Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Emily Fultz. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Emily, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What was your school or training experience like? Share an anecdote or two that you feel illustrate important aspects or the overall nature of your schooling/training experience.
When I first became interested in nutrition, I had no idea what all it entailed to become a registered dietitian. It is a highly science focused career, which is important for individuals to understand. We only provide evidenced based nutrition advice. No pseudoscience here (which is all over social media and diet culture today). I received my undergraduate degree in Nutrition and Dietetics from the University of Delaware. Following this, I applied for dietetic internship programs. Similar to applying for medical school, you get matched with a single program. I was matched with University of Delaware’s distance program, so I was able to stay in my home state of Maryland and complete my rotations throughout Maryland and DC. Once successful completion of the program, I then studied and sat for the Commission on Registered Dietitian Exam (CDR) to earn my RDN credential. For anyone graduating 2024 and beyond, there is a new requirement to have your Master’s Degree PRIOR to starting the Dietetic Internship Program. While I worked full time, I decided to get my Master’s in Nutrition and Human Performance. I completed this through Logan University, and I received valedictorian (complete shock to me!!)
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
When I studied nutrition at the University of Delaware, I always knew my career goal was to have my own private practice. The journey of how I started Fit with Food LLC was highly unexpected though. I was working as an inpatient clinical dietitian at the time, and I began to find my love for human nutrition and sports performance. Sports medicine doctors began to refer patients to me, and as more referrals rolled in, I knew it was time to branch out on my own. I opened my practice in September 2018 and now have another dietitian and interns working on my team. We offer a wide variety of services, but our two main services are individualized nutrition counseling and group presentations. We work with patients of all ages and focus on medical nutrition therapy (patients with acute and/or chronic diseases), disordered eating, and obviously – sports performance. Our priority is to help clients meet their nutrient needs on a day to day basis to be the healthiest version of themselves, all while meeting their personal goals. Diet culture puts a lot of emphasis on restriction (aka fad dieting), and this NOT what we do. A common example of this would be an individual dealing with GI distress, such as IBS. A quick internet search, and you are being told to remove XYZ from your diet (how stressful!!). NO NO – we first check to see if maybe you are missing key nutrients from your nutrition plan. I am extremely proud of the work my team does to better the health of individuals in a safe and sustainable manner.
Have you ever had to pivot?
The biggest pivot in my career so far was transiting from a solo practice to a group practice. I started a family this past year, and I knew the only way to make sure my clients stay healthy and on track while still taking time to be the best mom I can be was to bring in help. This was a very drawn out and difficult transition, but it was so worth it! I will never look back at being a solo practice, and I am excited to continue growing my team.
Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?
NETWORKING! Unless you get out and introduce yourself and your business to others, no one will know you exist! The more I networked, the more referrals I got. My advice to future entrepreneurs is to not put too much pressure on having your website, social media, flyers “perfect” before getting your name out there. You can build on these things as your company grows.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://fitwfood.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fitwithfoodllc/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fitwithfoodllc
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emilyfultzdietitian
- Twitter: https://mobile.twitter.com/fitwithfoodllc
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFAIcAQDO-1IcVdMsog5stw