We recently connected with Cara Marrs and have shared our conversation below.

Cara, appreciate you joining us today. Setting up an independent practice is a daunting endeavor. Can you talk to us about what it was like for you – what were some of the main steps, challenges, etc.

Forging ahead when there is no one that you know who is doing what you are doing! I started my practice before the age of social media and I did not know any other Dietitians in private practice that looked like what I wanted my business to be. I made it up as I went and forged my own path rather than someone handing mea blueprint on how to do it. That has allowed for my personality to shine through in my work.

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.

I am a Registered Dietitian/Nutritionist living in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, my home for the last 26 years. I have been in private practice for the last 17 years, forging an uncommon path at the time. When I started I was already in my 30’s and had business and life experience that I believe has helped me in my counseling skills and business management.

I meet with clients in a one on one atmosphere in my office to help get to the root of their needs and health. I have always been a people person and my academic background through a Bachelors degree, a year long internship at the Mayo Clinic and masters studies set a foundation for understanding human nutrition that I coupled with listening and counseling skills. The last 17 years of practice have been a constant exercise in continuing education including deep dives into food sensitivities, and most recently 2.5 years of functional medicine training helping me take a deep dive into my clients health needs.

Living in a small community and with a strong clinical background, has allowed me to see a wide range of health conditions from sports nutrition and athlete work, gastrointestinal health, women health including peri and menopausal health, weight management, food sensitivity work, and chronic disease management including diabetes and heart disease. My experience over the last 17 years, including clinical work in our local hospital since 2009 keeps my knowledge up to date in a wide array of areas, but once you dive deep into someones health you realize that the human body is all interconnected and skills in one area always flow to another.

I bridge traditional medical knowledge and accreditation, with functional medicine training and a solid ability to relate to my clients in a. compassionate way. I love one on one work because it is an honor to have someone welcome you into their lives and health journey in an intimate way. I get as much, if not more, out of every interaction and for that I am eternally grateful.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

In 20o2 I lost my mother in an accident and was looking for a change, something to honor her and deal with the loss, as well as a way to give back while creating a new career for myself. Unsure of the direction I was headed I made a list of everything that interested me and the answers were nutrition, food, and movement. I made a trip down to CSU where I had attended prior for Natural Resources management and met with a counselor and the rest is history.

Going back to school as an adult in my early 30’s meant living in Ft Collins Monday through Friday and driving home to Steamboat on the weekends, often through blizzards and over high mountain passes for two years.

After completing my degree at Colorado State University, I had a life changing moment when I was accepted into the Mayo Clinic School of Health Sciences for my internship, a program at the time that took 3 students per session. RDN’s must complete a year long or 1200-1500 hour long medical internship before sitting for their RD exam. The experience I received at May was unparalleled and set my course in practice. This meant I would have to leave my home ands spouse in Steamboat while I pursued the internship across the country. During that time we saw each other 2-3 times and we knew it would be worth it in the end.

I opened my private ;practice upon returning to Steamboat, an uncommon practice at the time. The journey that I took to obtain my professional credentials was a long one with many challenges but in the end it made me more grateful for the end product. As well, it instilled more confidence in myself regarding meeting challenges head on.

Putting training and knowledge aside, what else do you think really matters in terms of succeeding in your field?

The number one piece of advice I can give is to not cut corners. I am not talking about cutting corners in the traditional sense but here I am referring to your education and the time you put into your business. I am in a field of practice where many people want to work with clients in health and nutrition but may not want to put in the time, energy and money to receive a formal education. I cannot stress enough how important it is to have a well respected, legal and knowledgeable career to seek the professional route. In addition, for those that have sought a professional RD route, I often see two mistakes. The first is jumping into private practice right away. I did that but had the unique experience of working as a clinical RD at the Mayo Clinic before finishing my internship, an experience not commonly found. I felt my clinical skills were solid but more importantly I had business experience managing several businesses in unrelated fields proper to my RD journey. The second is not giving yourself enough time to become successful. I often see young private practice RD’s lamenting not being successful enough in 6 months. I think the advent of health business coaching often gives young health care professionals seeking private practice a false sense of how much money they can earn quickly. My business is successful because I have been working on it full time for over 16 years. Time to garner a reputation is your best calling card. Word of mouth is now my number one referral stream, as well as referrals from other health care professionals, and for that I am truly thankful. Lastly, I am a mother to an 11 year old son, I am an avid outdoor athlete and I firmly believe in giving back through volunteerism to my community. The skills I have learned through endurance sports in running and skiing come in handy almost every day when life gets hectic and I am unsure if I can get it all done. I am an avid adventurer and that is a huge part of who I am. Being a mother allows me to have compassion and understand the juggling that many of my clients that are parents face. No-one is going to benefit from advice that is unattainable.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.caramarrswellness.com
• Instagram: cara_marrs_wellness

Image Credits
Credits are all mine.