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Women In Wellness: Stephanie Harris-Uyidi of The Posh Pescatarian On The Five Lifestyle Tweaks That Will Help Support People’s Journey Towards Better Wellbeing

An Interview With Candice Georgiadis

Eat well! Food is fuel and I believe that the better we eat the better we feel. Enjoying seafood at least twice a week, plus a diet of whole grains, fruits and vegetables is part of this equation.

As a part of my series about the women in wellness, I had the pleasure of interviewing Stephanie Harris-Uyidi.

Stephanie Harris-Uyidi, AKA: The Posh Pescatarian, is the producer and charismatic host of the popular travel-adventure-cooking TV series, The Posh Pescatarian: Appetite for Adventure! The show airs in more than 15 countries, and season two is on the way!

Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Our readers would love to “get to know you” better. Can you share your “backstory” with us?

After discovering that the pescatarian diet made me feel the best, I have successfully lived the pescatarian lifestyle for over 20 years. I am a sustainable seafood enthusiast with a passion for spreading the word about the benefits of eating a plant-based diet supplemented with fish and seafood. My unique style of cooking demonstrates how easy it can be to make simple, yet adventurous seafood dishes: from Spicy Yucatan Fruit Salad to Caribbean Salt Cod Fritters to Ethiopian Berbere.

I only eat seafood 3–4 days per week and not at every meal. I focus on international recipes and also worked with a nutritionist at the beginning of the process, to safely transition. First, I experienced low energy and was not feeling like myself. I then worked with my nutritionist, removing several foods from my diet and later slowly reintroduced them back into my life. After some time, we realized that the pescatarian diet made me feel best and I have followed the lifestyle since then! I then decided to create a lifestyle guide for people looking to transition into a healthy, active, meat-free way of living, called The Posh Pescatarian.

I am also the producer and charismatic host of the popular travel-cooking-adventure series Appetite for Adventure! The show airs in over 15 countries, including the U.S. Additionally, I am the author of The Posh Pescatarian: A Collection of my Favorite Sustainable Seafood Recipes with my second cookbook scheduled to be released next year.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started your career? What were the main lessons or takeaways from that story?

This is an interesting question because even with all of my experience working in the entertainment industry, my education and industry contacts, producing and delivering 24 episodes of my show “Appetite for Adventure!” on my own gave me heart burn! Especially when the show took off internationally and I had to meet dozens of different global production specs. This was a costly and time-consuming lesson. What I learned is seeking counsel from experts upfront, can save a lot of time and money.

Can you share a story about the biggest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

One of the biggest mistakes that I made early on was trying to do everything on my own. At one point I was simultaneously working a day-job, developing a website, writing a cookbook and producing and hosting a TV series. I was burning the candle at both ends and it took a toll on my overall wellbeing and mental health, ultimately resulting in burnout and boredom. Once I recognized what was happening, I checked in with my doctor and she gave me “permission” to be still for a while and to take time to play — sewing, Pilates, yoga, roller skating, etc. I learned that taking a step back to evaluate my life was just want I needed to rekindle my fire. I also hired help and gave myself a little grace with deadlines.

Let’s jump to our main focus. When it comes to health and wellness, how is the work you are doing helping to make a bigger impact in the world?

I’ve been a pescatarian for more than 20 years now. Once I learned that I could be responsible for eating the last abalone, red snapper or shark on the planet, my focus turned to promoting sustainable seafood.

If the topic is new to you, sustainable seafood is caught or cultivated in a way that takes the health of our oceans and long-term viability of the species into consideration and has minimal environmental and social impact. I have partnered with brands like Baja Shellfish Farm, Wild Planet Foods, Pescavore and others to educate and create approachable and sustainable seafood recipes.

The work that I do is helping to preserve the health of our oceans and is having an impact on the sustainably of species and communities around the globe. For example, National Geographic recently reported that several tuna species are no longer critically endangered.

(Source: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/good-news-for-tuna-populations-in-latest-iucn-update).

Can you share your top five “lifestyle tweaks” that you believe will help support people’s journey towards better wellbeing? Please give an example or story for each.

  1. Eat well! Food is fuel and I believe that the better we eat the better we feel. Enjoying seafood at least twice a week, plus a diet of whole grains, fruits and vegetables is part of this equation.
  2. Move your body everyday– I’ve been an athlete of some sort since childhood thanks to parents. Starting with ballet, tap and jazz lessons from the age of 6 and progressing to tennis, Pilates, weightlifting and boxing through the years. Exercise releases feel good endorphins and promotes good mood, a healthy heart, flexibility and muscle tone.
  3. Ask for help — Admitting that I couldn’t do everything on my own was difficult. Once I made peace with it, I hired the right help and my world opened up.
  4. Spend time in nature — Imbibe beauty as nutrition! An apple a day keeps the doctor away and being in the presence of something beautiful daily can be therapeutic. Get your toes in the sand, fingers in the garden or just take a walk in the most natural environment possible. Some studies show that being in nature can enhance healing. (Source: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/nature-that-nurtures/(
  5. Set and maintain boundaries — A key to securing my wellbeing is setting boundaries and expectations with family, friends and colleagues. For me, this translates into going off the grid several times a month, taking vacation and saying “no” to invitations that don’t fit my schedule.

If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of wellness to the most amount of people, what would that be?

I have started a micro-movement within my family that promotes making sustainably sourced home cooked meals. There are so many benefits to this way of living including being more mindful of what we’re putting in our bodies, it can bring family and friends together, we use healthier ingredients and there is less temptation to consume higher calorie foods, to name a few. I know it sounds simple but the act of putting a homecooked meal on the table and sharing it with family and friends can be life changing.

What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started” and why?

  1. Remember to be nice to yourself along the way. Amplify the positive self-talk and press mute on the internal “mean girl” chatter.
  2. Hire good help! I learned that I could not do it alone. Assemble a good team and delegate.
  3. Love what you do. Understand that you will live with a project for a long time, make sure you love it and have the fortitude to stick it out.
  4. Trust your instincts and intuition. If it feels right, it probably is. If you get the creeps, run!
  5. Practice gratitude and thanks daily. Giving thanks and gratitude when journaling or during meditation sessions can make all the difference on your life’s perspective.

Sustainability, veganism, mental health and environmental changes are big topics at the moment. Which one of these causes is dearest to you, and why?

Mental health and environmental changes are both important topics for me. I am deeply involved in both movements.

Mental health issues related to daily stress to severe depression and beyond can wreak havoc on families and careers. I often see it appear on social media with rants and fits of rage. I work within my community to help reduce the stigma of mental health issues and encourage people to seek help.

What is the best way our readers can follow you online?

Readers can find me online at:

Website: https://poshpescatarian.com

Instagram: @theposhpescatarian

Facebook: @poshpescatarian

YouTube: The Posh Pescatarian

Thank you for these fantastic insights!

Women In Wellness: Stephanie Harris-Uyidi of The Posh Pescatarian On The Five Lifestyle Tweaks That… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.