Interview - Authority Magazine

Female Disruptors: Julie Cielo On The Three Things You Need To Shake Up Your Industry

Mar. 31, 2021

I will be honest with you. I did not have words of wisdom shared. I did however have many people tell me I couldn’t do it. That fueled me. Not always easy to do, but took my own best words of advice which is our company philosophy — Embrace life’s imperfections. Perceive challenges as possibility. Honoring your own personal Truth. Live from Oneness consciousness.

As a part of our series about women who are shaking things up in their industry, I had the pleasure of interviewing Julie Cielo. As a Medium and Mortician, Julie Cielo worked with the dead. As a Yoga Therapist, Transformational Life Coach and founder of Ferm Fatale, she helps the living really live. From growing up fermenting with her Italian immigrant grandfather in rural PA, to having recovered from a debilitating Autoimmune disease, she discovered a simple Truth–the gut is the source of health and good bacteria cures.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit more. Can you tell us a bit about your “backstory”?

Born and raised in rural Pennsylvania, I discovered I was a child medium at age 8. Fascinated with death and fermenting with my Italian immigrant grandfather, I later went to Mortuary college to study Reconstructive Cosmetic Art. After realizing I was slightly off my path, became a Healer and worked in private practice for over 20 years.

What led you to this particular career path?

I left a 22 year marriage and moved to LA to reinvent my life. I remembered a time period when I was sick with a debilitating Autoimmune disease when I was at a concert with friends. I was so sick I couldn’t have alcohol and felt left out. That moment deeply affected me. I never wanted anyone to feel left out the way I did my whole life. I created a gut health social beverage to help people like me.

Can you tell our readers what it is about the work you’re doing that’s disruptive?

I created the world’s first probiotic mocktail. I continue to expand the line and help others who can’t or don’t want to drink alcohol. I am disrupting the social stigma, class system and counterculture of what society has told us what true celebration of life looks like.

Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting?

Funniest….okay — -when selected for Bev Net’s Start Up Beverage of the Year Showdown, sitting in the audience after my presentation, I didn’t even know what a CPG was and had to ask.

Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that? I learned to remain humble. No matter how much you learn in life, it is vital to remember that there is always more to discover.

We all need a little help along the journey. Who have been some of your mentors? Can you share a story about how they made an impact? My grandfather is my biggest mentor. He made his transition many years ago but he taught me resourcefulness and staying connected to the cycles and rhythms of nature.

In today’s parlance, being disruptive is usually a positive adjective. But is disrupting always good? When do we say the converse, that a system or structure has ‘withstood the test of time’? Can you articulate to our readers when disrupting an industry is positive, and when disrupting an industry is ‘not so positive’? Can you share some examples of what you mean?

The way that you know the difference is by trusting your gut. The more important question to ask is how you feeding it? Is it something that is contributing to clarity or chaos. The example is the lab research we did as a company proved that alcohol consumption over 4%ABV kills good gut bacteria…hence the reason we advocate for ‘Drinking Dirty.’

Can you share 3 of the best words of advice you’ve gotten along your journey? Please give a story or example for each.

I will be honest with you. I did not have words of wisdom shared. I did however have many people tell me I couldn’t do it. That fueled me. Not always easy to do, but took my own best words of advice which is our company philosophy — Embrace life’s imperfections. Perceive challenges as possibility. Honoring your own personal Truth. Live from Oneness consciousness.

We are sure you aren’t done. How are you going to shake things up next?

We are sure you aren’t done. Done, funny…I am in the flow. I continue to feel passion for wild fermentation, yes…How are you going to shake things up next? I am releasing the world’s first probiotic tonic water March 1. I am releasing my Dirty Dozen this year — educating folks about the broad spectrum of potential probiotic mocktail bases that perpetually inspired me.

In your opinion, what are the biggest challenges faced by ‘women disruptors’ that aren’t typically faced by their male counterparts?

The biggest one I face is Quid Pro Quo.

Do you have a book/podcast/talk that’s had a deep impact on your thinking? Can you share a story with us?

There has not been a specific book or podcast that has played a major role in my life, something else has; meditation.

Meditation changed my life. The first 10 day silent I experienced was with my boyfriend. I was 19 yrs old. He wanted to leave early on Day 4. They told us we couldn’t leave and we were in the middle of a mental surgery. I was like ‘I’m an American and you cannot tell me I have to do anything.’ I actually flipped off the lady as blazed down the road. We actually couldn’t drive and had to pull over a mile down the road and get a motel room. We did leave in the middle of a psychic surgery. What I discovered was the tremendous amount of influence the stimulus of this world had impacted me and the truth that only comes from silence. Every answer we seek is what is seeking.

You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)

LIVE CLEAN DRINK DIRTY is about Living with a Clean Heart. Drinking Dirty is about the revolution of wild fermentation and the historical cultural significance of where we came from. We are the Soil.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

Gratitude is the attitude. Love is my religion.

How can our readers follow you online?

IG @fermfatale

Interview by Candice Georgiadis