We recently connected with Zoë Schroeder and have shared our conversation below.

Zoë, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Was there a defining moment in your professional career? A moment that changed the trajectory of your career?

I spent my first two years of college on the path to become a nurse – a good job that I would be able to support myself with and pretty much get a job anywhere around the world. I did everything you were “supposed” to do to get into nursing school: high GPA, participated in clubs, community service, etc. But TWO years in a row, I was denied from nursing school. I was confused, I was upset, I was so discouraged and defeated. Even my advisor could not understand what was happening… I was forced to take a really hard look at the true why of the situation and I came to realize that I NEVER wanted to be a nurse! I was going through the motions and checking the boxes because I thought it was the path I needed to take.

I thought back to a Gen Ed class I had taken on nutrition and how much I liked it, for what I thought was just personal enjoyment. Once I researched what a career in nutrition would look like and discovered what a registered dietitian was, I switched my major. For the first time, I was SO excited about what I was learning in class and eager to soak it all up. I loved it. It was during this time, when I started understanding nutrition and the human body, that I had an incredible ah-hah moment for my own relationship with food.

Because it was during those first couple years of college that I, without knowing it, was wildly mistreating my body. Eating less than 1,000 calories a day, working out twice a day, and of course we cannot forget the cayenne pepper, lemon juice, and honey “cleanse” the Internet convinced me would help me lose weight. Like SO many people, I fell trap to the quick fixes and fad diets with promises to “lose 10 pounds in 2 weeks” in the hopes of being “fitter” and “thinner.”

So once I had started taking nutrition courses, I actually APPLIED what I was learning to my own life. It was like a lightbulb went off and my body was so happy, finally…

Once I started fueling my body the way it needed, my body composition changed, my energy increased, my confidence improved, and I finally had a healthy relationship with food.

Seeing how significantly nutrition impacted my own life, makes me SO passionate about helping other people “see the light” and experience their own positive outcomes, both physically and mentally. I relate to the struggle and the confusion and the frustration, and ultimately it shaped me into the nutrition coach I needed at that time in my life.

Zoë, 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?

As a registered dietitian who struggled with her weight, relationship with food, and self confidence, my internal fire and life’s mission has been fueled by passion, relating to my clients, and helping them achieve what I have: sustainable fat loss without restrictive fad diets or giving up their favorite foods. The diet industry is designed for you to fail. So you keep coming back, keep spending more money, and keep spinning your wheels without lasting results. My coaching programs change that and work with your metabolism rather than try to fight against it. I am so incredibly blessed to serve my clients and do exactly what I love and help people change their life every single day.

If you could go back in time, do you think you would have chosen a different profession or specialty?

10000000%!!!! My path to becoming a Registered Dietitian and even to where I am now, serving the client population I do, has not been a clear or straight path. But I would not change a single thing about it because every experience, challenge, and deviation has led me to exactly where I was always meant to be.

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

By serving my clients to my highest capability, providing an exceptional client experience, helping my clients achieve (and maintain their results), and utilizing the power of referrals to grow my clientele. On social media, I have shown up consistently for years to grow my following and lead pool (even when I really don’t feel like it). The answer is not sexy, but just as I tell my clients, the results come from being consistent.

Contact Info:

• Website: zoeschroedernutrition.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/fatlossrdzoe
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064689261978&viewas=100000686899395
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zo%C3%AB-schroeder-ms-rdn-cscs-644726146/