Nigerians do not have to give up their favorite traditional foods to achieve long-term health – Stella Chinenye

Stella Chinenye is a Certified Health Coach, alumnus of the Lagos Business School (LBS), and the founder of Healthyish Wellness & Therapy Solutions, a multidisciplinary holistic health center based in Nigeria. Certified by the globally recognized Institute for Integrative Nutrition (IIN), Chinenye blends strategic business execution with integrative health practices—offering non-invasive therapies, pressotherapy, and personalized coaching to manage chronic stress, metabolic imbalances, and inflammation.

In this interview with IFEOMA OKEKE-KORIEOCHA, she speaks on her transition from business school into full-time wellness entrepreneurship, why rigid diets fail due to bio-individuality, navigating Nigerian staple diets without sacrificing tradition, and scaling non-invasive health solutions in a fast-fix beauty market.

You have a strong business background, including training at Lagos Business School, into full-time holistic health entrepreneurship. What was the exact turning point that convinced you to launch Healthyish in 2015? 

It started first with an online presence of spreading information about wellness on blogs on our website. By 2019 after the program at the Lagos business school, I was already convinced that I wanted to make it a business, then the covid 19 happened which forced the world to pause. The outcome activated the launch.

How does your strategic training fromThe Institute for Integrative Nutrition & Lagos Business School influence how you structure, market, and scale a wellness and therapy center in Nigeria?

Quite frankly, I got all that I needed to push further. The Lagos business school gave me the tools needed to position myself as an authority in any business field i choose to venture in while the institute of integrative nutrition health coaching program gave me practical tools and knowledge as a health coach, to run a successful wellness center.

In a market where traditional medicine or fast-fix beauty trends dominate, what was the biggest challenge you faced when introducing holistic, non-invasive health solutions?

The market is big enough for everyone to thrive and I believe anyone who loves themselves will choose quality care over a saturated market place .Real recognize real and all my clients knew what they wanted immediately they came across me.

Your brand preaches flexibility rather than rigid diets or extreme workouts. Why do you think traditional, strict wellness regimens fail so many people today?

It will fail and keep on failing because it’s not sustainable and there is no one approach that fits all for everyone. We are all bio-individuals and it shows in the way our body reacts to different approaches . What works for A might not work for B .

You often emphasize that stress, relationships, and sleep directly impact how we eat and look. How do you help a client who comes in asking for a quick cosmetic fix realize that their issue might actually be rooted in chronic stress or lifestyle?

The client would first book a consultation appointment and fill a form that will allow me access the client and help them whichever way is possible for their various needs.

Why the name Healthyish? What message does that single word send to someone who feels overwhelmed by toxic wellness culture?

Healthyish because of what it means, which is simply described as a way of living that embraces healthy choices not through perfection or rigid rules, but through consistency, balance and sustainability. That single word sends encouragement and hope of a possible solution, it gives a progress over perfection approach to living.

Healthyish offers specialized non-invasive treatments like pressotherapy and body sculpting. Could you break down how pressotherapy works and why it’s particularly beneficial for busy professionals?

Pressotherapy works by using controlled air pressure in an inflatable sleeve worn on the arm ,legs, and abdomen to gently stimulate the lymphatic and venous systems. It’s a science-backed wellness therapy that helps busy professionals recover from physical effects of long hours, chronic stress,and a sedentary lifestyle.

The benefits are enormous ,People who experience water retention,
have tired legs, are recovering from exercise, want to support lymphatic health, spend long hours sitting or standing, are on a holistic body contouring programme, want a relaxing wellness treatment.

How does your IIN (Institute for Integrative Nutrition) training shape your approach to local Nigerian diets? Can Nigerians stay healthy without giving up their favorite traditional foods?

Of course, for example, knowing the major classes of food and how it’s supposed to fuel individuals depending on their body type will automatically give me an idea of the classes it belongs to in our Nigerian staple food. Nigerians can stay healthy without giving up their favourite traditional foods.

You’ve helped out a lot of clients tackle issues like inflammation and metabolic imbalances. What is the most common health misconception you encounter among urban Nigerians today?

The misconception is that most metabolic health imbalances are caused because you are getting old. Age increases risk but these conditions are not a normal part of aging.

As a mother of three running a growing business, how do you personally practice “Healthyish” living when your own schedule gets chaotic? 

I personally try to organise myself,plan a healthy meal time table for the children and also out- source some of my domestic chores.

What is your core piece of advice for women looking to leave structured corporate careers to pursue purpose-driven entrepreneurship in Nigeria? 

Personally I wont give an outright answer for this because there are other factors to consider before taking such very bold decisions but would be able to walk you through the possibilities of a yes or a no if you are convinced you want to go on this journey. Be ready to work extra extra hard

Where do you see Healthyish Wellness & Therapy Solutions over the next few years – are there plans for expansion, new technology, or new product lines?

Healthyish hasn’t even scratched the surface of its full potential, so yea there are plans for an actual expansion and a national household venture. We just rebranded our space for our clients to experience top tier services, We also launched the healthyish wellness Journal that was created with my clients in mind. It is the perfect companion on your wellness journey and we would encourage everyone to buy.