What if feeling stronger, having more energy, and getting healthier didn’t start with eating less—but with eating
more of the right foods? Today’s guest helps fuel elite athletes, and her approach might change the way you think about taking care of yourself.
Julia Furlipa, plant-based nutritionist, wellness coach, author of
The 7+ Lifestyle, and founder of Best Life By You, joins Dr. Tara Perry to challenge the most common assumption people make about getting healthy: that it requires eating less, cutting things out, and white-knuckling through willpower.
Julia is the nutritionist to two NBA championship-winning Knicks players, a plant-based power athlete known as the Pull-Up Princess, and a coach who has helped clients lose over 40 pounds, reverse infertility diagnoses, and reclaim energy they thought was gone forever — all by adding, never subtracting. She turned a deeply personal experience with illness and loss at 15 into a career dedicated to helping others find the version of health that actually works for their real life.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
04:31 At 15, Julia watched her mother survive colon cancer and walk away with no nutritional guidance — doctors said she was fine and sent her home unchanged. That gap is what drove Julia into this work.
08:45 Most people stay stuck in learned eating behaviors from childhood not because they don’t want to change, but because no one has invited them to unlearn them.
16:28 Two books —
Crazy Sexy Diet by Kris Carr and
How Not to Die by Dr. Michael Greger — read back to back in December 2019 turned Julia fully plant-based overnight. She says her energy went from here to somewhere entirely different.
21:34 Julia’s first NBA client came to her through a series of four interviews — with the team dietician, the sports department, the chef, and the player’s family. Her passion for plant-based nutrition is what sealed it. They’ve since won a championship.
27:09 Every coaching engagement starts with a why that’s strong enough to hold up in court, then a foundation: sleep, morning and evening routines, and water. Fix the foundation first, then address the food.
28:52 Julia never tells clients what to cut. She adds in a green smoothie, some carrots — and lets them arrive at their own conclusions. They quit the Oreos themselves, and that decision sticks.
32:08 The biggest lie in health and wellness is that it’s not possible for you. Julia has seen clients who ate 800 calories a day and couldn’t lose a pound transform completely — not by eating less, but by eating more of the right things.
40:06 One client came in over 300 pounds and said she didn’t want to lose weight — she just wanted to cross her legs. They added food, water, herbal teas, and outdoor playtime with her kids. She dropped 44 pounds and went from a size 24 to a 16.
43:20 A 35-year-old client was told she would never conceive. Four months of mindset work, whole food plant-based eating, and reconnecting with her faith later, she got pregnant at 38 and wrote Julia a book-length thank-you note.
44:40 Three things anyone can do in the next seven days to feel a difference: get seven to nine hours of sleep, drink at least half your body weight in ounces of water, and add one cup of berries plus two to three handfuls of dark leafy greens daily.
RESOURCES MENTIONED
Best Life By You Podcast — Julia’s podcast featuring top achievers, physicians, professional athletes, and entrepreneurs — 66 episodes on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify
Best Life By You App — Julia’s all-in-one membership app with 100+ plant-based recipes, workouts, group challenges, food tracking, and daily gratitude check-ins
The 7+ Lifestyle — Julia’s book, currently available on Amazon and relaunching in stores next year
Julia Furlipa on Instagram — @juliafurlipa or @bestlifebyyou
Crazy Sexy Diet by Kris Carr — One of the two books that inspired Julia’s plant-based transformation
How Not to Die by Dr. Michael Greger — The second book Julia read in a week that changed her approach to food permanently
consulttara.com/book — Schedule your free consultation with Dr. Tara Perry
What is Next Level Healing?
A podcast dedicated to Rapid Inner Transformation, hosted by Dr. Tara Perry. Featuring the work of those who help people resolve depression, stress, anxiety, phobias, and a broad assortment of physical, mental and emotional struggles.
For 25 years, Dr. Perry has successfully treated celebrities, olympic athletes, first responders, doctors, parents, children, and more. A Hypnotherapist & Doctor of Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine, Dr. Perry shares a message of hope and healing in every episode.
Tune in for conversations with Dr. Tara Perry and her guests, as she works to end human suffering and share Next Level Healing with the world.