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

Alright, Bethany thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with 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.

What my parents did right was raise me in a way that created healthy habits before I had a name for them like I do now, in my career. My parents are both from families with disease- my maternal grandparents had Diabetes and grandpa Heart Disease and my paternal grandparents had Heart Disease and Mental Health Disorders. This meant at my grandparents houses we never used salt, we always drank water and desserts were boring and low sugar. I want to be clear in that I DID eat Mcdonalds growing up, i DID have fish sticks for dinner on occasion and I Absolutely had soda and candy when I was at other kids parties… but CONSISTENLY in my childhood I ate carrots and apples at snack time, I ate hummus before it was even cool and we has oatmeal over cereal most days. And for the last 33 years ive been consistently doing this SO its become easy. BUT
If you asked me when i was 10 years old I definitely would tell you I had the most boring childhood ever and that it’s “not fair” I dont get to have soda or juice or candy all the time like the other kids.
It wasn’t until college when I decided to Major in Nutrition and lived on capmus at the University of COnnecticut that i realized this practice of grabbing fruits and veggies, of drinking water over soda.. was a gift.

Other kids had freedom for the first time in their life in the dining hall not being watched by their parents and they choose chicken tenders and french fries, they choose things they always snacked on like cereal in addition to having unlimited dessert options- this is the freshman 15 people talk about.
I on the other hand had always experienced food freedom. Due to consistenyly choosing vegetables and fruits at a young age I had the habit and my body responded. I knew when i was feeling lower energy that an apple instead of a bowl of cereal would boost me up and post grad I had the education to back it up.

I went through college with a different lense. Again dont get me wrong I can smash pizza with the best of them but the running joke was always about how i could simultaneously eat AND ENJOY a salad after a few too many drinks. My body LIKED feeling good, it liked the micronutrients and therefore it CRAVED them. By the end of junior year I had people coming into my dorm room for steamed brussles sprouts with balsamic vinegar at 2am. – a fond memory.

And all of this is thanks to the food parenting of my mom and dad. They provided me with a structure of how to eat, they encouraged me to eat healthy while also not vilifying take out or other options and never in my childhood do i ever remember them talking about “skinny” or “fat” or the way their bodies were- it was always a focus of healthy and they were true way showers when it came to living a balanced life. Are they the most fit and lean and muscular humans in the world? no, they are normal sized working class people. But they consistently showed up for their health and mine.

As i began my career in Nutrition I saw the truth of career path- people go on diets, usually for a purpose and they are usually short term. Over the last 10 years I have dedicated myself not only to TEACHING people about nutrition but SHOWING my clients how living a healthy lifestyle, practicing healthy habits and choosing things that are 1% better than last time can make a massive impact on your long term health and healing. I know that what you do every day matters more than what you do sometimes and i am so grateful to my parents for showing me this from such a young age.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

My name is Bethany Kowaleski also known as Bethany Kovo or The Mystic Nutritionist. I was born and raised in Central CT, attended the University of Connecticut and graduated with a Degree in Nutrition Science with a focus in Dietetics and a minor in Women’s Studies.
When I left college I found myself at cross roads and with a big question “do I want to work in a hospital and tube feed people, design menus and work in food service… or not” (there are many other options as a dietitian out there but this was the question that stuck in my mind). I wanted to HELP people and the hospital setting wasnt cutting it for my ambition.. I wanted people to know that with just a few tools they could transform their lives. If only they could add in one healthy habit per day then theyd see it was worth it.. But i didnt have a platform for this work yet so when I got a call to manage a business Instead I said YES becasue it was another thing I was good at (i knew this from managing my moms salon and having parents who ran businesses)
12 years later after managing a Boutique Personal Training Facility in Mystic, CT where I gained more business experience alongside Nutrition coaching experience, I decided to open my own business.
The truth is, It was HARD. I came into this experience as a know it all and that was helpful until it wasn’t.
I was trying to help people without supporting myself or knowing myself so for 2 years I looked at every nook and crany of my being and i was determined to know myself from the inside out- the good, the bad, the ugly.
And i was successful only to find out that there is LAYERS to personal development.

