We recently connected with Toni Toledo and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Toni thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

Risk…sounds like a scary four-letter word (and it can be at times). However, there is one risk that I took a little over 5 years ago that has changed my Life, my career, my relationships and my outlook for the future. That risk was deciding to create a podcast from scratch with my bestie, my fellow dietitian and most inspirational friend, Jenny Pitcher. Picture this, it was my 50th birthday weekend in San Francisco. There were a handful of girlfriends gathering to celebrate my 50th trip around the Sun and before the other gals arrived…Jenny and I were meandering through the streets near Nob Hill. We were talking about everything but then we arrived at the topic of the work that we do. We are RDNs (Registered Dietitian Nutritionists) who have spent our entire careers working to help our clients and patients create habits and routines for a lifetime. The focus of our work has always been to find things that our clients can ADD TO their lives to make them healthier and feel their best. We spoke about how we wished that we could reach more people who need this help. We were limited to just those who come to us through our clinics and/or private practice…but there are more who need/want this type of help but just can’t easily access it! POOF! This is where the idea of the podcast came in. Jenny said, “Toni, we have benefitted so much from listening and learning from podcasts…why don’t WE create a podcast?” At first, I dismissed the idea offhandedly. How could WE create a podcast? We had ZERO experience and we were not tech-savvy gals, either. But, after thinking about it for a while…it was clear to me that YES, we needed to do this. So, we built our podcast from scratch. It is called PATH Positive Approaches To Health and it has been the blessing and gift to my 30+ year career in the nutrition field. We discuss all areas of health but the goal is that our clients learn and are inspired by listening to us and our expert guests that we interview on the show.  Then, they are encouraged to build their personal health tool kit. We have over 140 episodes in our catalogue and have grown and learned so much in our lives because of creating and hosting this podcast. It was very daunting to do this as we did not know what to do or how to do it. BUT, we took the risk and learned. We took the risk and put ourselves out there and we have reaped the reward of taking that risk in innumerable ways. At this age and at this stage in my career—I can’t believe the joy, satisfaction and PRIDE I have from the creating and collaboration involved in this podcast. I feel like this has spurred me to take on more risks as I know the pay off can be so incredible. Please check out our podcast and reach out if you want to connect. Thank you!

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers?

I live in the San Francisco Bay Area. I’m a dietitian with over 30 years of experience in the field of nutrition and health promotion. My passion for nutrition stems from my love of sports and food, where I’ve witnessed the transformative power of physical activity combined with delicious and healthy foods. Currently, I serve as an adjunct instructor at San Jose State University and hold the role of Nutrition Care Manager at Teen Kitchen Project.

Previously, I’ve worked at Palo Alto Medical Foundation focusing on health promotion and weight management, as well as at Stanford University in program and curriculum development and research in health behavior change. My educational background includes a bachelor’s degree in nutrition from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, and a Master’s degree in Public Health from the University of Minnesota, where I received the Ruth Stief Leadership award. I completed my Dietetic Internship at Hines VA Hospital in Chicago.

In addition to my professional roles, I am also a peer reviewer for the ACEND program. My mission and passion lie in helping my clients enhance their lives by focusing on the positives, leading to long and healthy lives. This drive fuels my commitment, and I cohost a podcast called –PATH Positive Approaches To Health. Our podcast delves into inspiring, interesting, and practical examples from around the world that aid people in achieving their best health.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

I had to learn that going out on a limb and trying new things and meeting new people always pays off. It pays off (of course) when things go great and that thing you do or person you meet turns out to be a great connection, etc. However, it also is good to remember that sometimes when you realize that “this project is not for me or this person is not a good match for me” can be helpful information/data as well. It helps us distill down and really know that our core values and ideas are…that is important. So, that has been very helpful for me as I travel down the path of Life.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

I love all of the work of Adam Grant (his books, podcasts, etc.) I also enjoy Brene Brown’s work.
The work of James Clear (e.g. Atomic Habits book) has been instrumental in helping me grow as a person and professional.
I listen to a million podcasts, as well. Of course —I’d be happy to create a list if you are interested.
This was so fun!
Thank you.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.thepathpod.com
• Instagram: thepathpod
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/toni-toledo-dietitian-nutritionexpert/

Image Credits
Kristina Rust Photography