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

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

One of my first clients was a close friend who was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer at the age of 40. By the time it was found, it had already spread to her bones and her brain. The first couple of years after her diagnosis were very scary – not only because her future felt uncertain, but also because her own mother was also battling stage 4 cancer.

When I enrolled in the Nutritional Therapy Association’s Nutritional Therapy Practitioner certification program, helping her optimize her wellness became a key motivator for me to learn as much as I could, as quickly as I could. During my year-long certification program, my friend’s health improved due to her incredible fighting spirit and positive mindset. Unfortunately, her mother’s condition continued to deteriorate. While I was so excited (and relieved) to find out my friend’s bone and eventually brain scans were coming back clear, I knew that her body continued to live in a state of stress as she worried about and cared for her mom.

By the time I rounded the final turn of my NTP certification, my friend had completed the most aggressive cancer treatments, turned a once on-again-off-again relationship into a full-on commitment, and even decided to move away from home for the first time ever. But of course as areas of her life seemed they couldn’t get much better, some were much worse. Her mom finally lost her years-long battle with cancer, and transitioning jobs as she worked towards moving to be with her partner proved to be financially and physically exhausting. I couldn’t have been more ready to help.

As a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner, I evaluate 5 foundations of wellness: Sleep, Stress, Nutrient Dense Diet, Digestion and Blood Sugar Regulation. I got my friend to agree to be one of my clients to provide me with the practice hours I needed to finish school, and took a deep dive into her personal and medical history. As my own exhaustion set in after nearly a year of working full time, going to school, being a Mom and taking care of my own parents, I felt determined that if I could just do one thing to improve my friend’s life, it would all be worth it. It would prove to me that I was on the right path, and I could make a real difference.

What I discovered when reviewing my friend’s paperwork was not only a far more complicated medical history than I even knew, but a deep-rooted relationship to food and weight that was holding her back from living her most free and healthy life. I took a deep breath and met with her to discuss my recommendations for her stress management, nutrition and digestion. She took everything I said to heart and was open to trying out the recommendations. So for three weeks I waited. I checked-in via text and got quick, positive replies, but no details.

Two weeks before my graduation from the NTA, we met again. She was lighter, happier, and empowered. Instead of skipping lunches at work and feeling hangry and stressed, she had been carefully crafting sandwiches after not allowing herself to eat bread for more years than she could remember. She had more energy, her sleep had improved, and most of all, she found fun that she didn’t realize she had been missing. Fueling her body better allowed her to get back to the gym regularly, helping her to build stronger bones and work towards her goal weight – one of her major concerns – in a way that felt supportive, not judgmental.

Even though I was confident in my recommendations, I got full-body goosebumps when I heard all of this news from her. I had done it. I was able to improve the life of someone so special to me, who had been through so much, in just working with her for a matter of weeks. It was the defining moment I had hoped for. I knew if I could have a positive impact on my friend’s life, I could – and HAD TO – do it for others, too.

At my graduation I paid tribute to her for allowing me to share her story, to work with her, and to be open to new possibilities. She allowed me to see the possibilities I had within me and solidify my purpose for the next phase of my life.

Marie, 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?

Of course! I’m the founder of SPO Nutrition, where I work with families, youth athletes, and individuals of all ages to help them feel their best through a nutrient-forward approach to food, movement, and mindful habits. My background is a bit of a winding road that brought me exactly where I was meant to be.

I grew up as an only child to a nurse and a musician, and I was always in motion – swimming competitively as a kid, and spending nearly every day dancing, including joining a ballet company in my teens. I fell in love with the art and athleticism of it, but like so many young athletes, I learned pretty quickly that no one was really talking about nutrition, recovery, or what it meant to truly fuel your body. I experienced firsthand how a lack of guidance in those areas could lead to burnout, injury, and body image struggles.

