Conversations Over Tea: Elissa Goodman

Conversations Over Tea is an ongoing series of interviews between our founder, Rose Goodman, and people who inspire her.

with Elissa Goodman

Elissa Goodman is a holistic nutritionist and cleanse expert. Her bestselling book, Cancer Hacks, was written after Goodman’s own diagnosis of cancer at the age of 32. A holistic guide to healing, it offers advice and support on facing fear, addressing trauma, and detoxing safely—topics Goodman dives into in depth with her one-on-one clients.

What got you into health and wellness?

I was never a healthy kid. I must have gotten every illness known to man: strep, chicken pox, mono, tonsillitis. I had anxiety. I had constipation. Digestive stuff, earaches, chronic fatigue. I was always playing catch up. At an instinctual level I knew, “This is not the way life is supposed to be.”

Then I got cancer at 32, which was a massive wake up call. I read every self help book I could and tried to slow down because I didn’t even know how to do that.

How did you slow down?

Life is stormy, and finding inner peace took a very long, long, long time; for me, that was the hardest part of healing. Stress was all I knew, and I didn’t feel like I was ever going to be successful without it; letting go of it was really, really hard. I still struggle with that. I’m a type A and an Aries, so I really love the feeling of getting stuff done.

How do you define preventative care?

Preventative care is simple. It’s basically about getting enough sleep, which we don’t do, right? It’s really tuning into what makes you happy and having a purpose in your life, which can be as simple as exercising every day or cooking a really great meal for your family.

What’s your philosophy on cleansing?

For me, cleansing is not about deprivation or starvation. It’s about healing illnesses with real food and connecting yourself back to your body emotionally. I also really love juicing. There was an instant attraction when I first started; it was so vibrant, like a liquid IV.

What’s the fastest way to connect back to your vitality?

It’s about slowing down and taking a strong look at what feels right at a gut level. We all come into the world with great instincts and great intuition; when we take a step back to ask ourselves what we really want to do and then listen to our instincts, we can find center. It’s about being selfish in the best way.

What’s your relationship to fear?

Fear never goes away. I’ve gotten through a lot of dark times, and now at this age, my mid-fifties, I’ve never felt better in my entire life. I started thriving at 55. The door is never shut, so that’s what keeps me going. I still am afraid to get out there sometimes, but I’m like, “Okay, if I don’t, nothing’s going to happen.”

What has kept you going through tough times on your healing journey?

An instinctual gut feeling that life could be better. I’ve always possessed a determination and a willingness to have the best life I could for myself.