Plant Person Profile: Isabelle Koritsas

Meet Isabelle Koritsas, a NYC-based gut health coach, wellness explorer and Plant Person we love. 

Tell us a little about yourself:

I am a gut health coach and wellness aficionado living in New York City. I stumbled into the world of wellness during a period of my life where I felt truly unwell and unhappy, and in taking time to understand what really made me feel good and whole, I discovered this whole universe. One of my first real passions was yoga - practicing and soon thereafter teaching. The closer I got to knowing myself and my body, the more I wanted to share about what I was learning. My brand Good Gut Feelings was born from the desire to share about pursuing authentic wellness, and to this day I dive into everything from IBS and gut health to sober curiosity on Instagram at @isabellekoritsas - there is no wellness topic left unturned :) 

What are you reading right now?  

I am reading… so many books I can’t even count. Does anyone else do this? It’s not very good book etiquette. So I’ll answer what I’m mainly reading - The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk and Just Kids by Patti Smith.

Who are three people we should follow right now?

Oh my gosh… how can I choose? I will share 3 humans I love following and adore for their perspective on life and general mindset - they always lift me up and keep my head clear on Instagram in a sea of content and comparison. Emma from @realwithemma, Lisa from @lisahayim, and Krystle from @balancewithkrystle ! I check in on their content before most others and do not go a day without them! 

What's your must-have Plant People product?

Easy one. Drops+Sleep 1440 mg. I do not exist, function, cope, succeed, or sleep without it :) I am getting everyone in my life who has trouble sleeping hooked on it - it is my recipe for a perfect night! 

What's your relationship to the world of "wellness"/plant medicine? 

My relationship with wellness is interesting in that it is always evolving. When I first entered this world, I was truly on a journey of rediscovering what I loved and what made me happy. I felt like I invented the concept of wellness in my mind without knowing there was an entire industry built on it waiting for me. When I leaned into mainstream wellness, I subscribed to a one size fits all brand of being “well” - rules to follow, goods and bads, shoulds and should nots. It took a few years to learn that that was not the world I wanted to participate in at all, and shifted my relationship with wellness to one that is completely bioindividual. That is what I promote to my readers, to the people in my life that I love, and first and foremost with myself. There is no perfect wellness that will fit everyone's life - we are all so unique and have our own needs, and those should be honored. I include certain plant medicines heavily in my wellness relationship now because that is what works for me! And if it ever stops working for me, I won’t force it. Ebbs and flows.

What do you love about it?

I think wellness and plant medicine have truly given so many people the tools and power to take their lives and health back into their own hands. It certainly did that for me. The reality that we do not have to sit with our pain, issues, anxieties, illnesses, and aspects of lives that we’d like to improve upon is one that I think has given a lot of people permission to be happy and set themselves free. To me, wellness is like the key to taking your power back - it spans everything from supplements and plant medicine all the way to social and mental boundaries, and I find that that is a beautiful world to promote and share about.

What needs to be changed?

I think there are two major pain points that go hand in hand - wellness “shame”, and of course, accessibility. Under no circumstances does everyone need the latest trend, fad, or product, to be truly well. And, these trends, fads, and products tend to be marketed in ways that do not make the world of wellness accessible to a large audience. Everyone deserves a shot at the tools that make them feel well, in any and every capacity that feels right to them individually. No one should be made to feel guilty because they cannot afford the latest thing in wellness, and no one should be made to feel guilty because they don’t want or care for or are having a hard time locating the latest thing in wellness either. While the world is expansive and the tools to be well span across all corners, I wish there was some more focus on the concept that we don’t need every single thing put in front of us to be humans that are wholly well. 

You’re super candid about gut health and immunity. Have you always been able to speak so knowledgeably and confidently on these topics?

I’ve always been really curious about my own body, and was never too shy about speaking up about what felt “off”. It’s probably an inherent personality trait, but I was never okay with not feeling okay. As I grew up and learned more about my gut issues, my ability to speak on them from experience excelled, and then I decided to pair that with an official health coaching certification to add in some much needed authority. 

If so, what’s your secret? 

It may be two fold - one being, I think I was born the kind of girl who doesn’t mind talking about poop on the internet or to anyone. The second secret is not really a secret but more of a realization that I think everyone benefits from accepting - we all poop. We all have our own unique troubles. You are not alone in the areas of your life that you’d like to improve, and chances are, someone out there has a story that will make you feel like you’re seen for all you bring to the table, maybe for the first time. Our stories are so powerful. We need one another to make it through in this world, and the knowledge of that is what keeps me open and sharing about all that I do.

If not, when did you start?

Let me text my mom and ask her when I learned to talk :) I’m the kind of girl who likes to skip the pleasantries and go deep. I always have been.

What's your #1 must-do tip to feel whole, nourished, grounded?

I love this question because the focus is on feeling like yourself, steady, and stable. I think that’s such an important piece of wellness. For me, it’s all the little components of the day. It’s drinking enough water, finding time to get my thoughts out and together (journaling and brain dumping), and checking in to create awareness around how I’m feeling that day and adjusting accordingly. Maybe feeling whole, nourished, and grounded one day is a dance party in my kitchen, and maybe it’s going out for a green juice and remembering to take my CBD. Wellness is a spectrum. So I guess my #1 tip is remembering that, and giving myself grace to go along with the ebbs and flows.