Nataliya Nawaz is an award-winning published author, fitness and nutrition coach, and expert on autoimmunity. After chemotherapy treatment for a rare tumor left her battling four autoimmune conditions, through relentless research, experiment, and distinct lifestyle techniques, Nataliya reached disease remission. Thus, the Nova Regimen was born, a program geared towards individuals with chronic illnesses. As a founder of the Nova Regimen, Nataliya writes and coaches on the management of chronic inflammation, nutrition, strength training, and recovery. Today, countless participants in the program enjoy active and healthy lives. Her mission: improved quality of life for chronic illness and autoimmunity fighters.
Nataliya R. Nawaz, Health and Wellness Coach, Publisher
Introduce yourself! Please tell us about you and your life, so we can get to know you better.
I am known by my name, Nataliya, but as a young child growing up in Eastern Europe, I was known as The Terminator. My parents coined the term to describe my determination. As they noted, when I wanted to do or learn something new, I persistently pursued my new passion with tunnel vision. I tended to bulldoze through obstacles and hurdles with ease so that I could accomplish what I wanted at that moment, with their full support, of course.
Looking back, this is a quality I took into adulthood, which has brought me strength in times of extreme trials and tribulations. Today, it is something I intentionally teach my three beautiful children to do fearlessly and confidently. And because my world revolves around them, I try to turn every minute spent together into a teachable moment, even the fun free play we engage in daily. In my leisure, I also enjoy strength training, playing piano, and reading books.
My work is dedicated to helping clients from all walks of life, especially those who struggle with chronic illness, reach optimal health and function with the help of a well-rounded, holistic approach to health and fitness. I also write and publish books and articles, speak publicly at events and conferences, and help other authors publish their works.
Tell us about a pivotal moment in your life that brought you to where you are today.
As a former child psychologist and educator, I immensely enjoyed working with young people. It was my early calling, and I loved not only teaching but learning from them, as well. But a tragic diagnosis changed my life's direction, ultimately leading me to my true purpose. After battling a large hip tumor and four autoimmune diseases for years, I eventually managed to go into remission from all diseases through distinct lifestyle changes, weaning myself off of all medications.
Thus, The Nova Regimen™ was born—a program geared towards individuals with chronic illness and autoimmune disease. I now dedicate my life to writing, coaching, educating, and helping autoimmune disease warriors fight for a better quality of life.
What is your business name, and how do you help your clients?
My program, The Nova Regimen™, is a research-based tiered program designed to fight chronic inflammation and metabolic disease, repair insulin sensitivity, improve energy, mobility, and strength, slow down the aging process, and even manage anxiety and depression. Its ultimate goal is to enable us to take our health into our own hands, bring about physical and mental well-being, and live fulfilling lives. Those who struggle with chronic illness never take the simple ability to move pain-free for granted.
The program is based on four pillars ‒ nutrition, strength training, recovery, and supplementation. I teach my clients how to incorporate these pillars into their everyday lives, which ultimately helps them get in great physical shape while improving their chronic illness outcomes. And although function and mobility are critical goals of the program, a much-welcome bonus is the confidence that inevitably ensues when one gets in shape.
While the program is geared towards individuals with autoimmune diseases, some clients don’t necessarily struggle with illness but want to get in better shape. This includes young athletes, new moms, and the elderly. Some of my clients, including myself, have reached complete disease remission within six months of beginning the program, and that makes me very excited and hopeful for the future.
My second business, NOVA Publishing™, helps new authors move from ideas to writing, editing, and publishing their works. In graduate school, I wrote award-winning research on intellectual freedom in the school library. This work taught me the value of freedom to express and learn new ideas without worrying about judgment.
As a new author, I spent three years writing my first book and an entire year finding the best possible ways to publish it, market it, and get it into the hands of those who need it most. So many creatives have fascinating ideas they want to put on paper but don’t know how to edit, print, or market them. My job is to help them through that process so their ideas can be heard and seen.
What would you like to achieve for yourself and your business in the future?
I am very hopeful for the future of The Nova Regimen™. It is a solid, research-based program that has helped countless individuals with autoimmune diseases and chronic illnesses. My goal is to partner with a health or education institution willing to conduct a study on the efficacy of The Nova Regimen™ and its implications in disease remission. I am looking for anyone in the health industry ready to help me design and execute this study to determine whether it can help those in need on a larger scale. My biggest hope is that the program becomes the go-to supplement to, not a replacement for, more traditional treatment approaches. Who inspires you to be the best that you can be?
My biggest inspiration is my sister. She is a college professor, author, and economist working with governments around the globe on implementing a federal job guarantee program for anyone who wants a job. She works tirelessly to improve the lives of everyday folks and those who need help most. Her work is a constant reminder for me that the ultimate reward comes from serving others.
If you could change one thing about your industry, what would it be and why?
The number one complaint I hear consistently from my clients is that the health system has failed them. Many feel that the band-aid approach hasn’t worked for their chronic conditions. Medicines help control symptoms but don’t necessarily bring about remission, and many have debilitating side effects. My hope is that traditional treatment methods could one day be routinely supplemented with a holistic approach when managing chronic illnesses. Many holistic techniques, including exercise, meditation, and specific anti-inflammatory nutrition, are supported by research and show massive benefits in disease outcomes. It is time to shift from managing symptoms to healing the root cause of the problem.
