Haile Thomas is a youth health activist, public speaker, and CEO of HAPPY (Healthy Active Positive Purposeful Youth). Haile’s love of food started when she was 5 years old. She loved learning how to cook from her mom, but food and wellness really took president in her life at 8 years old when her dad got diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. Haile’s dad was able to reverse his type 2 diabetes with a healthy diet. This inspired Haile to tackle the lack of nutritious foods and at 12 years old, she started HAPPY. Haile’s non-profit organization addresses the need for affordable plant-based nutrition and culinary education in underserved communities and schools through cooking classes, summer camps, and in-school programs.
Haile got used to being on stage by doing TedX Kids at 10 and 16 years old, as well as many other speeches. She spoke about how there is “a gourmet chef in every child” and about how to nurture passion. Haile’s health advocacy led her to the White House, where she introduced Michelle Obama at the White House Kids’ State Dinner. Haile also joined the former First Lady at the 2013 State of the Union Address.
At just 17 years old, Haile became the youngest graduate from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. As a certified integrative nutrition health coach, Haile’s has reached millions on her social media, where she shares her wellness advice and vegan lifestyle. In 2020, she wrote her self-care cookbook titled Living Lively, which features journaling prompts and over 80 plant-based recipes.
Haile currently lives in New York City with her family. They run their family-owned teashop, Matcha Thomas, where they sell vegan and gluten free matcha and bubble teas.
Haile is driven by her strong values regarding healthy nutrition. She was initially driven by her dad’s health issues, then her passion for nutrition led her down a path where she could promote healthy eating for kids like her. She saw a problem in her community and used her passions to tackle it. Haile confidently strengthened her skills in public speaking and communication, which are skills all entrepreneurial leaders need. She learned as much as she could and educated herself so she could be as credible as possible in her field. Haile’s journey reminds us that entrepreneurs can, and should, have many ventures but stay consistent with their values and passions. Haile’s experience with HAPPY has given her skills and knowledge to run Matcha Thomas. I think many people want to jump right into their preferred or “dream business” venture, but there is so much to be learned from early projects that can help build to later ventures. Through her multiple businesses, Haile stays true to her values of quality nutrition.
Haile’s story:
https://eatforum.org/contributor/haile-thomas/
https://www.thekitchn.com/haile-thomas-the-happy-org-vegan-interview-266906
HAPPY:
https://edibleschoolyard.org/program/happy-organization-inc
Her personal website:
Haile’s Wellness Teahouse: “Matcha Thomas” in Beacon, NY:
This was such a cool story to read about! It’s so cool that at such a young age she learned the value of eating healthy and taking care of her body with the right foods.
This is inspirational, I find it amazing that someone so young had the thought to regulate her eating and understood the perks of eating healthy. I feel like we could all learn something from her.