Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Luisa Sabogal. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Luisa, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear about the things you feel your parents did right and how those things have impacted your career and life.

My parents were both loving, attentive, supportive, advocates for education, firm believers of God, and incredibly eager to give my siblings and I the best lives. My parents instilled in us the importance of being good people, of contributing to society and to work hard for the things we desire most. The ways I learned this was by observing my dad work day in and day out and constantly take risks with the hopes to do even better. My dad’s positivism and resilience inspired me to take risks, to go after what I want, to believe in myself and to dust myself off when difficulties arose. My parents have celebrated even my smallest wins, they are believers that if you enjoy the small wins, you will enjoy your journey. Focusing on my small wins has been key to pushing through when experiencing setbacks and working hard has been fundamental to achieve my goals in life and my career.

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?

My passion for nutrition education grew with the years, specifically right after my adolescent years, as I started to understand why my mother was an advocate for healthy eating. My mother instilled in my siblings and I to eat well so that we could have good health. This, along with taking nutrition and science courses at a community college, and learning about my future career path with my then boyfriend and now husband led to my dream career, which was to become a registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN).

As a registered dietitian and certified diabetes care and education specialist (CDCES) I provide nutrition education that is specific to my patient’s medical diagnosis and nutrition needs, and then provide practical and easy to implement nutrition recommendations. My current patient focus are patients with diabetes type 1, type 2 and gestational diabetes, with cardiovascular diseases, and with obesity. What sets me apart from other dietitians is that it is of utmost importance for me to stay up-to-date with nutrition studies and that I provide empathetic care, that I listen beyond words which ultimately personalizes every nutrition consultation. I am most proud of the difference that I make with every one of my patients.

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

On my journey to become a registered dietitian, there were two times that I felt that I may not have it in me to get through the rigorous RDN program. One of the times was when I realized the many chemistry and science courses that were required and the second time was when I started the challenging nutrition masters program. What helped me not just get through these obstacles, but also excel during these times was to tackle each task at a time, surround myself with people that believed in me like my parents and my mentor, Dr. Lisagor, and of course by always giving it my all.

If you could go back in time, do you think you would have chosen a different profession or specialty?

After studying for a total of 7 years to become a registered dietitian and working as a registered dietitian for over 10 year, I am beyond happy to say that I would choose the same profession and specialty in a heartbeat if I was given the option to go back. The fact that every day I walk out of work with a smile on my face and feel gratified despite work being work lets me know that I am exactly where I need to be.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: Dietitianluisa
• Linkedin: Luisa Sabogal MS, RDN, CDCES
• Twitter: DietitianLuisa

Image Credits
Angela Mikayelyan Photography