As a child I loved stories, especially the ones with little girls who grew up to be pretty young ladies that always (or mostly) got rescued by their prince charming, and all worries of life came to an end. Today let me share the story of a strong-willed young lady; a real life story (without a cliché prince) that you will be glad to have read.
In the historically rich city of Philadelphia, America’s Declaration of Independence was once signed. This is also where a little girl named Sonia took her first breath. Sonia Hunt, or call her the beauty with brains (and more) was born and raised in Philadelphia. Like most of us (definitely me), this young lady shares a love for stories; she feels “they are designed to interest, amuse, inform, question and may even change your perspective”. To me, she herself is no different from a beautiful inspirational story that can change your perspective for good (your good).
A major aspect of Sonia’s life has always been food (if you think it’s the same for most of us, then read on and think again).
“Some of the best memories in my life have occurred over an amazing meal, while some of the most haunting and horrific memories in my life have occurred because of an amazing meal”
said Sonia at a TEDx Talk event. Let me tell you why. 31, is the number of food allergies she battles with and 18, is the number of times she has landed in the ER (credits to her allergy reactions). The first time Sonia was battling for her life was at the age of four, it was then she discovered that peanuts could never be a part of her life.
Sonia Hunt – TEDx Talk Stay Safe, Live Healthy, & Eat Well with Food Allergies from SoniaHunt.com on Vimeo.
Growing up as a child allergic to more than 31 ingredients, (including most children’s favorite – white potato) Sonia decided to take matters into her own hands by learning to cook at the sheer age of five. Perhaps it was this ‘survival’ initiative that led her to realize the dearth of the much-needed information (pertaining to food and allergies) that could ease the lives of millions of others. So she began to cook… enjoy… succeed… and learn. Putting her realization and knowledge to use, Sonia decided to help other people live and eat healthily through her website SoniaHunt.com. Amongst the multiple advices she renders here my personal favorite is the idea of always carrying a personalized “allergy card“. This will allow you to enjoy your restaurant experience while making it simpler for the chef to see and remember what ingredients need to be kept away from your food.
Having parents of Indian origin, she explored the roots of Indian cooking culture and created a blend of her own. The best of both worlds – spicy Indian food with American staples gave wings to her mantra, “stay safe (cook real food), live healthy and eat well”.
Needless to say, Sonia is a savior that guides and helps people who are battling food allergies every single day. But this isn’t the end of her story; beauty with brains, remember? To take things ahead Sonia decided to put to use her background of a digital media technologist, by launching her production company, Noie Productions, LLC. This allowed her to audio-visually reach out to her audiences through an online food and lifestyle show called ‘Stirring It Up with Sonia Hunt’.
She lives and loves a life full of food & travel, and has so far been to nearly 150 cities in over 20 countries. The baggage of allergies has never weighed her down as she continues to explore and learn new cuisines endlessly, from all around the world. As an engineer by degree, Sonia Hunt builds a lot of things – “relationships, products, businesses, and dreams”. She is not only a healthy living subject matter expert who speaks in seminars and interacts actively on social media but is also the CEO of Noie Media LLC, an interactive agency, through which she works on building and branding digital businesses for global companies hailing from industries of in Food & Wine, Lifestyle and Entertainment, Retail & Consumer Electronics.
She feels her life is all “about building soulful relationships for a greater good”. The greater good also reflects in her dedication and ability to innovate and develop products. A recent result of which is Neyya – a dependable digital companion that allows you to conveniently control your devices such as the laptop, mobile phone, etc. without having to look at them. It is a unique blend of ‘form, fashion, and function’. By reducing all hassles Neyya gives its user the “freedom to focus on what really matters”. The multiple skills, expertise, and actions of this bright young lady have been appreciated & recognized time and time again.
This has been the inspiring journey (so far) of Sonia Hunt, who by all means is “an entrepreneur, a world traveler, a seasoned digital media technologist, an athlete, a musician, a gadget geek, an adventurer, an engineer, mama to her doggie, a humanitarian, an innovator, an enthusiast of all things spicy and most importantly… out to drive change”.
Real stories such as that of Sonia Hunt, are proof that the boundaries keeping us from achieving more and excelling are merely an image we have created for ourselves in our mind. Nothing can confine our growth, but ourselves. Read and be inspired.
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