When I think about where my understanding of healthy living really began, I don’t think of a classroom or a cookbook.
I think of a garden.
Growing up, some of my most vivid memories are from summers in Maine at my grandparents’ farm. My grandfather—Papa—had a garden that seemed enormous to me as a child. Rows of tomatoes, beans cucumbers, kale, swiss chard, beets, carrots, lettuce, asparagus… all the family favorites. And my grandmother was always out in her beloved raspberry bushes picking juicy berries for her infamous jam. We truly experienced the bounty of the season.
I loved being out in the garden with Nana and Papa – from planting the seeds to harvesting produce for family dinners – I got the full hands-in-the-dirt experience of seeing where food comes from.
What I didn’t realize at the time was that the garden was teaching me something much bigger than how food grows. It was showing me how deeply our surroundings shape how we live, eat, and feel.
The environment we create around ourselves matters.
As I got older, that early connection to nature and food led me to study nutrition. During college and graduate school, where I earned my master’s degree in nutrition, I worked in a holistic health center that focused on medical herbalism and natural approaches to healing.
It was there that my passion for herbal and natural medicine really took root. I learned about the healing properties of plants and how herbs could be incorporated into everyday cooking—not just to add flavor, but to support wellbeing. Food, I began to understand, could be both nourishing and therapeutic.
After graduate school, I became a mother (that’s my “mini” in the photo to the left). Having my son made everything I had been studying and learning feel even more personal. Like many parents, I wanted to create the healthiest environment possible for him to grow up in—one where food, home, and daily life supported wellbeing in a natural and balanced way.
That desire eventually led me to culinary school. I wanted to deepen my understanding of food and learn how to transform those ideas about nutrition and healing ingredients into meals people would truly enjoy. I went on to work in the culinary industry for several years, developing recipes and exploring ways to make healthy cooking both beautiful and accessible.
But over time, I began to notice something.
Food was only part of the equation.
The space where we live—the light in our homes, the kitchens where we cook, the air we breathe, the connection to nature outside our windows—plays a powerful role in our wellbeing.
Eventually life brought me to a new chapter geographically. I traded snowy winters in New Canaan, Connecticut for the sunshine and palm trees of Naples, Florida.
Not long after that move, my professional path evolved again and I transitioned into real estate. At first glance, it might seem like a very different field from cooking or nutrition, but to me the connection is obvious.
Both are about creating environments that nourish us.
A home isn’t just square footage and floor plans. It’s where we wake up, cook meals, gather with family, rest, dream, and build our lives. The design of a space, the materials we surround ourselves with, the presence of natural light, plants, and fresh air—all of these things quietly influence how we feel every day.
Healthy living doesn’t start with a diet or a routine.
It starts with the environment we live in.
And that’s why I created WellHome.
This space is where I’ll be sharing recipes, ideas, and inspiration about living well—from the food we prepare to the homes we create. Here you’ll find reflections on seasonal living, healthy homes, sustainability, and the small daily rituals that make life richer.
In many ways, this is an extension of my grandfather’s garden in Maine.
A place where ideas grow. A place where we explore how to live with intention. And a place where we remember that the environments we create—inside and out—have the power to nourish us.
Welcome. I’m so glad you’re here.
xo,
Jen Spaide
wellhomebyjen@gmail.com