Growing up I was always a healthy eater, or what my mother would call a “good eater” (i.e. I LOVED to eat!). We grew up in a health conscious household where my mother gardened often and both of my parents were very active as well. This environment created lifelong habits from a young age that I kept with me into adulthood. Don’t get me wrong though—I was still a kid who enjoyed pop tarts, mac & cheese and all of those “junk” foods, we just had a great balance between those and healthy whole foods.

It wasn’t until I was in college that I realized nutrition and healthy living weren’t just part of my life, but my calling to help others realize their health potential as well. What first sparked my interest in the nutrition world was when I got into weight lifting and strength training. I was fascinated at my body’s capabilities to turn skinny little me into someone who could gradually increase their muscle mass and strength. 

It also was a combination of knowing what foods made me feel my best with recovery, energy and those that kept me progressing towards my goals. I would make mock meal plans for friends and guinea pig everything on myself as a way to learn the body as well. To this day, I guinea pig my own diet programs, meal plans and experiment—I believe to be a great practitioner you must know what it truly feels like on the other end, dieting or changing your eating habits.

Great question, and a very common one at that! A dietitian is someone who has received formal education from an accredited program, passed a national exam and continues to hone in on their skills by keeping up to date with continuing education courses/credits. A dietitian can “call” themselves a health coach, nutritionist, coach, etc., but not the reverse. In other words, a nutritionist can’t label him or herself a dietitian or practice as a dietitian if they haven’t undergone certain education or received specific certifications. 

A wellness coach or health coach is someone who has undergone training in coaching. Coaching is more holistic than most training obtained in typical dietetic programs and you also don’t have to be a dietitian to be a “coach.” The focus of coaching is rooted in motivational interviewing, listening and facilitating change in clients versus taking a teaching or educational approach (i.e. listen first, talk second).

I find both of the skill sets I’ve learned from both wellness coach training and my clinical experience with counseling/nutrition invaluable. Both are incredibly important to the way I practice!

Day-to-day work, although I hesitate to call what I do “work” because I truly love what I do, varies each week. Some days I’m writing blog posts for Nutrition Stripped, or I’m in the kitchen developing recipes for my cookbook or for the blog to share. On other days, I’m testing recipes on my friends, hosting Nutrition Stripped Supper Clubs, freelance writing, doing food photography and, of course, working with my clients! Most days when I’m simply writing or editing photography, you can find me at any of my favorite local Nashville coffee shops like Barista Parlor, Crema or Ugly Mugs—caffeine and writing equals a lot of work done!

I’m also in the process of taking on interns to help with the expansion of Nutrition Stripped, which has been a completely gratifying experience. I love being able to teach the next generation of entrepreneurs.

The inception of Nutrition Stripped started long before I actually introduced it to the world. I had been working behind the scenes for many months organizing, planning out and truly asking myself what I wanted to do for my career. It was this time spent that was crucial to my success with Nutrition Stripped. I was able to picture my vision with my “dream” job, think about steps I’d have to take to get there, network, research, research and research!

I had several jobs that were clinically based when first starting out as a dietitian, which I used as further experience. I knew right away that what I was doing with work was truly just work—it wasn’t a calling or a passion of mine. My dream was to wake up every single morning with a desire to work towards my dream “job,” but also to make it a lifestyle. I knew what was out there for me as a dietitian if I followed suit and kept working for companies I couldn’t completely agree with. I knew it wouldn’t live up to what I had envisioned in my head. Thus, I had to make my dream a reality. That’s when the wheels started turning and I began to build my own practice and business.

I set myself a schedule now. When I first starting blogging, I was juggling multiple part-time jobs and working about 60 hours a week! I had no life/work balance and I was clearly burning myself out. But it was a necessary sacrifice at the time. It wasn’t until I set boundaries with work that I had more balance. Balance also comes with practice and with the growth of your business. Naturally when you’re first starting out and building your business, most of us do it solo, so it does take a lot of time and an incredible amount of sacrifice.

I’ve always been an early bird, so I’m up most mornings around 5:00 a.m., going to the gym to get in a great workout, making time for meditation to focus on the day and then working! I typically will start work around 9:00 in the morning, break for lunch and get right back at it till around 3:00 or 4:00 p.m. Again, some days vary, especially if I’m coaching international clients—I may be coaching till 8:00 p.m. at night. I no longer work on the weekends (that was part of my boundary rules!). Those are special and spent enjoying time with friends, my love and our sweet pup, Zoey. I cherish weekends to be able to re-energize and refocus for the next week. I believe to be a great coach, I have to be “well” and in the right state of being to help others.

