What RDs Do: Corinne Dobbas MS, RD

CORINNE DOBBAS
COACH; DITCH THE DIET. GET MORE.

for something nutrishus

I became a dietitian around the same time as Corinne and I too enjoy working remotely. I believe she's the first love coach in the series and will be adding a new credential soon. Corinne is a great example of finding a niche and the lifelong learning RDs are inspired to partake in. Often our own struggles, life stages, experiences or interests lead us down different career paths. I love how honest she is about how much she works and the long hours she puts in; those realities aren't always apparent when we view websites or social media channels. 

Why did you become a RD?

I became a RD almost eight years ago now. At the time, I would have told you I became a RD because I wanted to help people learn to eat healthier. But, in hindsight, I can tell you that I was working through my own relationship with food and my body, and I wanted to learn more. But the real root of my desire as a RD has always been to coach and to help others, because I believe people are resilient and often have all the answers they need right there inside of them.

What area of dietetics do you work in?

I work in private practice in the coaching industry. More specifically, I work with women (from all over the world) struggling with body image and food fears, and who are looking to seriously get off the diet roller coaster and feel healthy and happy in their body and life. I do this through 1:1 coaching and my online course, Ditch the Diet. Get MORE. I also do love coaching, but that’s a whole other area! But the two really go together. If you can’t love yourself and your body, it’s hard to show up fully in a romantic relationship.

How would you explain what you do?

If I had to sum it up, I’d say I help kind, caring, compassionate women feel confident in their bodies, lives, and in love.

What are your ‘typical’ daily weekly tasks?

Well, I’m still learning. I’ve been fully in my own business for about 6 months now and typically, I do more task work in the morning, like answer emails, edit podcasts (I have an upcoming show you can find on my site by the time you’re reading this, CorinneDobbas.com). In the evening and afternoon, I focus more on my creative work, like writing, coaching clients, and working with the women in my Ditch the Diet. Get MORE. course. My days are also about to drastically change because I’m going back to school to become a MFT (Marriage and Family Therapist). I’m doing that so my current work can go even deeper with clients, and it’s simply the next step, so to speak, for myself.

What has been your career path?

My career path, as most are, has been interesting. I started off with a private counseling practice within a high-end health club and grew that for almost three years. As I began to notice that the clients I wanted to work with needed deeper work than a meal plan, I ended up leaving that position and taking on part-time consultant work for a company called hint water. I managed their social media, wrote their nutrition articles, and eventually, built and managed their customer service team. Also at this time, I enrolled in Wellcoaches and went through their program.

During this time, I was also testing my new way of working with clients - helping better their relationship with food and their body - through my 1:1 work. As I realized it worked, I then ran two small coaching groups over the next couple of years to test the material while working for hint. Throughout this process, my role for hint became full-time, but I was fortunate enough to work remote. Needless to say, during this period of my life, I worked A LOT.

Eventually, after almost four years, I left hint because I wanted something new and then took on a role as a General Manager for a fitness studio, while growing my own business. I was waking up at 4:30 am and typically working until 7 pm and within eight months, I burnt out and left the role. At this point, I was newly engaged and began to focus on my own business. But I’ve always been a fan of having a side income, where you knew a paycheck was certain. So I thought about what would be fun and remote (I love working remote) and remembered when my girlfriend got me to use a matchmaking service with her. I loved my matchmaker and decided to look if they were hiring. So I applied to be a matchmaker and after a serious interview process was hired.

I worked as a matchmaker then for about a year-and-a-half and that believe it or not took my coaching skills to a whole new level, as well as what I learned about relationships. After this stint, I decided to focus on date coaching. So today, I have my Single & Sane course, my Ditch the Diet. Get MORE. course and I offer 1:1 coaching in both the realms of food and body image and dating. But, as I mentioned earlier, this work has always signaled to me what I knew for a long time - to do more of what I really want to do - the (even) deeper inner soul work - I needed to go back to school to get a MS in Counseling Psychology. So, I’ll do that while running my current business today.

