Lea Valle
Welcome to Paleo Spirit!

My name is Lea. I’m the creator of Paleo Spirit – a website dedicated to a back-to-basics approach to health and wellness.

My focus is on providing recipes and strategies for living a healthier lifestyle. Most recipes are gluten-free, grain-free and otherwise paleo-friendly. I am also a health coach certified by the Primal Health Coach Institute.

A little bit more about me…

I am a Christian, wife and mom to two sons. During the early days of blogging, we lived in beautiful Peapack, New Jersey. In 2015, we moved to my home state of Texas, where we currently reside in the Austin area.

As of September 2023, I am an “empty-nester” with both sons in college.

Hobbies and Interests

My hobbies include cooking and recipe development, photography, Crossfit and hiking. I also love opera, classical music and following politics and business news.

Italian language and culture is a passion and I enjoy developing my Italian-speaking skills. My sons and I spent a recent summer at a language school in the town of Urbania, Le Marche, Italy. This is the same place I met my husband, Gavin, years earlier!

Health and wellness is a top priority. I enjoy staying informed on the latest research and information from key opinion-leaders. This includes reading various books and listening to podcasts devoted to the science of nutrition and physical fitness.

Lea with Texas A&M shirt

My current favorite books are:

  1. Dark Calories by Dr. Catherine Shanahan
  2. Good Energy by Dr. Casey Means
  3. Next Level by Stacy T. Sims PhD
  4. The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van Der Kolk
  5. Forever Strong by Dr. Gabrielle Lyon

Education

I have a bachelor’s degree in European History and a Master’s in International Business focused on Finance and Economics. My International Business Master’s “track” was Italy and the Italian language. I have spent time living, working, and studying in Italy, including International Economics at Bocconi University in Milan.

Consulting Career

I began my career in the Pharmaceutical Industry in Audit and Finance. For much of my career, I worked as an executive in Management and Strategy Consulting. I led international teams and provided advisory services to large corporate clients across multiple industries in the US and abroad. My stakeholders were primarily C-Suite executives who I advised in complex business matters.

Health Coaching

I am now a full time holistic health coach, certified by the Primal Health Coach Institute. After leaving my career in Business Consulting, I created the Paleo Spirit Plan. I focus my efforts on my passion, which is providing health coaching and consulting services to private clients.

My years of corporate consulting honed my problem-solving, change management, and advisory skills. Now as a health coach, I know how to help clients reach their goals.

Thanks for visiting. Please make yourself at home as you navigate around the website.

P.S. If you would like to know a little more about my health journey you can check out this post: “A Paleo Spirit: My Personal Health Journey