Perfect Paleo Powder
Starring Justin Nault . Photo by @jasonmyersphoto
Inspired by his niece, musician-turned-nutrition expert Justin Nault created the world’s first paleo-friendly certified powder, and is dedicated to changing the world of nutrition as we know it.
Nashville since 2008.
Justin Nault starts out every day pretty much the same way. Up at dawn, he writes in his journal, goes for a walk, takes a cold shower, then pours himself a cup of Bulletproof coffee as he sits down to open the emails which will dictate the remainder of his day. It’s a regiment that the lifelong-musician has had to teach himself after years of grinding late nights, gig after gig. The Rhode Island native has had quite the circuitous journey from once-aspiring musician to one of today’s leaders in Paleo fitness & nutrition.
While he was a student at Boston’s Berklee College of Music, Nault would take trips to Nashville over Spring Break. These visits ultimately led to him deciding to move to the Music City in 2008 after graduating with a degree in songwriting. “You had New York, L.A…and now Nashville,” he said. “All of a sudden you have this third option that’s a tenth of the price.” He landed his first job in town as a dueling pianos performer at The Big Bang Bar on Broadway, and in 2011 released his first album, “It’s Just Me.” In 2012, Nault was singled out to join the cast of a new ABC reality show called Bud United Presents: The Big Time where he starred for the show’s 7-episode run and finished in the top 3.
“In the beginning...I had to convince people that this musician-turned-nutritionist knew what he was talking about.”
Despite his success in music and entertainment, Justin began to pursue another passion in 2013. “I got to a point,” he explained, “where I didn’t want music to be my primary source of income anymore.” He’d always been into fitness, having been an avid boxer and hockey player in high school and college. He was bothered, however, by the fact that he wasn’t achieving the results he felt like he should be. “I felt like I was working really, really hard in the fitness space and not getting any results,” said Nault. “I did it all…worked out six days a week, read Muscle & Fitness Magazine, planned all my meals…not knowing that ALL of that was nonsense.” Over the next 2 years, Justin went back to school and earned certifications as a Nutritional Therapist and as a Specialist in Sports Nutrition, and in late 2014 started his nutrition company, The Clovis Culture.
Featured Hat: STYLE II - Classic Structured Twiill cap w/ Twill Patch Applique.
In 2015, personal adversity would be the catalyst for major changes in Justin’s work. His niece, Savannah, was born with Ohtahara Syndrome, a rare condition with less than 150 cases in the entire world. He was disappointed to see that doctors were giving her a subpar formula product, and was moved to find not only a better solution for Savannah, but a more healthy alternative to processed foods and supplements for everyone. “In the medical community,” says Nault, “there is a huge lack of knowledge centered around nutrition. That situation (with Savannah) gave me the idea to make a nutritional powder that was 100% paleo-friendly.”
Perfect Paleo Powder was invented in Justin’s kitchen by grinding down superfoods and using food dehydrators, an oven and food processors to create the product. According to Nault, it took some time to get the recipe right. “At first it was awful,” he admitted. “It was terrible…I used liver, I used caviar at one point. It was real bad.” But further iterations led to him using Stevia and Monk fruit to enhance the flavor. The original formula had 19 ingredients from 12 suppliers, and was certified by The Paleo Foundation as the first 100% Paleo-friendly powder in the world.
The Paleo craze was becoming more mainstream in 2015, just as the Perfect Paleo Powder went to market. Justin said that, though his product had been vetted by The Paleo Foundation, he had trouble overcoming some initial hurdles. “In the beginning,” he recalled, “I had to convince people that this musician-turned-nutritionist knew what he was talking about.” He says that he had a hard time finding a manufacturer to produce his product, as well, saying that his ‘boutique’ ingredients would prevent sufficient profit margins. “We talked to 36 different manufacturers in 6 countries,” he said, “and every single one said no.”
Ultimately, Justin partnered with a manufacturer based out of New Jersey who believed in his unorthodox concoction. He took the product to market in 2015 through Amazon, as well as online through his website. Today, clients can also purchase Perfect Paleo Powder through registered 'Paleo Pros', experts that Nault has brought on board at Clovis Culture to make a more collaborative platform. The entrepreneur says that it is his sole mission to “change the lives of as many people as humanly possible for the better.”
A self-described workaholic, Nault still performs at the Big Bang Bar behind the mic on weekends, and owns a traveling dueling pianos company called Rock and Roll Pianos. But his primary focus is his continued crusade to change the way America defines ‘health’. “Social change,” Justin says, “is the number one driver for this. The one word that comes to mind for this movement is ‘hope’.”
Click here to watch Justin’s video for his hit single, ‘Puppet’
Learn more about Clovis Culture and The Perfect Paleo Powder at www.clovisculture.com
Follow them @theperfectpaleopowder