If you’re interested, you can hear more about my journey (and private life) with an awesome podcast interview I did with Heather Caplan here. (*Heather was featured on WhatRDsDo.com in June 2016!)

What advanced training or special education do you have?

I have a Masters in Nutrition Science. I’ve also completed the Wellcoaches Core-Coach Training Program, a 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training, and I’m going back to school to get a Masters in Counseling Psychology and become a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. Plus, I’ve worked with hundreds of women in both realms of food and body image and love. And to be honest, that 1:1 work and seeing what actually works for clients is priceless and the best training I could ever imagine.

In an ideal world what does the industry look like 5 years from now?

I have a feeling not many people are going to like me for this, but to be honest, in the ideal world, I’d hope to see less Dietitians stomping around online proclaiming themselves to be the nutrition experts - not saying we’re not - but to rather focus on the doing. The doing to establish yourself as an expert and to help those who you are uniquely meant to help. And to focus on how you can help. I believe there’s enough for everyone and when we start working collaboratively and focus more on what we can do, we change lives. I also believe it’s up to you to act as an expert. And most experts I know don’t walk around saying they’re the expert, they’re simply confident in the fact they are. So in the ideal world, I’d love to see the industry focusing more on how we can help, not that we can and should be the ones helping, if that makes sense.

What do people think you do for a living?

I laughed out loud at this because I’ve had so many people wonder. Are you in the love industry? How do you help people with food? Getting these responses has actually allowed me to rebrand my site to have a more clarifying message that I help kind, caring, compassionate women feel confident in their bodies, lives, and in love.

What tips would you give to our readers?

Know that you’re going to make a lot of mistakes. And that’s OK. It’s a part of the process. And get really clear on who you’re trying to help so you don’t take on projects, work, or clients who really aren’t a good match for you, and it turns out being a poor experience for both parties. Also, if you’re doing your own thing, don’t be afraid to get a real job and build your business overtime. In fact, I recommend it. And find your person in the industry who you can talk with, so you feel less alone. You’ll need them!

More about Corinne:

Website: Corinne Dobbas

Instagram: @CorinneDobbas

Thanks Corinne! Find out more about What RDs Do.

If you're a dietitian that would like to be featured, email me for the details!

What RDs Do: Melissa Bailey, MS, RD, CNSC, LDN & Elizabeth Smith MPH, RD, CNSC, LDN

MELISSA BAILEY & ELIZABETH SMITH
TWO HUNGRY WORK WIVES
for something nutrishus

I 'met' these lovely ladies as followers of the series on Instagram. As you continue to see, whether it's a hobby or a business, many dietitians start blogs, create recipes, counsel/coach as they're just so passionate and/or have unique interests and skills they want to share with the world. This truly is much more than a job to most of us!

Why did you become a RD?

Liz- I initially wanted to help with clients struggling with eating disorders; however throughout my internship I realized that overall health and wellness was important to me, leading me to the clinical world.

Melissa- I loved experimenting with recipes and making them healthier throughout high school and college. It wasn’t until friends told me I should consider nutrition that I gave it a thought. Now I am surprisingly working in an acute care setting, but have reignited my love of healthy cooking through our Instagram and blog.

What area of dietetics do you work in?

We both work in the clinical setting in an acute care hospital. We also provide outpatient counseling weekly. On the side we work on our Instagram and blog @twohungryworkwives.

How would you explain what you do?

Our role as dietitians in the clinical setting is to provide medical nutrition therapy to our hospitalized patients. Melissa focuses on providing nutrition support (tube feeds and I.V. nutrition) to adult surgical patients while Liz works mainly in the neonatal ICU helping premature babies to grow. 

What are your ‘typical’ daily/weekly tasks?

We see anywhere from 12-15 patients per day, assessing their nutrition needs and creating a plan with the medical team that best suits each patient. We also attend staff meetings, weekly education sessions and daily interdisciplinary rounds. As far as social media, we try to have meetings together a few times a week to discuss what we will post and the different ideas we have. 

