Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Liz Brinkman. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Liz, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you recount a time when the advice you provided to a client was really spot on? (Please note this response is for education/entertainment purposes only and shouldn’t be construed as advice for the reader)

I have worked as a registered dietitian for 25 years. Having been trained in the traditional approach to nutrition therapy, I was programmed to take the lead in client sessions as the “expert.” As soon as I started in my first job, though, I realized this approach was never going to truly help my clients. When I sat across from a person who was struggling with a health issue, I started to see that a specific diet prescription, while perhaps a good idea on paper, did not easily translate into real life. One client conversation that I remember almost daily was when I was a gentleman who had high blood pressure and binge eating disorder. He was also fat (I’m using this term as a description, not as a label for disparaging his size). His job kept him away from home several days a week. Because of his food budget and cooking skill, he depended on fast food and groceries from convenience stores. I could see that the standard “eat whole/fresh foods and the low sodium options” was not within this reach. As we chatted, I gave him space to list all the obstacles he faced that prevented him from eating “healthy”. In slowing down and widening the scope of our conversation, I learned that he often forgot to take his blood pressure medication. I also found out he was trying to lose weight by skipping breakfast and lunch. By evening, he was so hungry, he ended up eating large quantities of food and feeling a lot of shame and guilt. I had a hunch that he and my cultural conditioning that assigned “good” and “bad” labels to foods was our biggest barrier. I asked him if he was willing to do an experiment for a couple of days. I asked him if he would eat a well-rounded breakfast and lunch that was adequate in energy (not restricted). We reviewed the restaurants he had access to and came up with a meal plan that fit his budget and preferences. He was to eat things like sausage gravy and biscuits with fruit at a local truck stop for breakfast and a burger, fries, and a salad for lunch. his sounded crazy to him and it felt risky to me. But, as he gave himself permission to eat enough food earlier in the day, he stopped binge-eating (or “make-up” eating) at night. In the evenings, he would have less episodes of deprivation-driven hunger and had access to a state of mind that supported him trying to find a restaurant that had options for leaner protein, whole grains, and vegetables. When he was home, he experimented with easy recipes to add in more variety from fruits, vegetables, and whole grains than he had been eating in the past. Over time, we found a method for him to remember to take his blood pressure medications. After several months of working together, his blood pressure was controlled within a healthy range and he had stopped binge eating. His weight never changed, but many of his health markers improved. All of these improvements while still eating at truck stops and fast food restaurants. The key to this man’s health improvements was taking a risk that did not line up with diet culture’s version of “healthy eating.”

Liz, 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?

Liz Brinkman, RD is a weight-inclusive, anti-diet registered dietitian nutritionist. Since 1998, Liz has worked to support people in exploring their relationships with food and paths to body liberation. Her work has been dedicated to exposing diet culture so that everyone—regardless of size, shape, ability level, or any other identity—can achieve a sense of well-being.

In 2022, Liz started “On the Brink Nutrition Collective” where she and her RD associates strive to provide weight inclusive care for those needing support with chronic illness, clients with eating disorders and various levels of disordered eating due to chronic dieting.

On the Brink Nutrition Collective works to create a safe, judgment free space for clients to process and learn how to kindly be with (and in) their body and how to find peace with food. Their style is a mixture of body-based practices, emotional coaching, and nutrition therapy to re-learn (or learn for the first time) how to eat with confidence. I value a therapeutic relationship to repair attachment wounds and undo aloneness.

We promise to provide care that:
takes into consideration all the factors that affect health.
doesn’t promote energy or food restriction, endorse unsustainable exercise, or encourage disordered eating as a way to “get healthy.”
explores weight-inclusive nutrition considerations for caring for a variety of health conditions.

Our associates will help you focus on what matters in your life, without harping on weight.

At the end of the day, Liz and her associate’s goal is to have their clients leave sessions realizing they have more options with food, not less.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

My youngest was in kindergarten and I had started the 2019 school year with excitement for the “next phase” of life. I had been working part time jobs for the previous 10 years. Now was my chance to enter back into the work force in earnest and I began working for a large healthcare system. When the COVID pandemic hit and the stay at home orders came through in March of 2020, my four children were sent home to do virtual school. My dreams of a work-life balance seem out of reach. I made the decision to quit my job at the healthcare system and start a private practice. I decided to get contracted with insurance companies as they were a sure referral source. It took several months to get on-boarded with insurance companies, but it was worth the work and up-front red tape. Now, my business is thriving and I can offer affordable care to a wide variety of clients.

How’d you meet your business partner?

In 2022, I brought on three associates. The COVID pandemic brought us together. During the spring of 2020, many interns and students in the medical field lost their internship sites. A colleague at a local university reached out to ask if I would be willing to create a virtual clinic for her dietetic students to learn how to provide nutrition therapy. I was in the process of building my private practice and saw this as an opportunity to partner with future registered dietitians. We marketed free nutrition counseling to folks who were looking for help and willing to work with a student under the supervision of a seasoned, registered dietitian (me). Our virtual clinic exploded. While I got financially compensated by the university, the students were exposed to real world experiences of working with those in need. I was the preceptor to 16 students that spring. As the student-led sessions were recorded, I was able to listen back on the sessions and hear the students build their counseling skills. Two years later, when it was time for me to grow my practice, I had a pool of candidates to chose from without having to post the job.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.onthebrinknutrition.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/onthebrink_rds/

Image Credits
Photographers: Rachel Fischer, Jessica Juniper, Olivia Schumacher