We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Dana Eshelman. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Dana below.

Dana, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with 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.

As a young athlete, I was significantly misguided in my fueling to support performance as a female athlete. Not having a normal menstrual cycle and being “lean” were applauded and presented as “normal” until it was affecting my health and performance.

Fast forward to starting my education to become a registered dietitian. I started my career as most dietitians do, in a clinical setting working with individuals with chronic disease. While this part of my career was an incredible learning experience, I knew that I wanted more. I set out to be a dietitian to change the narrative that athletes, coaches, fitness enthusiasts and medical professionals see as the “norm,” I do not want athletes to feel they need to fit a physique to perform or even participate in a sport. This is where A Dash of Dana Co. came to fruition!

Leaving a comfortable, stable job to start my own business so I can help others in the way I wish I had help was the scariest thing I have done in my life, but it is an absolute dream come true!

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?

I am a registered dietitian nutritionist that helps athletes and active individuals understand how to fuel their bodies so they can continue to do all that they love in both sport and life.

Nutrition goes far beyond the food you put on your plate. Nutrition and how you choose to eat is effected by multiple factors – emotional, physiological, behavioral/habitual. I work together with my athletes in developing an understanding how to optimize total body health through stress management, sleep, digestion/ gut health, hydration, and performance plate so they can train harder, recovery better and perform at their peak.

Your body is an interconnected network of multiple different systems that ultimately effects how we function.If your systems are not functioning at their peak, there is no way you can perform your best.

Training and knowledge matter of course, but beyond that what do you think matters most in terms of succeeding in your field?

Success in the any field I think comes down to the network you create with your peers and the community you build. It is so important to get involved with other professionals in your field. Do not be afraid to put yourself out there. If you are passionate about what you do and have a message to share, that will show in your work and speech.

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

Authenticity.

It is crucial to be yourself always. People are smart and they will see your true colors in time.

I had a client tell me that she had been following me on social media for about one year. We had been on a couple goals calls and discussed opportunity for her to work with me on a few occasions. What ultimately was the deciding factor was that I was genuine and had a strong message for my audience.

Contact Info:

• Website: adashofdana.us
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adashofdanardn/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/adashofdananutritioncoaching
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dana-eshelman-b4232b72/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@adashofdanardn/streams

Image Credits
@thenordicaphotography