What has been your career path?

Liz- studied nutrition undergrad, went on to work in community nutrition for several years while completing grad school. After completion of grad school, I went into my dietetic internship, where I realized that I wanted to eventually work in the clinical setting. 

Melissa- I studied health sciences in undergrad as I was not quite sure what part of the health profession I wanted to be in. I met with a professor who happened to also be a registered dietitian and she sparked my interest in the field. I went on to grad school with a focus in nutrition, then completed my dietetic internship. I also realized then that I wanted to be in the clinical setting, at least for the first few years of my career.

What advanced education or special training do you have?

We both have our master’s degree. Melissa has her Masters of Science in Human Nutrition while Liz has her Masters of Public Health with a focus in Nutrition. We both are Certified Nutrition Support Clinicians.

In an ideal world, what does the industry look like 5 years from now?

We hope that the profession continues to grow as there is a need for nutrition professionals within the community as well as in the medical setting. Since dietitians focus on evidenced-based research, we feel it is important to help build up our profession to get the most accurate nutrition information out to the public. We also hope that as the years go by there is better compensation for Registered Dietitians and the value of our profession is noticed. 

What would you like people to know about RDs?

We go through years of education to become a Registered Dietitian and just like any other health professional, we have to take a board examination to become certified to practice. We also have to hold a state licensure (in most states). Many dietitians have a master’s degree and all of us go through an intense 1200-hour internship before sitting for our board exams.

What is your favourite meal?

Melissa- homemade pasta and braciole 

Liz- her mom’s mac and cheese

More about Melissa & Liz:

Instagram: @twohungryworkwives

Facebook: Twohungryworkwives

Website: Two Hungry Work Wives

Thanks ladies! Find out more about What RDs Do.

If you're a dietitian that would like to be featured, email me for the details!

What RDs Do: Mary Purdy MS, RDN

MARY PURDY
ARIVALE & MARY'S NUTRITION SHOW

for something nutrishus

Mary is doing a variety of interesting things. She came to dietetics later in life and now works with both individuals and reaches a large audience via her show and podcasts. She's a great example of how dietitians turn research into practical advice. Like Mary, I jumped right into the private practice world, having never had a traditional job. I love the thought that went into her responses and am excited to read her book (since she kindly sent me a copy)!

Why did you become a RD? 

I have always been interested in food, health and nutrition since I was a little girl. I originally chose to become an actor but never lost my passion and zeal for broccoli and pomegranates. I started questioning this career choice in my early 30’s just as my dad was diagnosed with a very serious disease that wound him in a hospital where he received some very questionable advice from the dietitian there. When I began to realize that food actually had the power to help prevent and address disease I knew that I had to switch gears and do whatever I could to help people who may be in need of nutritional guidance. I was determined to heal the world one meal at a time!

What area of dietetics do you work in? 

I work at the start up scientific wellness company called Arivale in Seattle, as a Registered Dietitian Coach and Clinical Education Lead. I also host a web series and podcast called “Mary’s Nutrition Show” with my husband, who is a videographer and lead producer, all around great guy and fellow broccoli enthusiast.

How would you explain what you do? 

I work with clients/patients over the phone providing diet and lifestyle counseling utilizing a personalized medicine approach which takes into account nutritional genetics, blood analyte biomarkers, microbiome and salivary cortisol. We take a long-term, integrative approach where we address diet, physical activity, stress, sleep, and supplementation. What is incredible is that we work with folks long enough to gather data that helps us to see how our intervention strategies have made a difference in their lives. I also act as an educator at the company, training our new hires and helping to build new trainings on a variety of topics for our current dietitians. For “Mary’s Nutrition Show”, we produce weekly shows either on Facebook Live or recorded for a podcast that provide easy to understand information on a myriad of food and nutrition topics that are usually sprinkled with a lot of humor to keep it fun and interesting for both listener and for me.

