We recently connected with Amy Gonzalez and have shared our conversation below.

Amy, appreciate you joining us today. How’s you first get into your field – what was your first job in this field?

After I graduated from college, I took some time to study for the national boards to become a Registered Dietitian. I had already completed all the other requirements and passing the exam was the last task to check off before I could put the letters “RD” behind my name. While I was studying and looking for jobs, I was working in a restaurant waiting tables. After work, I’d go home, take off my apron, and hit the books. A couple months later, I took the exam and passed! I was estatic… but I still hadn’t had any luck finding a job in the field — so I kept my job waiting tables in the meantime.

A couple months later, a friend told me that the government program Woman, Infant, Children (WIC) was hiring. This was my dream job because I loved everything about nutrition for women’s and children’s health. I applied as soon as I could. When I received the call that I had got the job, I just about cried! Working at WIC was such an amazing experience albiet challening at times. We only had about 5 minutes to spend with each client, which made it extremely difficult to provide much nutrition education to those seeking help and guidance. However, I learned so much from that job, incuding more about nutrition for kids, collaborating with medical providers on complex cases, and developing group nutrition classes. I am incredibly thankful for my time there and it helped shape who I am and how I operate today in my own nutrition pratice.

Amy, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

During my time working at WIC, I started having a growing number of clients with their babies covered head to toe with eczema, asking me to help. Prior to this, I did not have any training or education on the role of nutrition on skin conditions such as eczema. Their doctors were just as baffled — the only suggestion was to switch the formula to soy (which only made it worse). In attempts to support my clients, I started researching the nutritional connection between eczema and nutrition. Once I started researching, I was amazed at what I found on the role of gut health — not just in terms of skin health — but in other aspects of health including weight regulation, mood/mentla health, and the immune system. Then, I got the itch to further my study in the field on Funcational Nutrition, which is looking at the root cause of illness/disease and restoring natural physiological functioning in the body to support healing from the inside out.

I now practice functional nutrition in my private practice where I specliaze in women’s health. I work with women who are struggling with digestive concerns (bloating, reflux, IBS, etc), autoimmune conditions, hormone imbalances, and those who want to support a healthy pregnancy. I work with my clients to review comprehensive assessments and bloodwork to fine tune a nutritional protocol that is going to best for their unique body. Once you remove stressors and give the body the tools it needs to rebalance and heal, it’s pretty amazing what the body can do on its own!

Other than training/knowledge, what do you think is most helpful for succeeding in your field?

The medical field is constantly evolving. We are learning more and more about the body and how it operates. Therefore, in this field, staying on top of the latest research isn’t just necessary, it’s absolutely critical. Reading peer reviewed published research and taking continuing education courses on topics that apply to your area of speciality help to keep knowledge fresh and up-to-date.

Also, as a dietitian, I didn’t have any business background, so areas such as marketing and accounting were like a foregin language to me. Taking business classes, especially classes on any areas of weaknesses, are helpful as part of building a business.

Do you think you’d choose a different profession or specialty if you were starting now?

Without a doubt, I would! I love nutrition and serving my clients. I get so proud of my clients when they accoplish what their goals. It brings me no greater joy when I have clients tell me how good they feel, or how they didn’t realize how much they were struggling beforehand because of how much better they are, or that they finally have their life back. This journey isn’t easy but they did the work and they reap the benefits!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.theholisticRD.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/the.holistic.dietitian
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/theholisticrd

Image Credits
Samantha Washburn with Sabel Moments Photography