After a back injury at sixteen ended my dance career, I turned to recovery and movement therapy to manage pain, and that experience really planted the seed for how I approach wellness today. Fast forward a bit – I became a mom, went through my own postpartum health challenges, and later faced GI issues that had me running in circles with traditional medicine. Eventually, I turned to holistic nutrition to heal myself, and that journey led me to the Nutritional Therapy Association to become a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner (NTP).

While in school, one of my first clients was a dear friend battling stage 4 cancer and she showed me the power of this work in the most profound way. Supporting her through nutrition and lifestyle changes gave me my defining “this is what I’m meant to do” moment. It confirmed that this wasn’t just about food, it was about helping people reconnect with their bodies, their energy, and their joy.

At SPO Nutrition, I offer individual nutritional therapy programs, custom movement classes, and group and corporate wellness workshops that are all designed to help people build sustainable habits that support their own bio-individuality. I also partner with youth sports teams and schools to teach kids how to fuel and recover in ways that set them up for lifelong wellness, not just short-term performance.

What sets my practice apart is the way I blend science, empathy, and humor. Nutrition can feel intimidating or restrictive, and that’s the opposite of what I want for my clients. My approach is rooted in balance – real food, real life, and a lot of grace. I always tell my clients: there’s “food” and there’s “fun,” and you need both to live well.

I’m most proud of creating a space where people feel safe, seen, and supported as they rebuild their relationship with food and movement. Whether I’m working with a teen athlete learning to listen to their body or a parent trying to find balance in their own wellness routine, my goal is always the same: to help them feel empowered, nourished, and confident in making choices that work for their real life.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

One of the biggest lessons I had to unlearn was how I fueled my body – or rather, how I didn’t.

Growing up as a dancer and swimmer, I learned early on that performance was everything. I was dancing seven days a week, pushing my body to its limits, but was never educated about recovery or nutrition beyond the basics. Fueling usually meant grabbing whatever was quick, packaged, or convenient so I could keep going. I was constantly moving, constantly striving, and constantly ignoring what my body was trying to tell me.

It wasn’t until years later, after a back injury ended my dance career and eventually through my own postpartum and digestive health struggles, that I realized I’d built my routines on quick fixes and stress, not nourishment and sustainability. I was doing what so many of us do: running on empty and calling it discipline.

Unlearning that mindset meant redefining what strength and wellness looked like. I had to shift from “How can I push harder?” to “How can I support myself better?” That change was transformative, not just for my own health but for my work as a practitioner. It’s why I focus so much on nutrient density, recovery, and mindfulness now, especially with youth athletes and active parents.

Because the truth is, you can’t out-train or out-hustle a body that isn’t being properly fueled. Once I embraced that, everything changed. My energy, my mindset, my approach to movement all became more intentional and sustainable. It’s one of the biggest lessons I teach my clients today: real strength comes from listening to your body, not fighting it.

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

I’ve always considered myself an empath, meaning I can easily tune into the emotions of others and genuinely feel what they’re feeling. In a field as personal as nutrition and movement coaching, that skill isn’t just helpful, it’s essential.

Clients come to you when they’re vulnerable. Maybe they’ve been dismissed by other practitioners, maybe they’re frustrated by trial-and-error approaches, or maybe they’re just tired of not feeling their best. Being able to truly listen, and hear not just what someone says, but what they’re trying to say – is where the real work begins.

Honing your listening skills and reading between the lines by noticing tone, body language, and emotional cues helps you uncover what’s really going on beneath the surface. Sometimes what sounds like “I can’t stick to my plan” is actually “I’m overwhelmed” or “I don’t feel supported.”

When you can connect the dots with empathy and intuition, you give clients something they may not have experienced before: feeling seen. That’s where transformation happens. They walk away not only with a plan that works for their bio-individual needs, but also with a renewed sense of trust in themselves.

And of course, when someone feels that supported and empowered, they can’t help but tell their friends about it!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://spo-nutrition.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/spo.nutrition
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/spo.nutrition
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/spo-nutrition/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@SPO_Nutrition