What are your ‘typical’ daily/weekly tasks? 

Because Arivale is a start up culture, every day is incredibly different. I spend a lot of time reaching out to and speaking to, texting or emailing my clients keeping them accountable as well as inspired and encouraged, and fielding questions from them on a regular basis. I hold clinical office hours where other RDN’s can pick my brain about tough cases. I attend trainings about new data, go to meetings about company updates, group gatherings around both clinical or personal topics, drink copious amounts of tea and have brief chats with other RDN’s in our kitchen area, and read a lot of research. For Mary’s Nutrition Show, I brainstorm show ideas, stay current on social media, practice talking points, respond to comments and queries and go to the grocery store often where I can try new products that I can be confident recommending to my listeners.

What has been your career path? 

After attaining my graduate degree in nutrition and finishing my internship at Bastyr University, I decided it would be a good idea to hang my shingle and go into private practice, even with no real business experience. (I don’t recommend this!) I had never had a normal job, so the thought of a 9-5 gig was very unappealing. The internship schedule almost killed me. I wanted autonomy. I started off in what might be thought of as a utility closet at a gym and gradually worked my way to an office with windows and a couch. I also got a part time job for two years as an outpatient dietitian at a hospital in Seattle which filled in the gaps very nicely. I also started providing wellness presentations at local businesses and community centers and began to build my brand as a private practice dietitian.

While keeping my business going, I took on another wonderful role as a Clinical Supervisor at Bastyr University’s Teaching clinic for 5 years and became adjunct faculty teaching in both the natural medicine and nutrition departments for 3 years. When the opportunity came up to work at Arivale with a team of amazing clinicians and founded by one of the founding fathers of systems biology, Lee Hood, I decided to close my private practice and take a chance on this amazing-sounding start up. I have never looked back and look forward to every day that I get to practice integrative medicine and learn from other health professionals, and drink copious amounts of tea while chatting with other RDN’s in the kitchen. Over the past few years, I have been writing humorous personal essays about becoming and being a dietitian and finally compiled them all into a book called “Serving the Broccoli Gods”

What advanced education or special training do you have? 

I am definitely a life long learner who for the past 10 years has listened to dozens of professional webinars and attended several different major conferences and symposiums every year that mostly focus on functional and integrative approaches to health. I took the Functional Nutrition Course through the Institute for Functional Medicine, and the Food as Medicine professional training courses through the Center for Mind-Body Medicine. Being on the executive committee and now the Chair of Dietitians in Integrative and Functional Medicine has also afforded me numerous opportunities to build my knowledge base. I will never stop pursuing learning opportunities especially when the field is so incredibly dynamic. I just hope my brain can hold all the info!

In an ideal world, what does the industry look like 5 years from now? 

I hope the world of dietetics will be more aligned and less divided on a variety of topics. Or if the division still exists, I hope there is a cordial agreement to respect the others’ opinions. I also hope food policy won’t be so driven by food industry. I fear that decisions around our food – both access and quality – are often being made by organizations that may not always have the consumer’s health in mind. I would love for RDN’s to have greater respect overall in the medical community as an integral part of the health care picture. I also hope that more RDN’s feel empowered to take an integrative approach to nutritional counseling, incorporating other aspects of what constitutes “health” and come to understand the value of personalizing the strategies, and that not all research may apply to every single person in the same way. And I hope that this is taught and incorporated into nutrition school curriculums and in medical schools. Filling out the conversation with our patients to include sleep, stress, GI (gastrointestinal) issues, environment, genetics, physical activity, and the benefits or lack thereof of supplementation will inevitably make our ability to guide and improve health outcomes all the stronger.

What are challenges you encounter as a RD? 

I don’t think people, my friends and acquaintances included, or other medical professionals always understand the depth of our knowledge and training around food and disease and how strong our understanding is of how to prevent, treat and in some cases possibly even reverse chronic health issues.

What do people think that you do for a living? 

