STEPH LANGDON
SOMETHING NUTRISHUS & WHAT RDS DO
hosted by Brooke Bulloch
What RDs Do Interview Series – TAKEOVER!
Hey, hey! It’s Brooke Bulloch here from Food to Fit in Saskatoon! I had the pleasure of being highlighted as part of the What RDs Do Interview Series back in October 2015. Today I’m taking over Stephanie Langdon’s What RDs Do!
With Stephanie celebrating 7 years in business this week AND her 100th What RDs Do interview coming up in August, I thought it was an opportune time to take over and interview the very creator of the What RDs Do Interview Series!
Stephanie is a fellow Saskatoon-based Dietitian and entrepreneur who is doing incredible work for the profession. As founder of the What RDs Do blog and as part of Dietitians of Canada's Brand Ambassador team, Stephanie’s efforts to educate the public and promote the invaluable and diverse work of Dietitians is admirable. As someone who inspires me, I wanted to give the spotlight to her today!
Thank you, Stephanie, for all you do and for this incredible blog series. Happy 7-year anniversary!
I was pursuing a science degree, perhaps headed towards Physiology, but unsure what I’d do with it. I took an introductory nutrition course and loved the practicality of what I learned, so I decided to apply to the College of Nutrition. I was an athlete at the time, so I saw the obvious connections to performance and thought sport nutrition might be an end goal for me.
What area of dietetics do you work in?
Private practice: consulting and communications
How would you explain what you do?
I try to balance being a mom with running my business (a work-at-home-mom). I work with many agriculture/commodity/industry groups helping with presentations, resource development, event attendance, media, social media and strategy. Like most dietitians I do many things. I curate/run this blog series, I do a bit of work for our Sport Medicine and Science Council of Saskatchewan, for our local Canadian Forces, and freelance projects. I am also on Dietitians of Canada’s Brand Leadership Team as the SK/MB (Saskatchewan/Manitoba) Team Captain.
What are your ‘typical’ daily/weekly tasks?
My day/week might consist of:
- sport nutrition presentations for active 13-18 year olds
- formatting blog posts
- reading journals, books, websites, and media to stay up on research and trends
- creating social media content
- responding to emails
- seeing the occasional one-on-one client
- I am also sometimes working at events, creating content/resources, sitting in on meetings or listening to webinars
What has been your career path?
I have worked in private practice since I finished my internship. I initially planned to work in sport nutrition, and in Canada that was the path that made sense – self-employment. Prior to that I was an elite athlete (Team Canada and pro volleyball) and worked at Lululemon while finishing up my degree. Since then it has just been the evolution of my practice as different things have interested me, I’ve learned to say NO to things I’m not passionate about or weren’t a good fit, and I became a mom.
I have worked in private practice since I finished my internship. I initially planned to work in sport nutrition, and in Canada that was the path that made sense – self-employment. Prior to that I was an elite athlete (Team Canada and pro volleyball) and worked at Lululemon while finishing up my degree. Since then it has just been the evolution of my practice as different things have interested me, I’ve learned to say NO to things I’m not passionate about or weren’t a good fit, and I became a mom.
What advanced education or special training do you have?
I have my BSc. Nutrition as well as various certifications/courses/conferences/webinars etc. that I constantly take part in as continued learning in the various areas I work in (Craving Change, Motivational Interviewing, sport nutrition, agriculture, social media, etc.)
In an ideal world, what does the industry look like 5 years from now?
As someone who advocates for the profession, I hope that people come to know what dietitians do (which is varied) and who dietitians are, as well as the difference from nutritionists. I hope that health insurance plans cover dietitian services so that they’re more accessible. I am also intrigued by how the environment shapes our behaviours so I hope to see health promoting spaces and places so that healthy choices can be the default choices. With the strong influence of social media I also hope we move away from unrealistic ‘ideals’, can live authentically off-line and stop judging/shaming others, as there are many ways to be healthy.
What misinformation about RDs would you like to clear up?
We don’t just make meal plans and take away your favourite food(s).
What would you like people to know about RDs?
We work in a variety of settings, not just in hospitals and we’re here to help with various nutrition/eating/food topics, whether that’s dealing with a chronic illness, a picky eater, preventative health care, policy creation, brand messaging, recipe development, or helping sort through all the misinformation out there. The list goes on and on (as you’ve seen in this series!).
What are challenges you encounter as a RD?
The ‘personal opinion/celebrity’ type information that can mislead people and perhaps even be dangerous. It’s great that people are talking about nutrition, but there are so many promises of quick fixes and an obesogenic environment that we have our work cut out for us in years ahead.
What do people think that you do for a living?
I’m not sure, as it’s hard to articulate what I do. I think it took a few years before people realized this wasn’t my hobby, but my job, and was paying the bills.
What are you passionate about in dietetics?
Habits and prevention. We live in the moment and think about immediate enjoyment, not always the long-term consequences, we also have ingrained ways of doing things. I’d like to help people create healthy habits and be able to make informed decisions about food – whether that is choosing to have the ice cream or blueberries, there’s room for it all and there isn’t a single ‘correct’ way to be or eat healthy.
More about Steph:
Facebook: Steph Langdon, RD
Twitter: @nutrishusRD
Instagram: @langdonsteph
LinkedIn: Stephanie (Wheler) Langdon, BSc. RD
Pinterest: @NutrishusRD
If you're a dietitian that would like to be featured, email me for the details!
