We were lucky to catch up with Caroline Young recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Caroline, thanks for 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.
I learned at a young age that following my intuition and my heart also meant taking risks. It also often meant going in the opposite direction of what many of my peers were doing or of what my elders were advising. And the hardest part — it meant enduring discomfort as I took the leaps into the unknown. It’s funny — I’ve had people tell me I am fearless. I always laughed at this because I am certainly not fearless. All of the risks I’ve taken thus far have included hefty amounts of fear. Taking risks is about being afraid and doing the scary thing anyways, because it is the path that feels the truest.
Specifically, in my career, I have taken significant risks at a few points thus far. I think the largest risk has been taking the leap into being my own boss and letting my business be my main gig, way earlier than I expected — I’m talking at least 10 years earlier. I’m a big planner and I had it all mapped out: I would continue to have my business on the side as I work for someone else, which is what I did for a couple years. Then, in about a decade, I would work for myself completely, when I was “ready.”
As plans go, that didn’t happen at all. Instead, the world shut down with COVID and I was pushed into making the decision to let my business – Whole Self Nutrition – be my full-time job. I went from working in-person as a dietitian and nutrition therapist to working completely via Telehealth for the unforeseeable future and it no longer made sense for me to be a part of another organization. But it wasn’t that simple. I was terrified. Questions like: But can I do this on my own? How can I not work for someone else? Do I have what it takes? Can I be my own boss?
While I had all of these questions swimming around in my head, which caused that fear to crop up, I went ahead and bit the bullet. I moved on and went completely out on my own, in totally uncharted territory. I tried to take one day at a time, show up the best I could and provide the highest quality care I could for my clients, and keep on trusting.
Now, it’s two years later and I can’t say that I never have any fears about my business. But I can say that was the right choice and 100% complete the risk of taking that leap. I am so grateful for the continued evolution of Whole Self Nutrition, which now includes another amazing dietitian who is also offering nutrition counseling. It also includes my two other career loves — media offerings and yoga offerings. It’s a business that is truly an extension of my soul and allows me to work from the most authentic place possible. If I hadn’t ridden the COVID wave and hung on to the old, I wouldn’t be able to say that today.
Caroline, 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?
Professionally, I am a registered dietitian and nutrition therapist, freelance health journalist and yoga teacher. I found this specific path at the end of my own struggles with an eating disorder.
I am the owner of Whole Self Nutrition, an online business that includes a private practice for nutrition counseling. We offer nutrition counseling to those struggling with disordered eating, eating disorders, body image concerns, and metabolic issues, as well as those who want to learn how to have healthy relationships to food, body and exercise. My associate dietitian Tori Payton is wonderful and joined my practice almost a year ago now. We take a non-diet and weight-neutral approach to nutrition counseling. Outside of my initial clinical training and masters degree in nutrition, I have been trained in non-diet counseling, yoga and mindfulness for eating disorders, nervous system and trauma in eating disorders, and body image issues.
Whole Self Nutrition offers freelance media offerings, including health-focused articles and webinars. Lastly, we offer online yoga experiences — both public and private classes.
Our umbrella mission is to help people find freedom around food and within their bodies, so they can live values-aligned lives.
Other than training/knowledge, what do you think is most helpful for succeeding in your field?
With nutrition counseling, I think being a human first and a clinician second is really important, plus remembering you are a guide, not a savior. With nutrition media, I think being able to break down science-y topics into relatable information is key.
With yoga, I think learning how to make your practices accessible to all people is really valuable, as well as staying in your own scope of practice.
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
Originally, I was working as a news reporter shortly after getting my undergraduate degree in journalism. I realized shortly that if I wanted to specialize as a writer in healthcare, I would need to go back to school and become an expert in an area of healthcare. So, that meant living in a tiny studio apartment and studying like a mad woman so I could get into a masters program that required a high GRE score and science prerequisites that I did not have — funny enough, I ended up actually liking organic chemistry. It ended up being worth it, but that was a really tough three years.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.thewholeyogird.com
- Instagram: @wholeselfnutrition
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thewholeyogiRD
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqdf0plzxDSNQIN5S01yoaA