Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Sophia DeSantis. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Alright, so we’re so thrilled to have Sophia with us today – welcome and maybe we can jump right into it with a question about one of your qualities that we most admire. How did you develop your work ethic? Where do you think you get it from?
I get my work ethic from my parents. My mom grew up in a remote village in the Greek mountains very poor. At times she didn’t know if she would have food to eat. Back then women didn’t go to school after junior high. They were brought home and taught how to keep house so they could be married off. My grandma saw how smart my mom was and pushed the norms to have my mom go on to high school. After high school my mom went on to the city of Athens to attend university. She was one of few women that did this during this time. She then left Greece and went to the bay area of California to live with her sister who had been married off and moved there by her husband. My mom got her masters degree while washing dishes in a restaurant to help [ay for her schooling. She went on to be a computer programer and made something of herself. When she met my dad (who had also immigrated to the United States as an adult) they both worked hard to build a good life for my sister and I. They now are very successful and help support those less fortunate along with living an amazing life. They taught me that anything is possible if you work hard. They showed me that education is important and you should never give up on your dreams.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
In 2013, I started my own business, Veggies Don’t Bite, after my husband had some health issues and had to change his diet to be more plant based focused. I started recreating our favorite recipes and posting them online and also became an ACE certified health coach. From there my website grew and I started working with brands on recipe development. Part of this process was learning how to shoot my own photos. I fell in love with food photography and even photographed my own published cookbook in 2017, Vegan Burgers and Burritos. I really began to focus more on the photography angle of my business and launched my online portfolio Sophia DeSantis Photography, https://sophiadesantisphotography.com/ in 2023. From my journey, I began to love the process of being successful in business and helping give tips to others on how productivity will help your business grow. With my health coaching and education background along with my knowledge of starting my own business, I was able to help teach other about productivity in business but with the angle of taking the whole person into account as well. I know love working with others on this and find a lot of success with my methods.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
My tips are all productivity focused. Number one, make sure you have systems in place. Systems help keep you organized and focus because they are a set of procedures that move to a specific result. Next, focus on time management. Jumping from task to task never completes anything in the best way possible. Setting up your days in time blocks and giving yourself distraction free time to work will keep you focused. Lastly, self care. If you don’t take care of the person behind the business you will never be as successful as possible! It isn’t just about what you eat, but also moving your body, getting good sleep, staying hydrated and taking time away to recharge.
How can folks who want to work with you connect?
I am always open to collaborations with the right people! On the photography side, I would love to work with food stylists or other food photographers on photography jobs. I love collaborating with others and sharing styles and ideas for successful work results.
On the business coaching side, I would love to work with any other coaches that can complement the work I do, I think my unique angle with focusing on productivity of the whole person can work really well with other coaches that have another focus. We could bring the whole package to clients and give even bigger results!
Anyone can email me at [email protected] or [email protected]
Contact Info:
- Website: https://sophiadesantisphotography.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sophiadphotography
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sophiadesantis/
Image Credits
My headshot was taken by Chris Nelson Photography. Everything else was taken by me.
