Meet Coach Malaika. 

My journey into wellness did not begin with a business. It began with a desire to understand the body more deeply—and eventually became a calling to help other women do the same.

I’m Coach Malaika Bagoudou, founder of Les Graines de Vie Holistic Health & Wellness, Queen Bellis, and Chef Malaika Gourmet. My work brings together wellness education, nutrition, women’s health, hair and scalp care, beauty, food, and intentional living because I have learned that a woman cannot always be supported by looking at only one part of her life.

I am originally from Togo, West Africa, and my African heritage has deeply influenced the way I think about food, nourishment, community, beauty, and caring for the whole person. My own experiences with digestive changes and the transition into perimenopause led me to begin asking deeper questions about what was happening inside my body. Instead of stopping at symptoms, I wanted to understand the connections between nourishment, digestion, hormones, stress, lifestyle, and the changes women experience as we age.

That curiosity became years of education, professional training, and service.

Education & Professional Training

My background crosses several disciplines because women’s wellness crosses several disciplines.

I am a licensed cosmetologist, with cosmetology education through Central Texas College, bringing professional knowledge of hair, scalp, skin, and beauty care into my work.

I trained through the Institute for Integrative Nutrition (IIN) as an Integrative Nutrition Health Coach, with additional specialized education in hormone health and digestive/gut health.

I am also a Menopause Coaching Specialist, trained through Girls Gone Strong, which expanded my ability to educate and support women navigating perimenopause, menopause, and the years beyond.

My continuing education has also included advanced study in nutrition and wellness, and I continue to study the relationship between nourishment, lifestyle, women’s health, and whole-person well-being.

I am currently completing my Bachelor’s degree in Psychology through the University of Maryland Global Campus (UMGC). Psychology has added another important dimension to my work—helping me better understand behavior, stress, emotional wellness, human development, and the powerful relationship between our physical and psychological well-being.

And my education does not stop in the classroom. I am also a wellness educator, author, recipe developer, and culinary creator, bringing together my African roots and evidence-informed wellness principles to help make nourishing food practical, culturally meaningful, and enjoyable.

My Mission

From One Woman’s Journey to a Community of Women

What began as my own search for answers eventually grew into something much larger.

Over the years, I have created and led communities where women can talk openly about menopause, wellness, hair changes, nourishment, relationships, and the realities of womanhood. Today, I help steward online communities reaching nearly 200,000 women, including Menopause Matters Now.

Listening to thousands of women has reinforced something I learned through my own journey: our bodies, minds, lifestyles, nourishment, and environments are connected.

That understanding is also why Queen Bellis exists. As a cosmetologist and wellness educator, I see hair and scalp care as more than what we put on the outside. Hair can sometimes reflect what is happening internally, while thoughtful external care still matters. Queen Bellis allows me to bring those worlds together through intentional crown, scalp, skin, body, and children’s care.

Chef Malaika Gourmet and my nutrition work extend that philosophy into the kitchen—because nourishment should not require abandoning culture or flavor.

And Les Graines de Vie brings everything back to the larger mission: supporting women in living more intentionally and caring for the whole woman.

Author, Educator & Creator

Writing has become another way for me to teach.

I am the author of Too Busy to Cook, first published in 2020, along with additional wellness resources, educational guides, recipes, and books created to make health information more practical and approachable.

Whether I am teaching through a book, developing a recipe, formulating a botanical product, working behind the chair, educating about menopause, or speaking to women in my community, the purpose remains the same:

Help women understand their bodies, make informed choices, and care for themselves with greater confidence and intention.

What I Believe

I believe the human body was created with extraordinary capacity to regulate, repair, adapt, and respond when it is given appropriate support.

That does not mean wellness is a quick fix, nor does it mean food or lifestyle replaces appropriate medical care. It means that nourishment, movement, rest, stress management, healthy relationships, appropriate professional care, and intentional daily choices all matter.

My role is not to promise perfection.

My role is to educate, encourage, equip, and help women ask better questions about their health and well-being.

And my faith remains at the foundation of that work. I believe caring for our health is part of stewardship—honoring the body we have been given while extending grace to ourselves through every season of life.

If you arrived here searching for answers, beginning again, or simply wanting to care for yourself more intentionally, I want you to know something:

There is always room to learn. There is always room to grow. And it is never too late to begin caring for the woman you are becoming.

With love,
Coach Malaika