We were lucky to catch up with Ashley Carter recently and have shared our conversation below.

Ashley, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

One of the biggest risks I have taken was leaving my job of 10 years to pursue my nonprofit, EatWwell Exchange, full time. To be honest, I didn’t leave because of EatWell. I wanted to stay there for some time. However,when you know that your time somewhere is coming to an end you have to listen. This was a risk because at that time, Eatwell did not have that many paid events. We hadn’t received that much grant funding and we didn’t have a lot of consistent bookings. I also didn’t save as much as I intended before leaving either. But when you have faith, skills, and determination, things work out for you. I believe it was the right time for me to leave the job that I loved, because once I left everything lined up for me – contracts, repeat business, and more relationships. I’m grateful I took that big leap and everything landed well!

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 name is Ashley Carter.I’m a registered dietitian born and raised in Miami, Florida. Growing up, both of my parents had diabetes and had to manage their condition by modifying their diet. This was really hard since they never met with a dietitian and were not given proper guidance. After going off to college, I learned about nutrition and took an interest in it. I graduated, started working for the Department of Health, and then went on to finish my schooling and become a dietitian. As a dietitian it is my goal to meet people where they are and help them make positive and sustainable changes.

My nonprofit is Eatwell Exchange, we teach communities how to eat healthier using cultural foods. We have taught over 41,000 people how to eat healthier and prevent disease. We have hands on cooking classes, free farmers markets, nutrition programs, and trainings for healthcare professionals. Our goal is to save lives by teaching people how they can use foods accessible to them to be healthier while honoring their cultural traditions.

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

Building relationships, giving clear descriptions, and delivering results has been effective in helping build clientele. Relationships are key;it’s not always what you know but who you know. The network you build is your social capital; a form of currency that can allow you to get into different spaces and have access to more opportunities. Also, it expands your reach. You can only be at one place at a time, but with a larger network, your name is mentioned in rooms you never even knew existed.

Giving a clear description of what you do, who you are, and how someone can work with you is important. When meeting someone, if they don’t know what you do from your description, they may not ask you to clarify. They’ll walk away not knowing what you do or how you can fit into their business. Developing language that’s concise, easy to understand, and descriptive is important. One of my tips is to tell someone how you can see yourself working with them. As an example, when I meet a director from the Department of Health, I would tell them how my nonprofit EatWell Exchange provides nutrition education with cultural foods and if they like, we can help them develop resources for their clients. This starts their idea process and can help them visualize how we can eventually work together.
Last and most important, deliver results! If I tell the director I can provide that service, I need to provide said service. Your word is so important and can tarnish your reputation if you’re known for not being reliable. We all have moments of shortcomings, but it is important to make things right and ensure whoever you work with walks away with positive feedback about you.

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

My path to be a dietitian took resilience. I graduated in 2011 with my undergrad in dietetics. Most people go directly to their internship, then sit for the board exam, and they’re a registered dietitian. For me, that journey was eight years in the making. I was denied the internship three times. I had to go back and take classes, but at that time there weren’t online classes that I could take, so I ended up taking classes with out-of -state tuition. At many points, I weighed out if it’s worth it. However,I thought about my family, I thought about my community, and I knew they needed me to help move towards a better lifestyle. In 2018, I was accepted into an internship. I did very well. During my internship, I made a lot of great connections. In 2019, I sat for my board exam and passed the first time, which is not easy to do. This journey was long. I thought about quitting and taking a new path. However, I’m glad I continued on the course and landed exactly where I’m supposed to be.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Www.eatwellexchange.org
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eatwellexchange
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/eatwellexchange
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashley-carter-349932148?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=ios_app
• Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/eatwellexchange
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@eatwellexchange
• Other: Enoch’s Little lunch children’s book:
  https://www.amazon.com/dp/1737401428

Image Credits

Joe Wesley