We recently connected with Kourtney Johnson and have shared our conversation below.
Kourtney , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Before we get into specifics, let’s talk about success more generally. What do you think it takes to be successful?
In the world of business and entrepreneurship, success tends to be tied to how much money you make. However, there’s more to it than that. For example, why did you start your own business? Chances are, making more money than a 9-5 provides you with is one reason, but maybe you also want location freedom, more time with your family or to do something you truly love.
-being able to work from Spain.
-having the potential to make more money than a traditional job as a dietitian allows.
-being able to decide which work I take on instead of being told what to do.
-feeling passionate about my work.
That’s why I believe being successful means reaching your goals, monetary or otherwise.
However, to be successful, it takes time, effort, money and the right people influencing you. Most of us have no idea how to start a business, so we need to spend time learning how to do so. Putting effort into doing the work is another necessary step, which will likely teach you even more than courses will. Entrepreneurs typically need to invest money in themselves as well, whether that’s on coaching sessions, courses or platforms to host their content.
And while those aspects are an important part of an entrepreneur’s journey, I’d argue that having the right people around you is the most important element of being a business owner.
From the beginning of my journey back in 2020, I’ve always had someone in my corner providing me with information and advice. First I worked with a dietitian business coach who introduced me to the world of entrepreneurship, then I moved on to coaches that specialized in helping their clients grow their private practice. After that, I began working with a life coach, who I am still with today. In addition, after I pivoted to writing as a career, I signed up for a program which offers support to female writers.
Think of it this way: you can have all the knowledge in the world about your business offering, have the systems ready to go and put maximum effort into marketing your business. But if you have negative thoughts creeping in that keep you stuck, you won’t get any closer to the success you’re after.
That’s where a supportive person comes in. Someone who is unbiased can listen to you and provide you with the advice, support and resources you need to get into a better mindset and move forward on your journey.
I’m forever thankful to my business mentors and coaches I’ve had along the way. I have reached most of my goals (being able to work from Spain, deciding which work I take on and feeling passionate about what I do, and am on my way to making more money than I could in a traditional job). I have learned so much from each person and don’t think I would have made it this far in my journey without them!
Kourtney , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
My name is Kourtney Johnson, and I am the owner of Intuitively Nourished. As both a registered dietitian and writer, I write success stories, articles and blog posts for diabetes nonprofits and healthcare providers in the diabetes space. After working in the clinical setting as a dietitian, I was itching for something more aligned with my values and interests.
I have loved writing since I was young, and bringing that passion together with my nutrition expertise felt like a perfect match. Working with diabetes nonprofits such as Beyond Type 1 and healthcare providers who specialize in diabetes allows me to share my knowledge of this disease as it relates to nutrition, treatment options and life experience.
When I was 11, I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, which forever changed my life. I’ve always been someone who believes the glass is half full, and I am so happy and fulfilled to help diabetes nonprofits and healthcare professionals save time on marketing by creating accurate, engaging content to grow their audiences in order to help and inform more people affected by this disease.
In addition, living with diabetes allows me to bring a unique perspective along with compassion and empathy to my work.
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
When I first became an entrepreneur, I had a private practice. It was wonderful in the beginning, and I was truly excited and passionate about my work. However, the excitement and passion eventually faded and were replaced with stress, anxiety and doubt that this was the right path for me.
For several months, I ignored the doubt I felt about private practice being the right fit for me. However, it eventually became crystal-clear that I needed to change direction. I felt relief when I decided to pivot along with worry and sadness because it felt like starting my business over.
This time, I was determined to find success and do what I truly loved. Right away, I decided writing had to be a part of my business, but wasn’t sure what to niche down into. I wrote different pieces of content for different specialties before deciding on writing blog posts, success stories and articles for healthcare providers and diabetes nonprofits.
There have been times during my entrepreneurial journey where it would have been much easier to give up and get a traditional job, However, I continue to believe entrepreneurship is worth it and refuse to give up on my dreams!
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
In 2021, my sister and I decided to take a leap of faith and move to Spain for her new teaching job. I had worked hard to build my business and decided to put it to the test as my sole source of income abroad.
I was confident in my earning ability, as I was coming off my best month of sales ever right before moving. However, in the back of my head, I knew I left my traditional job sooner than I should have, as my business wasn’t steadily earning enough money each month to meet my income needs.
After arriving in Spain, my income took a dip and my fear of not being able to support myself financially came true. Some months I made less than $500 and wondered how I would pay my bills.
However, as a glass-half-full optimist, I was determined to make it work. I changed the price of my core offer and tried niching down even more to serve a specific audience.
After almost a year of trial and error in my practice, it was clear I needed to do something completely different, which is when my pivot to writing occurred. However, struggling in my business abroad, finding a way to stay positive and trying different methods of increasing income showed me that I am resilient and not afraid to go after my goals, even under less-than-ideal circumstances.
