We were lucky to catch up with Joshua Verduzco recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Joshua, thanks for joining us today. What did your parents do right and how has that impacted you in your life and career?

My three brothers and I were born and raised by our parents. My mother and father were strong in their faith and utilized scripture from the Bible to raise us throughout our childhood. My parents instilled rational, constructive and sound spiritual beliefs to where we knew right from wrong and how to properly navigate life. Yes, my brothers and I still had our fair share of rebellion and lessons that had to be learned but the values ingrained by our parents kept us on the straight and narrow. On a more practical level, my parents also never told us what to do in terms of a future. They allowed us to pursue what we found of interest and only ever supported our endeavors. They never pushed college or any particular path which I believe allowed us to become curious and creative for the direction of our respective lives. This allowed us to be autonomous yet enjoy a profound sense of support throughout our young adult lives.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Just like any young person trying to figure out their place in the world, it wasn’t until my second semester in college when I was taking a human anatomy and physiology course where I became extremely interested in the human body. Shortly thereafter, I decided to pursue a career in both fitness and nutrition. While pursing a degree in human nutrition, I became a certified personal trainer and began training clients at a local fitness club. The next four years I worked part-time as a personal trainer and completed my undergraduate degree in 2016. Immediately after obtaining my bachelor’s degree, I went on to complete a graduate degree in nutrition as well as complete a nine month dietetic internship which was required to become a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist upon passing a national examination.

Currently I provide online fitness and nutrition coaching services. I offer free consultations using the link in my bio on instagram. I help people solve their problems related to food, eating and their body.

What separates my services from others is that I take a rational and constructive approach to food, eating and the body.
I do not believe in food restriction. All clients are empowered to take personal responsibility for their food choices, learn what is enough food for what they need while creating structure, balance and variety in their eating habits.

Simply put, I help people make eating great again, something they look forward to without guilt, shame and confusion. Food is meant to not only be noursing to the body but also a gratifying experience. I help clients have both for the rest of their lives.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

Throughout my college career I did exceptionally well, maintaining a high GPA, making the deans list several times and having great success in all types of examinations.

It wasn’t until I completed college and dietetic internship where I faced my first major failure in the realm of education. To become a registered and licensed dietitian you are required to successfully pass the national examination for dietitians. I failed my exam. The moment I received the results I remembered the room around me became dark, my stomach turn inside out and the strong feeling of failure taking over me. I embraced the moment, allowing myself to feel everything. Once reality set in, I decided to share my ‘failure’ with the world. It’s common for everyone to share only the highlights of their lives on social media. I shared my experience on Facebook and was met with an overwhelming amount of support and encouragement. This gave me confidence and I hit the books and passed my second attempt. I learned there are no failures in life, only learnings and it’s what you do with those learnings that can help you move forward.

Putting training and knowledge aside, what else do you think really matters in terms of succeeding in your field?

The field of fitness and nutrition is and has always been about people.

Developing the skill of talking less and asking more will be the most effective approach for a successful experience with clients.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @jjediv
• Facebook: @joshuajedidiahverduzco
• Linkedin: @joshuaverduzco