Carnegie Mellon University

Five Questions with Marva Makle

Alumna Marva Makle answered our "5 Questions" about about what exactly Ayurveda is, how it changed her life and why alumni should tune into her webinar.

Marva Makle (DC 1989) is a Washington, D.C.-based integrative nutrition health coach and a certified Ayurvedic lifestyle consultant. Makle worked in IT for 20 years for large corporations and consulting firms until health and personal challenges brought her worn-out, burnt-out (WOBO) lifestyle to a halt. Hitting "the wall" inspired her to find a healthier, more energized and more joyous way to live. For the past five years, she has focused on helping other WOBO professional women reset their lives and eliminate the idea that struggle and exhaustion are the necessary by-products of achievement. 

On September 20, from noon to 1 p.m. EDT, she will lead a CMUConnect Essential Skills webinar, Three Ayurvedic Secrets to Getting It Done Without Hitting the Wall. Makle sat down to answer our five questions about what exactly Ayurveda is, how it changed her life and why alumni should tune into this webinar. 

Q: What's the most valuable thing you learned at CMU and how did it prepare you for such a radical career change?
A: CMU taught me I can solve any problem. I've applied my analysis, research, design and planning skills to my career change. It's been pretty methodical, but with a newfound skill-flow.

Q: For those who may be unfamiliar with it, what is Ayurveda, and why is there a greater focus on it now?
A: Ayurveda is a beautiful mind-body health system that originated in India more than 5,000 years ago. It is a personalized approach to health and gives us the means for attaining and maintaining our own optimal health and well-being.

Ayurveda is growing phenomenally in the United States because of a deep desire by each of us to live full, healthy lives that aren't plagued by aches, pains or diseases. I think we know that our birthright is a lifetime of joy and health, and Ayurveda provides a natural, holistic blueprint to get there.

Q: How can Ayurveda help the WOBO - worn-out and burn-out - among us?
A: For most WOBO women, being stuck in "overwhelm" keeps us from making the health and lifestyle changes necessary to live a happy and vibrant life. Ayurveda, with its mind-body types, gives us a path forward, a way to practically and naturally regain control of our life and health.

Q: What knowledge or wisdom should attendees expect to take away with from your webinar?
A: Without giving away the secrets, an attendee will gain insight into the factors that contribute to their state of being worn-out and burnt-out, as well as develop a 30-day action plan to move them out of "overwhelm" and on a path forward.

Q: What is the best change you ever made based on advice you received?
A: Transforming my diet. I went from decades of eating the standard American diet (SAD) which was full of animal product, processed foods and loads of sugar to a whole-foods based diet that is primarily plant-focused.