The Mystic Nutritionist was born in 2023. I live in Mystic, CT and I believe in Mystics, Energy and the God in all of us. The Mystic Nutritionist can be taken literally, the Nutritionist in Mystic or figuratively, the Mysticism of Nutrition, how our food is just one part of larger story and it often uncovers who we really are and what we are meant for in the worl.
The Mystic Nutritionist teaches personal development from the ground up in the only way I know how which is in and through the body using food and moving energy as a guiding principle. I teach from my roots- healthy food makes you feel good so you can make more decisions that make you feel good including in your mindset, your relationships and your life. The Mystic Nutritionist serves the helpers of the world, like I was for all those years. I create spaces and programs for the helpers like Therapists, Nurses, Teachers and Coaches to have someone take care of them. I teach them tools to eat better which allows them the energy to live better.
The Kitchen Academy is a program for someone who doesn’t know how to cook but wants to get healthy. It gives you a range of tools from how to stock your kitchen to my Square Plate Method to confidence building and practice sessions to learn the basics. Participants gain a solid physical foundation of self care through food and they are ready to move into nourishing in a deeper way.

The helpers of the world lack nourishment because they are too busy nourishing others. The Nourish Method offers participants an opportunity to build health habits and a mind body connection. You learn the language of your body which allows you to anticipate your own needs as much as you anticipate others. This program offers you an opportunity to get quiet with yourself, get grounded in who you are and who you want to be and participants often find themselves in a deeper connection to their purpose as they graduate from this program. Through the Kitchen Academy and the Nourish Method participants recieve healing by trusting themselves, improving their relationship with their body and loving and accepting themselves.

The Alignment Blueprint is designed for those who are looking to bridge their health and healing. In knowing the language of your body you can use the language to change your stories and write new ones. This offering is one of my favorite and brings in the Mysticism aspect of the Mystic Nutritionist. Once we are confortable and confident in our body we are ready to align to our soul paths and purpose and only those who are ready for that level of transformation should seek this out.

What sets me and my business apart from others is I am living proof and evidence that this works. I am not a Nutritionist who used to be overweight and now has a comeback story, I am a person who has lived everyday peeling back the layers of who I am and how I can show up as my best self for the world and I happen to see a tight connection between that and how I take care of my body.

From Mystics to Medicine and everyone in between the helpers of the world are suffering from stress, burnout, sleep deprivation, fear of being overweight and imperfect to anxiety over other peoples feelings. I know that the helpers of the world need support and love and i have the capacity to give it WHILE teaching them how to give it to themselves.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

my reputation on the market is due to me keeping it real. Before was in the Wellness space professionally, I was living in a way that keeps people well. Ive never put on show when it comes to what I eat, how i live and whats on my mind. People recognize people and they know when theyre being sold something, ive never had to sell it becasue they could see it. I beleived in it so I did and it shows them that they can too. As I grow, my people grow and i also allow for personal preference so my clients feel safe to agree or disagree with me, to try on their own way and ask my opinon, to come back to me without shame and learn new things about themselves

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

I turned 30 on June 6 2020. 2 days prior I ended a long term relationship with my boyfriend. It was the first covid summer and the business i was managing was coming back into the office. I worked 6am-11am by choice for 3 months. waking up early to get to work early, getting to leave early and I spent those 3 months on the beach. for HOURS. I had to pivot but didnt know where or to what. I knew I was at the point of my life where something needed to change. I needed to know myself more, i needed to spend more time alone. to make decisions for myself. I needed more purpose in my work, in my daily actions, even in my exercise. during my 3 month “summer of beth” as my family and friends lovingly refer to it as i read the book”Untamed” by Glennon Doyle. Truly the only reason i bought the book was because I liked the cover of it when it came up on my Amazon suggestions- it sat on my coffee table for months before I picked up.
The book changed my life for the better and kicked off a series of events which led me to believe in Mysticism.
This book I barely remember ordering reminded me of my knowing, my path in life and who i am meant to be. It reminded me of my power as a human as a soul and it taught me that self love and self care conquer all.
One pivot led to another. I met the love of my life at the end of that summer and quit my full time job to pursue Entrepreneurship which led to the opening of the business The Mystic Nutritionist in 2023.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.bethanykovo.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bethanykovo/
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/groups/bethanyeats
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bethany-kowaleski-b5603580/

Image Credits
Amanda O’Neill @amandaoneillimagery