I think some believe that I sit there and tell people to stop eating fast food and eat more vegetables so they can lose weight. I don’t think they understand that food is information for our genes and helps to support our bodies’ biochemical functions, and that decisions around meals go way beyond calories in and calories out.

What are you passionate about in dietetics? 

I am extraordinarily passionate about the potential that a food as medicine approach has in stopping chronic disease. I love the idea of thinking outside the box with strategies, with trialing options with patients and considering n=1 experiments as a way to determine if the intervention is right for that individual. When we start focusing on the root cause of disease and begin our guidance from that perspective, we have the ability to dig deep and understand how to get us out of the health crisis in which we have found ourselves.

What is your favourite meal? 

Do I have to have a favorite? It depends on the season, on my mood, where I am, but I do love a good Spicy Indian or Thai veggie curry over brown rice, or vegetarian chili bursting with veggies and a side of corn bread. But then I also go nuts for a massaged kale salad with avocado and walnuts and beets! Give me flavor, richness, spice and color. Can I have that many favorites??

What tip(s) would you give to our readers? 

Don’t NOT do something because you are scared or worried that you won’t be successful. Don’t stay too long doing something in the field that doesn’t fill your soul. Stay open minded about the possibilities of this field and keep up the dialogue with those who may have different philosophies from yours. This is a great way to learn.

More about Mary:

Website: Mary Purdy

Podcast: Mary's Nutrition show on iTunes

YouTube channel: Mary Purdy

Facebook: Mary Purdy RD

Twitter: @marypurdyhere

Instagram: @marypurdyrd

Thanks Mary! Find out more about What RDs Do.

If you're a dietitian that would like to be featured, email me for the details!

What RDs Do: Deanne Segrave-Daly, RD

DEANNA SEGRAVE-DALY

TEASPOON COMMUNICATIONS

for something nutrishus

I've known of Deanna and Serena for years now. They are the type of private practice dietitians that came to mind when I started this series and also served as business inspiration for me. Deanna is very active online and always sharing delicious recipes as well as kitchen hacks for practical healthy cooking at home. Interestingly, we both started communications work with our local dairy groups.

Why did you become a RD?

I became interested in nutrition myself when I gained weight at college and started looking into healthier eating habits. And I’ve always loved cooking and the culture surrounding food.

What area of dietetics do you work in?

Communications/Social Media/Blogging

How would you explain what you do?

For the past 9 years, I’ve co-owned a food-focused communications business called Teaspoon Communications with my business partner, Serena Ball. We work with a variety of food companies, PR agencies and commodity groups doing everything from recipes development, to social media outreach, to TV spots to article writing to creating presentations.

What are your ‘typical’ daily/weekly tasks?

Daily/weekly tasks include online- promoting healthy recipes, kitchen tips, nutrition finds, etc. on my social media handles as well as keeping our blog, Teaspoon of Spice running smoothly.

On any given week, I could be working on preparing for a Facebook live spot, shooting a Healthy Kitchen Hacks video, hosting a recipe contest through The Recipe ReDux (a blogger community I co-own and manage with Serena and Regan Jones) or planning for Blog Brulee (an annual dietitian blogger workshop that I co-founded with Regan, Robin Plotkin and Gretchen Brown.)

What has been your career path?

From the start I knew I didn’t want to be a clinical dietitian so I started in the community/education sector working for WIC and then being an outpatient dietitian at a prenatal clinic. Then I was hired by my local dairy council to do communications and PR work which I loved. I worked there for 9 years – between that job and being involved in the Food & Culinary Professionals DPG of AND is what gave me the experience and confidence to start my own business with two other colleagues (Serena and Bonnie Johnson) in 2009.

What advanced education or special training do you have?

Along with a BS in Nutrition, I have a BS in Marketing.

In an ideal world, what does the industry look like 5 years from now?

I wish I had that crystal ball! Communication wise, I know social media outlets will continue to be the main source of news for consumers and I think everything will be in video or live format (vs. photos or simply reading.)