Yes! My nutritional focus is simple, plant-based whole foods. Going back to basics with food and stripping away all the fluff and confusion when it comes to diets. I practice and preach living and enjoying a lifestyle rather than focusing on fad diets or other nutrition dogmas people may get sucked into. I’m all about refocusing the attention on the simplicity that’s been in front of us all along—choosing foods closest to nature, having flexibility and enjoying every bite of it.

I’m also all about encouraging people to have fun in the kitchen, to get creative and branch away from using the same ole’ ingredients they’re used to. I try to expose my readers to ingredients that aren’t so common, or using them in classic recipes with a twist or with a global flare. I think it’s great to have a niche, if you know what you’re passionate about. Then use your unique voice to share it to the world!

Nutrition Stripped was a way for me to, not only create a future business of my dream job, but as a way for me to express my creative outlet as well as my nutrition knowledge and expertise. I’ve always loved food, photography, art, writing and connecting with individuals, so the blog felt completely natural when I started it up. It was like second nature.

Nutrition Stripped has been a fantastic way for me to connect with potential clients, collaborations with work and in general meeting people all over the world who normally I would’ve never been able to. I’ve met some truly amazing friends throughout the process of building Nutrition Stripped. It’s an amazing thing.

I do! My nutrition coaching services and programs are at the heart of Nutrition Stripped. It’s where I connect with new and potential clients. To be honest, the pros far out weigh the cons at the present moment. When I first started out, I would’ve said otherwise. Whenever you’re starting a business, especially alone, there’s a lot of time, labor, sacrifice and hardships—but that’s not to say you’re not rewarded if you stick with it! I wouldn’t have changed a thing at the start of building Nutrition Stripped—everything I’ve worked hard to get has come into fruition because of effort. I find it to be much more gratifying than simply working for a company. 

I also may be a minority in this regard, but I’m a very independent person. I find that I work best alone, running the show and delegating tasks. For my business, it works perfectly well because I’m able to work a typical eight-hour work day in four to six hours, and be more efficient in comparison to “clocking in” those eight hours just because you have to regardless of your efficiency. To me, that’s a waste of time and resources! 

On the logistical side of things, working for a large company has its perks with benefits, health insurance, etc., but I’d give that up any day for complete freedom and flexibility. Added bonus: it’s beautiful to be able to look back on a project you’ve grown from the ground up. 

My favorite part of my job is that I don’t view it as a job. It’s a lifestyle. It’s a way of being. I wake up every morning grateful and happy I’m able to live out my passion, have a voice and share it with the world. What I do on a daily basis is such a great mesh between my left and right brain that it keeps me focused and happy, both creatively and intellectually.

The biggest drawbacks I’ve experienced surround the times when a big decision needs to be made—things like declining projects, the website, quitting part-time jobs, etc. I’m incredibly grateful that I have a great support system around me to bounce ideas off of, but ultimately when you’re the business owner, you make the final decision. It can be intimating and incredibly empowering at the same time. It’s not that working is always rainbows and butterflies, because it isn’t. There are times of highs and lows with business, but I make a conscious effort to focus on the good that I do and that keeps me going full force.

This has actually been one of the most frequently asked questions I receive. I have weekly emails from aspiring RD’s and nutritionists asking me about my career and wanting help. I’ve written a couple of blog posts about this to answer some questions. I enjoy sharing what I’ve learned throughout my process and I’ve received great feedback on how it has helped shape their path in deciding whether or not the nutrition field is truly a passion of theirs or whether they were in love with the “idea” of being in nutrition—there’s a big difference. Passion > identifying with a label.

I think it’s always important to know your niche, have your own unique voice and perspective and own it. But most importantly, you must have passion. If you don’t eat, breathe, sleep nutrition (or your potential dream career) then during those hard times I mention, it’s going to be even more challenging to stick to it.

The future of my career is full of endless possibilities, as cliché as that may sound. I truly believe that there are so many outlets for me to reach out to and I’m ready for all of it! One of the most exciting projects I’m currently working on and recently launched is the cooking video side of Nutrition Stripped! Also new, I have Nutrition Stripped Supper Clubs, which are incredibly fun. It’s a way for me to connect with all the foodies in Nashville and friends to share recipes, cook and enjoy food over great conversation.

The biggest project to happen is my cookbook deal with Harlequin Publishing! I’m beyond excited to shift my focus more on developing the cookbook, testing recipes, writing and photographing all my new creations to share in spring of 2016. The Nutrition Stripped cookbook will be an expansion of my blog, rooted in plant-based whole foods made deliciously simple and flexible for everyone—it’s all about global eating! I’m thrilled to start this new chapter in my life and to be able to share it with the Nutrition Stripped community every step of the way.