reminded me that true balance isn’t something we micromanage; it’s something our body, our life, and our business will do when we stop interfering with them so much.

2. When we keep seeking answers outside ourselves, we ignore our inner wisdom
   When I told him I have a team of healthcare professionals I rely on, he told me that my body doesn’t fit neatly into any expert’s system and methods. When we keep jumping from one method to another, we end up treating symptoms rather than truly listening to what our body needs. The body holds more intelligence than we give it credit for. Same thing with our business, we already have so much inner wisdom and it’s time to tap into that. We can still supplement with an expert’s advice, but the final call is still up to us.

3. When we seek a “holistic” approach by piecing together too many parts, we actually fragment ourselves
   So when I shared that I’m into holistic health and wellness, he pointed out that I’m actually dividing myself up because I’m treating different symptoms with different experts. But each of their system is limited because it’s coming from a specific angle and perspective. The true essence of TCM actually focuses on the patient really listening to what their whole body is trying to tell them. In a way, I resonated with that when it comes to the marketing and business strategies and tips I share with my own clients. Without knowing the client’s whole business situation, specific advice can only solve piecemeal problems and not the root cause.

4. When we push ourselves without rest, we’re working against the body, not with it
   At one point, I asked him how much I should execute the workout plan, and he said, “ Find the balance between challenging and relaxing yourself.” It’s probably doing more harm than good when it makes us feel depleted. That was a good reminder for how I run my business, because often we hear that more effort = better results. But sometimes the most aligned thing we can do for ourselves is rest or scale back.

5. When we rigidly follow rules, we miss the space where real integration happens
   As we wrapped up the program, he told me I was one of the most consistent students, following his program to the T. But he mentioned that the ones that did best in his program were the ones who broke the rules a little. They found their own flow. Being a “good student” by strictly following instructions doesn’t necessarily mean I was actually learning to listen to myself. The best results happened to those who understood and adapted the guidance to their real lives. So come to the middle way—not too disciplined and not too relaxed.

6. When we over-label things, we create duality
   And lastly, I asked how often I can have cheat meals when doing this program for myself in the future. But once again, he pointed out that food isn’t “good” or “bad”, it’s neutral. I don’t need to divide foods, so just relax and don’t restrict myself, because then that creates cravings. The more neutral and relaxed your relationship with food becomes, the more your body gets to simply enjoy. Same goes for how we label our thoughts, success, or progress in business. The more we can release the labels, the more naturally we flow in movement.

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Soul Wisdom That Rewired My Business

1. The way I treat my business is a reflection of how I treat myself
   Life, business, and self are not separate. There is no “personal vs. professional” when you’re building something that’s soul-aligned. Everything mirrors everything.

2. Using Wu Wei to do business is a balance between survival and peace of mind
   If your goal is to purely succeed and become the next tech giant, then Wu Wei isn’t a good approach. But if you’re looking for a good amount of transactions and peace of mind, Wu Wei would be supportive in helping you build that business. You’ll receive in proportion to what you do because the universe balances things out. You’ll get exactly what you need. Wu Wei isn’t about passivity. It’s about natural, effortless action that arises from clarity. You’re not forcing things nor are you disengaged. You’re just doing what’s right, moment to moment, with trust.

3. When you share from a pure state then your message becomes medicine
   I once asked him what his motivation was to run his IG account when it’s not even about his services; it’s all philosophy and spirituality related instead. He told me there’s no other choice because people suffer for no good reason, so he just shares. He doesn’t share to get rewarded (he doesn’t care about likes, comments, engagement, etc). And if we’re sharing to get something back, then that’s our ego talking. So share because it’s the right thing to do, not because you’re trying to perform.

4. You don’t need to become something. You just need to be.
   There’s a famous saying about “don’t chase, attract” and he has an interesting take on it.

   “The flower doesn’t blossom to attract butterflies. It just blossoms.”

   He said, “People say, ‘I want to blossom.’ But this saying of “I” desires to be something to attract, which means there’s an end goal. But the flower just blossoms; it doesn’t matter if someone sees it or not. It has no choice, it can only blossom.”

   My interpretation is that we should become who we are and not angle ourselves for attention or manipulate outcomes. Just be. The right people, the right timing, the right invitations…they will come when you’re rooted in essence, not ego. And that’s true embodiment. That’s soulful marketing.

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Your Body Knows And So Does Your Business

Going through this food healing journey helped me see how I had been building my business from tension in the past. Not from alignment nor from my truth. It was from pressure, performance, and…proving.

Which I’m sure many people can relate.

But we don’t need to push harder or do more. We should start treating our bodies and businesses like the intelligent systems they are, instead of problems to fix.

Then we’ll move differently.

We’ll stop forcing, stop chasing, and stop trying to become. We simply return to the rhythm that’s already flowing underneath all the noise.

We let ourselves bloom, even if no one’s watching.

Your business doesn’t need to be a performance. A constant chase of perfection. It can be a living, breathing, evolving reflection of your own inner restoration.

You just need to return to yourself.
And just be.
Let that be enough.