Written by: Diana Wallenberg

Lee Hersh, founder of FitFootdieFinds.com on the Edina-SW Minneapolis Advice Givers (R) Podcast

Never Underestimate the Power of Human Connection

In the world of social media, it is rare to find an entrepreneur that is also a generous spirit. One of those rare souls that care so deeply about others that it radiates in everything they do. Although she would be the last person to admit it, Lee Hersh of FitFoodieFinds.com is one of these people. Her love for the individuals who are inspired to make positive life choices by her blog is the driving force that keeps her inspired and looking to the future.

Passion: The First Ingredient to Success

At 26 years old and a Junior at the University of Minnesota, Hersh was unsure about her future. Although she admits to feeling lost during that time, her passion for good health and great food remained constant. Although Lee often visited the sites of other healthy living bloggers in search of a community of like-minded people, she credits her sister with giving her the confidence to follow her passion and start a blog of her own.

Her first blog, CollegeFoodieFinds.com was created out of this love of healthy living. According to Hersh, “It started as a passion project…to find a community,” She accomplished exactly that; and after college, her passion inspired her to develop FitFoodieFinds.com, Hersh’s prolific healthy living blog that currently has an impressive 2 million subscribers.

Do What You Love, Love What You Do

Tim Murphy and Lee Hersh before recording the Edina-SW Minneapolis Advice Givers (R) Podcast

While her passion for fitness and healthy fare are evident, Hersh’s first love is bringing people together, “Life is better when you are with people. If you do something with someone else, you are going to thrive off each other and reach your goals faster.” Through her blog, Hersh has given millions of people a place to connect with one another and be inspired to nourish their bodies with healthy food and exercise.

It may even be this love of community which inspired Hersh’s attraction to healthy living. “I work out because I love food, and food brings people together,” she states. Her natural affinity for human connection has given many people hope that they can live a healthier and happier life. Hersh obviously loves giving her online followers the tools and support they need to accomplish the goals they set for themselves.

Hersh’s next greatest love is creativity. One only need scroll down her blog to see evidence of her fantastic creative talent. FitFoodieFun.com is vibrant and alive, full of carefully shot images of Hersh’s culinary efforts. Because her blog allows her a creative outlet, she can even develop a skill that she does not enjoy. “I actually do not like writing…I’ve always been creative…and I think that’s what really sucked me into creating content,” she relates. Thankfully this is so because her written and photographic content have come together to form a masterpiece. Her conversational writing style informs without overwhelming and is engaging for new readers and loyal subscribers alike.

Know Your Audience

While Hersh’s blog attracts readers of every background, she knows her primary audience well. Most visits to her blog are from women in the millennial generation looking for versions of classic comfort foods with a healthy twist. The men who visit her site are looking for the same thing. Both enjoy the high-intensity 30-minute workouts she regularly posts.

As her target audience continues to grow, Hersh keeps her content fresh and free for all, making sure newcomers and subscribers keep coming back for more.

Embrace new Opportunities

Tim Murphy and Lee Hersh from www.FitFoodieFinds.com

Always on the lookout for ways to better serve the needs of her subscribers, Hersh collaborated with another Minneapolis-based blogger, Monique Volz of AmbitiousKitchen.com to create The Healthy Glow Collective. Both Hersh and Volz recognized a need for something like Healthy Glow when they met and hit it off four years ago. They kept hearing women voice a desire to live a healthier life, but didn’t know how or where to start, hated strict diet rules, or didn’t have the support they needed. The Healthy Glow Collective is the solution to the problems Hersh kept encountering.

Their idea with Healthy Glow is to offer a downloadable fitness program and meal plan that women can follow, and provide an online community for them to support each other through the program. The first program available lasts six weeks and includes three weekly workouts and a daily meal plan with a convenient grocery list for shopping. It has been appreciatively called “a plan for the real girl.” Members of Healthy Glow are passionate about the collective, and it continues to inspire new followers all the time.

Keep Your Eyes on the Future

While Hersh has already experienced significant and unexpected success in both of her current ventures, she continues to plan for the future. She acknowledges the influence social media has had on her progress and appreciates the brands that affiliate with her on her blog and other social media accounts. Along these lines, her ten-year plan is to develop more digital products, to fill the needs of her readers better, and pursue avenues of passive income.

A Generous Spirit

Hersh’s generous spirit is not limited to looking out for her subscribers. Service and charity work is close to her heart, and in cooperation with Lindsey Bomgren or NourishMoveLove.com, she coordinates the Fit for Her Initiative in Minneapolis each year. Her Initiative is an organization that provides clean water and educational resources to women and girls in third world countries, where the primary water carriers are female.

Fit for Her Initiative is a fitness event that includes a workout and breakfast for those who register, and women entrepreneurs are invited to offer their products to attendees for the remainder of the day. All profits from Fit for Her Initiative go directly to the charity itself.

Passion and Service: A Winning Combination

Lee Hersh did not set out to be an internet entrepreneur. She was simply a girl with who enjoyed food, liked exercise, and had a great love of people. Her dedication to serving the people that read her blog motivates her to keep creating excellent resources for fitness and nutrition. Around here, we hope she keeps moving forward because we think the world needs more people in it just like Lee Hersh.