We were lucky to catch up with Grace Shea recently and have shared our conversation below.

Grace, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Was there a defining moment in your professional career? A moment that changed the trajectory of your career?

Even though I had been a pediatric dietitian for years, it wasn’t until after feeding my own son that my carrerr path began to change. Traditionally, the way you begin solids is with purees however, I decided to choose a different route called baby-led weaning. I started sharing our journey with family and friends, and that’s when everything thing changed. Many people would comment on how adventurous of an eater he was as a baby, and still is as a toddler. The more I talked with other Moms, I saw how stressed they were feeding their infants and toddlers, and realized I needed to share the methods of feeding my child with anyone and everyone so they could feel confident in feeding their kids, and have fun with it! The first moments of feeding my own child evolved into what is now First Bites Nutrition, where I teach Moms how to raise healthy eaters for life.

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’m Grace, a Registered Dietitian, Certified Specialist in Pediatrics, and Mom of two little boys. Growing up, I always enjoyed food – not just eating, but the whole process of making it, and having family meals every night growing up. Many times growing up, I’d help my Mom cook dinner, or learn new recipes from my grandmother and, there’s just something special about being in the kitchen together. To me, cooking is a form of meditation and I enjoy sharing food with others.

In college, I realized the profession of a Dietitian, and something about it really piqued my interest, so I went down the path of becoming a pediatric Dietitian. The field has evolved greatly over the years with developing research, recommendations, and even technological advances. With all of these advances, I’ve been able to pivot my career to reach thousands of Mom’s who are looking to raise healthy kids and enjoy meals with them whether its starting solids or navigating toddler feeding.

For nearly a decade, I’ve been working with families to help raise healthy eaters. After seeing so many families struggle with balanced eating, constant food demands, mealtime battles, and picky eating, I created an online toddler feeding program to give parents all the tools for raising a mindful, healthy eater. I practice the Healthy Little Eater principles with my toddler every day, and I’ve seen them work not only with hundreds of families but also in my own home.

I want each Mom to know, I’m a Mom navigating the tricky world of feeding kids right here with them, so we’re in it together.

If you could go back, would you choose the same profession, specialty, etc.?

If I could go back, yes, I would absolutely choose the same profession. Years ago when I envisioned my career goals, I had absolutely no vision of starting my own business, managing a team, or creating an online practice however, I’m so glad I did. If I had had the foresight into where things were going to take me, I would have done things a little differently. I would have learned more about business and marketing, whether in school or by connecting with others along the way.

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

Getting a little outside of your comfort zone. I think this is true for succeeding in anything in life, really. You have to get a little uncomfortable, take a leap, and watch how that uncomfortableness leads to so many new opportunities.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.firstbitesnutrition.com
• Instagram: @firstbitesnutrition
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/firstbitesnutrition
• Other: email: [email protected]

Image Credits
Mackenzie Frank