Hulia’s Journey to BioBah Nutrition
Ever since she was a child, Hulia (pronounced like “July” but with an “H”), short for Huliamatu, was full of curiosity about how things work. That curiosity grew into a fascination with the human body, leading her to pursue pre-med studies at the University of Oklahoma. Biochemistry came naturally to her, so she majored in it, setting the stage for what would eventually become her life’s work.
After graduating from OU, Hulia started studying for the MCAT and worked at her brother-in-law’s weight management clinic as a technician. It wasn’t long before he noticed something special—she had a knack for reading blood test results and explaining them to patients in a way that made sense. That’s when he suggested she look into becoming a dietitian, since understanding the body’s internal biochemistry plays a big part in what a dietitian does.
“I had never even heard of a dietitian before,” Hulia said, 
“but it intrigued me.”
She decided to give it a shot and applied to the Dietetics program at OU’s College of Allied Health. Accepted into the program, she threw herself into learning everything she could. Measuring ingredients and working with precision took some getting used to, especially since she grew up in West Africa, where cooking didn’t usually involve exact measurements. But her love for food and health, inspired by her mom’s home cooking, kept her motivated.
“As a dietitian everyone thinks, ‘oh it’s just food,’ but food is a part of your life, three times a day,” she said.
After earning her master’s degree in Dietetics, Hulia managed the kitchen and dietitians at a hospital. She loved the teamwork but noticed a troubling pattern—many patients faced the same preventable issues, like diabetes. That realization got her thinking about how to make a bigger impact.
In 2017, Hulia started BioBah Nutrition as a side hustle. Her focus was clear: help women ages 30 to 45 make healthier choices for themselves and their families.
“As women, we tend to not take care of ourselves because we’re too tired after taking care of everyone else,” she said.
When the pandemic hit, Hulia didn’t want to have to quarantine from her family since she worked in a hospital—instead she took it as a sign to go all-in on BioBah Nutrition. Leaving her hospital job was hard, but it gave her more time with her husband and young son and allowed her to help others in a unique way.
BioBah Nutrition’s Mission
At BioBah Nutrition, Hulia focuses on empowering clients to understand their bodies and trust their instincts. She starts with lab work, uncovering deficiencies or imbalances. For clients looking to lose weight, she digs deeper, asking why and helping them redefine what being healthy means. There’s no calorie counting or pressure to hit a specific number on the scale.
“You can eat whatever you want, just in moderation,” she said.
Instead, Hulia teaches clients that food is neutral and encourages them to have open and flexible mindsets about food and their bodies. Hulia also wants her clients to move beyond societal pressures around weight.
“Society puts such a big emphasis on weight—someone can be skinny and very unhealthy,” she said. “I think body dysmorphia is more rampant than we think.”
Her hope is that BioBah Nutrition will help women facing similar challenges and create positive change in their lives.
“Your body talks to you and carries you for so many years—get to learn it. It’s a beautiful thing,” she said.
From Employee to Business Owner
This year marks BioBah Nutrition’s fifth anniversary, and Hulia is the first one to say that she is still learning what it takes to run a business.
“It’s really important for someone who’s about to be in her fifth year as a business owner to realize how much I don’t know,” Hulia said. “That’s the thing about being a business owner—it humbles you.”
For a long time, she struggled with having a business owner mindset. She was in the grind working and doing everything herself instead of stepping back and seeing how her systems are working.
Her search for resources led her to REI Oklahoma, where she’s found support and a welcoming community. Through events like the Oklahoma City Women’s Business Breakfasts, she’s built relationships and improved her communication skills, thanks to coaching from fellow attendee Leah Rose Tangren, owner of LRT Coaching.
“I’ve been on a journey to find out how I can make this business more efficient, and I found REI Oklahoma by searching for that,” she said.
Hulia has also taken many online workshops, including an Excel training series and REI Oklahoma’s How to Write a Business Plan course. After learning that a business plan is a living, evolving thing, she said that she “actually looks forward to building [her] business plan.”
“REI Oklahoma is really good at not just giving resources to business owners, but also walking people through what they need,” Hulia said. “You do not just provide the resource; you teach them how to use it more effectively.”
Looking ahead, Hulia feels ready to keep growing BioBah Nutrition and continue making a difference in the lives of her clients, one conversation at a time.
Hulia shared, “I set a goal that when I die, I’ve helped a million people through this work.”
We believe in you and your goal, Hulia, keep doing good work!
Huliamatu ‘Hulia’ Bah MA, RD/LD
Owner, BioBah Nutrition
1330 N Classen Blvd #109 | Oklahoma City, OK 73106
https://biobahnutrition.com | (405) 256-4823