We were lucky to catch up with Mary-Catherine LaBossiere recently and have shared our conversation below.
Mary-Catherine, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Was there a moment in your career that meaningfully altered your trajectory? If so, we’d love to hear the backstory.
Life threw me a curveball when I married my husband and, therefore, married into the military as they say. One minute I was working in diabetes and obesity clinical research at a large academic medical center with a plan to stay in research. The next minute, I moved from a large city to a smaller area with almost no job prospects that aligned with my career goals. After a frustrating year of nonstop job hunting, a hunger for meaningful work and financial security jolted me into entrepreneurship – a career shift I never anticipated. Starting a business on the side while juggling a contract job wasn’t exactly smooth sailing, but eventually, I took the leap to full-time CEO while serving clients as a registered dietitian. This unexpected shift taught me some valuable lessons. First, for families like mine who relocate often, a flexible career path is key. Taking my business virtual has allowed my business to grow with me, no matter the zip code. Second, embrace the unexpected! Sometimes those closed doors become the perfect push to create your own opportunity. When the perfect job wasn’t there, I built it myself. Entrepreneurship is a wild ride, but the rewards are more than worth it.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I am a registered dietitian and the owner of Defy Nutrition. I knew I wanted to enter healthcare starting in middle school. As a former competitive athlete, food was fuel, and it had a major impact on performance. Then, in high school, I lost my mom to a missed cancer diagnosis. Doctors repeatedly told her to “just lose weight” and never looked beyond the surface. It became tragically clear how crucial preventative care and a focus on real health, not just weight loss, could be. That’s when I knew I wanted to be on the front lines, helping people understand their bodies and feel empowered to make healthy choices.
Now, at Defy Nutrition, I work one-on-one with clients to elevate their health and embrace a sustainable, “eat like a human being” approach. My services include personalized meal plans, nutrition counseling, and workshops. Two areas I’m particularly passionate about are fertility and military health. Many couples trying to conceive don’t realize how much food impacts their journey. Nutrition in the preconception phase is key, and I love helping people optimize their health for that exciting time. Military health is another area close to my heart. Service members often face unique challenges – stigma around seeking care, fear of deployment limitations, and crazy schedules. I want clients to know I see them, hear them, and will always advocate for their well-being, digging deeper to find the root cause of issues.
The most rewarding part? Witnessing client transformations! They often come in thinking extreme diets or calorie restrictions are the answer. But that backfires! I work with clients to debunk diet myths and create sustainable plans that actually work. They go from “nothing works” to “I have energy, I’m not crashing, and my clothes fit!” This week, a client even lost 11 pounds by ditching excessive cardio, focusing on strength training, and – get this – increasing her calorie intake! Empowering people and changing their relationship with food – that’s what gets me fired up every day.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
“You can get bitter or you can get better. It’s your choice.”
I remember hearing that in my high school auditorium when the parents of a student killed in Columbine talked about their experience of losing their daughter. I had no idea at the time that not too long after I would be in a position to choose bitter or better when I lost my single mom only 11 days after her stage 4 cancer diagnosis. At the time, I distracted myself from grief by digging into books. Somehow I had promised my mom on her deathbed that I would be valedictorian if she could make it to my graduation. I never even knew valedictorian was a goal before that moment. While she wasn’t there in person, I did achieve that goal of graduating valedictorian. I worked nonstop to develop my college applications, dabbling in as many extracurriculars as I could. Eventually, I was awarded an incredible scholarship and became a first-generation college student. Now, all these years later, I am pursuing my doctorate. It wasn’t until much later in life that I realized and appreciated the resilience I had to get through her passing.
We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?
Up until age 22 or 23, my competitive mindset drove me. Tennis? I needed to win. Academics? I had to get a 4.0 GPA. New ideas? Keep them to yourself so no one else steals them. But it turns out a hardcore competitive mindset isn’t always the most productive as a business owner. Moving down South from New England was a wake-up call. The real turning point? A fellow dietitian (thanks, Stephanie!) helped me launch my practice. It blew my mind! Ever since, I have begun to recognize that even a “competitor” can be a collaborator. There are more than enough prospective clients, and each business brings something unique to the table. Don’t get me wrong, I am absolutely still competitive (just ask my family and friends!), but collaboration trumps competition any day as an entrepreneur.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://defy-nutrition.com/
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/defy.nutrition
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DefyNutrition/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marycatherinelabossiere/
Image Credits
Mad Faith Photography, Kira Whitney Photography, Ashlee Kay Photography