Aces of Trades: Leslie Yurocko helps people live healthier at Destination Wellness

NEWARK – Her goal is to help people be healthier, live longer and feel good.

"I was a super quiet kid growing up," Leslie Yurocko said. "I realized over time that if I was going to help people, I needed to come out of my shell. When I was asked about what I wanted to be when I was a kid, I wasn’t exactly sure, except I knew I wanted to help people."

Today, Yurocko is the nutrition coach at Destination Wellness.

"I partnered with Destination Wellness," she said, "because I believe nutrition is just as important as moving your body and exercising, if not more important. It’s often the first thing we sacrifice."

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"I love the mission of Destination Wellness," she said, "which is to provide a supportive environment for women to focus on themselves and give them the opportunity to invest in themselves so they can thrive all parts of their lives. This was something I knew I wanted to be a part of."

Yurocko grew up in Newark, graduated from Newark High School in 1999, then studied sociology at Coastal Carolina University.

"I was not an athletic kid," she said. "When I went away to college, I started strength training and fell in love with it. I was getting ready to graduate college when I had to choose an elective class and nutrition was an option, so I added it knowing I wanted to learn more. I immediately knew I had a passion for it. At that time, there really wasn’t a clear career path, and it felt like it was too late to pursue it. Since then, I’ve studied it and finally pursued a nutrition certification two years ago."

"My passion for helping people has always been a driver in my career," she said. "I decided to start my nutrition coaching business, Priority Wellness, last year, and this year I’ve added a women’s fitness option so I can help women with their workout routines, too."

"As a working mom," she said, "I know it’s a challenge to make your wellness a priority. I’m passionate about helping others find a way to be healthy and make it a simple part of their busy lives. I don’t believe in complicated food choices or habits. It has to be simple, so it sticks and it’s lasting. Quick fixes are not the answer. It takes simple habits repeated over time, so it has to be easy to implement in our daily lives. There’s so much conflicting information, especially on social media, when it comes to nutrition. I help people cut through all of that and find what works for them."

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Tania Gresham is a friend and former client.

"I think that Leslie is amazing," Gresham said. "For years I struggled with food. Leslie was able to give me a different viewpoint on what I needed to be consuming. She provided me with motivation, support and so much encouragement. I went to her very nervous, but Leslie definitely made me feel heard and understood."

"We all have dreams and goals for the future," Yurocko said. "Without our health, we struggle to make those dreams happen. I’m passionate about helping people be healthier, live longer, and feel good so they can pursue their goals in life."

"Today’s pace of life often forces us to make health shortcuts for the sake of saving time," she said. "I will shout from the rooftops that we need to flip our thinking on that. Our health is the foundation for everything else to happen in our lives. I absolutely do this from the heart."

Aces of Trades is a weekly series focusing on people and their jobs – whether they’re unusual jobs, fun jobs or people who take ordinary jobs and make them extraordinary. If you have a suggestion for a future profile, let us know at advocate@newarkadvocate.com.

This article originally appeared on Newark Advocate: Newark Aces of Trades: Leslie Yurocko helps people live healthier