About the Author: Laura Lea Bryant
Laura Lea Bryant is a Certified Holistic Chef with a holistic wellness business in Nashville, Tennessee. Laura Lea graduated from the University of Virginia in 2008 and moved to New York City, where she worked in legal and finance jobs for four years. Laura Lea found herself disillusioned by New York corporate culture, which seemed to reward output at the expense of personal health, as well as the social cycle of over-indulging and under-sleeping. Laura Lea began studying holistic health and cooking fresh, produce-focused meals. She marveled at the profound improvement on her physical and emotional state; particularly, her ability to cope with stress and anxiety. She became determined to make a career out of sharing this simple but forgotten connection. In 2012 she discovered the Natural Gourmet Institute in Chelsea, New York. The program focuses on cooking with whole, mostly plant-based foods, and includes nutrition and healing courses. In September 2012, Laura Lea quit her job at a hedge fund and enrolled in the program.
After graduating in August 2013, Laura Lea returned to her hometown of Nashville and created her website, LLBalanced.com. The goal of LL Balanced is to increase awareness about the relationship between food and mental, emotional, and physical health, so that people can live their most vibrant, productive, and happy lives. Through LL Balanced, Laura Lea provides her clients and readers with easy, family-friendly, and, of course, healthy recipes. Her dishes are often remakes of Southern-influenced comfort food, with the intention of having the best of both worlds. Laura Lea also contributes articles and recipes for Nashville Lifestyles, Greatist, and Shape Magazine, among others. She has also appeared in Southern Living and Food Republic. Laura Lea has a regular cooking segment on WSMV Channel 4, where she demonstrates how to make some of her most popular dishes.