Las Recetas de Laura

When Laura Muller turned 30, she faced a dilemma that many people can relate to: she didn’t really know what to do with her life.

She had already accomplished a lot in her 30 years, from earning a master’s degree to backpacking South Oceania. So as she started charting a path for the next decade of her life, Laura settled on a goal: she wanted to lose weight.

“I have always had trouble with my weight,” says Laura. “And with diabetes running in my family, I knew my genetics could be a problem if I didn’t do something.”

Laura decided to take a sabbatical from her day job and start working with a nonprofit that was focused on clean eating and healing complex emotions around food. Quickly, Laura started seeing results — and before she knew it, she had lost 110 pounds.

“People were like ‘What did you do, Laura? How did you do it?’ Please teach me!’” she says. “Everybody was asking questions because I had been overweight since I was a child.”

Laura started by bringing her friends to the supermarket and helping them pick out healthy options. Then she’d cook healthy recipes with them. But naturally, her friends forgot certain steps or mixed up ingredients. So to give them an assist, Laura uploaded videos to YouTube that walked through these healthy recipes.

And so began her YouTube channel, Las Recetas de Laura. For the past twelve years now, Laura has been uploading videos and demystifying healthy eating for the Hispanic community in the United States. Her site develops recipes specifically designed for people with diabetes, high cholesterol, and metabolic syndrome. And in order to keep this important content free and accessible, Laura has leaned on ads to monetize her brand.

Thanks to her steady ad revenue, Laura has been able to expand her team and lighten the load. She’s hired three women who help her edit videos and write content for her blog and social accounts.

“We’re an international group working together,” says Laura. “I love that I’m able to give jobs to other women who are passionate about healthy food.”

In 2015, Laura experienced what might have been the highlight of her culinary journey: an invitation to Michelle Obama’s Partnership for a Healthier America conference in Washington D.C.

“I was like, my god, here I am, a Mexican immigrant, at this big conference invited by Michelle Obama,” says Laura. “And if it wasn't for my YouTube and my blog, I wouldn't be here.”

This honor was followed by an invitation to be a storyteller at the Disney Princess conference in California, where she shared her story of overcoming bullying and living a healthy lifestyle at any size. Then she was recognized as one of Chicago’s Latinos 40 Under 40 for creatively bringing beloved Mexican cuisine into the spotlight in healthier, more nutritious ways.

But one of the greatest rewards of Laura’s job is receiving heartfelt messages from readers who have used her recipes to improve their health. One reader reached out and informed Laura that her recipes helped her get off of a medication she had been taking for years.

“These testimonials remind me why I started this journey and inspire me to keep creating content that makes a positive impact on people's lives,” she says.

Over a decade into her journey, Laura is still trying new things. She recently launched a new English-language blog called Food and Deals by Laura, which will help her better serve her audience in both languages. Additionally, she launched another Spanish-language blog called Recetas de Comida Mexicana, which is dedicated to sharing traditional Mexican recipes in Spanish, with practical advice for Hispanics living in the U.S. on how to find authentic ingredients and suitable substitutes when needed. ​​Though it’s only been a few months, early growth has been promising.

“That’s what I love about what I do,” says Laura. “There is always something new, so I never get bored. Plus, I get to help others by doing what I love.”