We were lucky to catch up with Brooke Sobh recently and have shared our conversation below.
Brooke, looking forward to hearing all of your stories 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.
The biggest risk I have taken was quitting my 9-5 job and creating my own business. I was working full time as a clinical dietitian in the ICU, but this was not fulfilling. I was not able to see my patients ever again or follow up with them and I hated that. I also hated being in an office 24/7 without any windows. I knew I could do better for myself and my patients so I decided to start my own business and be my own boss. I told myself that I had to work hard to figure out the legalities of owning your own business in order to do this. It took alot of integrity to figure it out on my own rather than working for a business who does it all for you.
Brooke, 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?
I have been a Registered and Licensed Dietitian for 12 years and I’m also a Certified Lactation Consultant. I have worked in several fields as a Dietitian such as sport dietetics, WIC (women, infants and children), an ICU Dietitian for critically ill patients and a fat loss Dietitian.
My biggest passion is helping you fuel your body while looking and feeling your best. I, myself, have a history of under-eating and over exercising without seeing results so I truly understand what it feels like to spin your wheels without getting anywhere.
I have a passion for teaching you how to eat the foods you love, build muscle and burn fat WITHOUT low calorie diets or endless hours of cardio.
My goal is to meet you where you are and create sustainable goals to help you feel empowered to move forward. Whether your goal is to manage a specific health condition, promote weight loss, muscle building, or simply to improve your overall health, I am here to support you the entire way!
When I’m not working, you can find me taking walks with my husband, 2 daughters and dogs or playing beach volleyball (my other biggest passion!).
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
I had to unlearn that you HAVE to work a 9-5 job that provides insurance for stability. My dad was so worried when I started working for myself that it was not stable enough but I have learned that you have to make it stable yourself by working really hard and keeping your schedule busy! You can in fact can health insurance another way- it does not have to be through your company, and working for yourself creates such a wonderful schedule when you have kids. I can take my kids to school, pick them up, take them to doctors appts, and not have to use “sick leave” to do all of the above. I would say the flexibility in my schedule has been the most life changing thing.
How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start?
When I first started, I had to invest in my business with the HOPE that it would go well. For example, I was working at a hospital- not making very much money at the time. I invested an initial $6,500 to go towards hiring a business coach to teach me the first things I needed to do (forms, lawyers, establishing LLC, creating websites, liability insurance, etc). Once I started making as much as I made in my hospital job, I went part time. Eventually, I went even MORE part time, then as needed at my hospital job. When I was making triple my income at the hospital, I quit my job. So, I would say that I slowly gained enough money to be sure that I would be okay on my own.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.brookethedietitian.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/brookesobhrd
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BrookeCastelamare
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brooke-sobh-8b2356b/