More about Deanna:

Blog: Teaspoon of Spice
Facebook: Teaspoon of Spice
Twitter: tspbasil
Pinterest: tspbasil
Instagram: tsp_basil
LinkedIn: Deanna Segrave-Daly

Thanks Deanna! Find out more about What RDs Do.

If you're a dietitian that would like to be featured, email me for the details!

What RDs Do: Caitlin Boudreau, RD, MPH

CAITLIN BOUDREAU 

PEDIATRICS & ONCOLOGY;

CHILD & FAMILY DIETITIAN

for something nutrishus

I knew Caitlin online as Wee Nourish before I knew her actual name, which reminds me of being introduced to other dietitians at conferences as Nutrishus RD or the something nutrishus dietitian. Career paths often intrigue me, as dietitians have various reasons for finding different roles and this applies to Caitlin as explained below. I also love learning unique new things about them, such as their second language or favourite food/meal.

Why did you become a RD? 

I think I was drawn to the practicality of nutrition. Coming from a psychology background, I’ve always been interested in food and people’s eating choices.

What area of dietetics do you work in? 

A bit of a mix really. Mostly pediatrics, with a side of oncology.

How would you explain what you do? 

I help support parents with feeding their little ones, and work to reduce anxieties and frustrations that come with that. My goal is to help parents build a positive feeding relationship, and to avoid and manage picky eating. I can relate to so many of the struggles my clients have as a mom of two little ones myself.

What are your ‘typical’ daily/weekly tasks? 

I’m on social media more than I would like to be, but this seems to be a key part of my work as a private practice dietitian. I write Facebook and blog posts, do live videos, and prepare for upcoming workshops both online and in-person. My practice is shifting to one that offers more support online and by phone, so I’m often on calls with parents throughout the day. And when I’m not doing that, I’m chasing my toddler and preschooler around as I’m home part-time with them.

What has been your career path? 

I started in addictions, as a clinical dietitian at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto. After my mat leave, I decided to switch gears and create my own job in an area I’ve become very passionate about, pediatrics. I’m still working in my private practice in this area. As someone who has always liked to try new things, I’ve recently started working casually as a clinical dietitian with the BC Cancer Agency, which has proved to be incredibly interesting and meaningful work.

What advanced education or special training do you have? 

I completed a Master of Public Health in Community Nutrition from the University of Toronto. I also speak Spanish fluently (does that count?).

In an ideal world, what does the industry look like 5 years from now? 

I wish there was a better understanding from the public and other health professionals about what RDs actually do and what we have to offer. And I’d love to see more collaboration between RDs. I often sense that RDs feel like they’re in competition with one another, instead of joining forces to create something bigger and better.

What would you like people to know about RDs? 

I would love for people to know that dietitians all have their own lenses and biases. I think this is true for all professions, but for some reason I find dietitians tend to get painted with the same brush. I think this is what makes us great. We each have something unique to offer, and what fits for one client may not work for another.

What makes RDs unique/different from other nutrition/wellness professionals? 

Being a great dietitian is definitely a craft. I think what sets us apart from other wellness professionals is that we have the knowledge base and skills to take evidence-based information and translate it in a way that is practical and useful.

What is your favourite meal? 

Sushi. So cliche as a west coaster, but I seriously think I could eat it just about every day.

What tip(s) would you give to our readers? 

I remember something an experienced dietitian (Carol Dombrow) once said during my practicum that stuck with me. Her advice was to stay open to all areas of nutrition and opportunities that arose and never close the door on anything. This has kind of been my motto ever since I finished school. Sometimes you think your path will lead you a certain way, but it doesn’t. It might lead you somewhere even better.

More about Caitlin:

Website: Wee Nourish
Facebook: Wee Nourish Nutrition
Email: caitlin@weenourish.ca

Thanks Caitlin! Find out more about What RDs Do.

If you're a dietitian that would like to be featured, email me for the details!