Conversations With Anne Elizabeth

Conversation 57:  The Story, Journey and Passion of Sara Gotch, Owner of Gnarly Pepper “Talk to some mentors and different people in the field that you are going into (with your product).  As far as jumping in, a lot of entrepreneurs don’t tell you how much time is invested when you become your own boss and I think it is because if you don’t try, you’re always going to wonder what if. No one wants to be a dream crusher. It’s such a fun experience to always try. I’d say if it’s in your gut, you gotta go. ” - Sara Gotch, Owner of Gnarly Pepper My conversation today is with boss babe and product entrepreneur, Sara Gotch. It is a blast to be connected to new people through friends you have met along the way and this is exactly how Sara and I met. Sara is a fellow Iowan who loved to eat dips as a kid, realized the serving size of dips, took a leap of faith, quit her job  and created dip mixes she loved to eat and was proud to share with the rest of the world. Sara and I talk about what it is like to create  a prod

Conversation 56:  The Story, Journey and Passion of Gisela Bouvier, MBA, RDN, LDN “When you’re standing in front of a mirror and being able to say something positive about yourself, when you are able to be good to yourself and love yourself, there is a huge correlation between this and the relationship you have with food. When you are able to sit and enjoy a meal, that’s self love. That’s saying I love this, my body is enjoying it and I deserve this and I am worthy of it.” - Gisela Bouvier, MBA, RDN, LDN My conversation today is with Gisela Bouvier, a registered dietitian with the most sincere passion in helping others practice body kindness and mindful eating. I feel Instagram is the social media matchmaker for like-minded people by connecting us with each other. Enter Gisela Bouvier. Connecting with Gisela through Instagram lead to a quick but intimate meeting at FNCE and this amazing conversation. This was a gift to me. As she told me before, she is an open book and shares her own personal journey through

Conversation 55:  The Story, Journey and Passion of Nicole Rodriguez, RDN, NASM-CPT “I live by the ethos: do a lot of things well. I think it’s ok if you’re not totally specialized the very, very best in just one thing. I think you can do a lot of things very well and you’re always going to eat and you’re always going to be busy. Your life will be interesting and you will be fulfilled. I think this field (of dietetics) attracts that.” - Nicole Rodriguez, RDN, NASM-CPT My conversation today is with my strength training girl crush and Registered Dietitian, Nicole Rodriguez I love the space of instagram because I feel this is the social media place for all kinds of people sharing great things, including glimpses into one's personal life. I started following Nicole on Instagram because her videos and explanation of strength training was something I wanted to incorporate more into my life. It is so awesome to see strong women lifting heavy weight and she inspired me from day one. I actually got to meet her in pers

Conversation 54:  The Story, Journey and Passion of Crystal Wilson, Ed.S, RD, LD “It all comes back to people taking the time to help you along the way and it’s really something that I’ve tried to do in my career. If I could give back to one person like all of these individuals gave back to me (in my profession), then I feel like I’ve honored them. I hope that day happens .” - Crystal Wilson, Ed.S, RD, LD My conversation today is with a new friend who feels like an old friend and registered dietitian, Crystal Wilson.   Last spring, I was fortunate enough to travel to Boise, Idaho and be with the members of the Idaho Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. In preparation for my trip, I was excited to meet different dietitians from other states and wanted to schedule a podcast with a dietitian from Idaho. Crystal so graciously volunteered her time to stay after the annual meeting and have a conversation with me. We had the best conversation, that even brought tears to my eyes because of her passion to being a lifel

Conversation 53:  The Story, Journey and Passion of Erik Heard “I want my students to be able to move and do adventurous things in their life and not be kind of stuck on a spot because they can’t move their bodies by being unhealthy or having health problems I want them to get that kind of joy that I got out of my journey of getting healthy .” - Erik Heard My conversation today is with my favorite physical education teacher, Erik Heard. Almost 2 years ago, I was working on a contract project with the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics as a Registered Dietitian Coach assisting schools in applying for the HealthierUS School Challenge and being recognized for being a school excelling in healthier lunchrooms and physical activity. I was assigned to Edmunds Elementary in Des Moines Public Schools and this is when I met Erik, who is one of the most passionate teachers I have ever encountered. Educating kids about movement, enjoying health at every size and finding an activity that brings each child joy is what Eri

Conversation 52:  The Story, Journey and Passion of Libby Rothschild, MS, RDN “I think you have to take one thing at a time and see with trial and error what’s working and what’s not and that can be really frustrating and challenging for people. When I first started with my failure of a website, I was so discouraged and I didn’t have anyone telling me to keep going and I just felt overwhelmed. I don’t want professionals, specifically dietitians or dietetic students to feel that way. Being a dietitian or on your way to being a dietitian...that’s enough.” - Libby Rothschild, MS, RDN My conversation today is with registered dietitian, Libby Rothschild. In the past year, I have met many new professionals and friends on the social media platform of Instagram with Libby being one of my favorites. Libby is very passionate about being a strong support system for other registered dietitians and RDs-to-be, as well as individuals passionate about food, sustainability, education, and health professionals. She wears many

Conversation 51:  The Story, Journey and Passion of Jonathan “Toby” Reed “I think that our products are really made with passion and are very true to what they are. We try to keep them simple but also make them taste good. When I think about who is coming to a dietitian, it is someone who needs assistance and help. For me, I would love to have someone recommend a product to fill that void of what I feel I was missing. For me, that was forgetting about soda.” - Jonathan “Toby” Reed My conversation today is with Jonathan “Toby” Reed, Owner of MOCU Health. For all of my listeners, I want to share things I love with you. I am very particular about food and products and really try to align myself and my brand with other like minded brands. I am excited to share with you my podcast with the owner of one things and brands I love, Mocu Health. Toby has an unbelievable story of how he got into the business and why he has so much passion for healthy food and drinks. He is very passionate about meeting people where they

Conversation 50:  The Story, Journey and Passion of Stephanie Cundith, MS, RD, LD “It’s very easy to react and provide facts (to consumers questions), we are filled with facts as dietitians. It’s not always the best way to reach a person. It’s really figuring out a way to have a conversation so that maybe the chance of you opening someone's mind is greater if they feel like their talking with you versus being talked at.” - Stephanie Cundith, MS, RD, LD My conversation today is with nutrition communicator expert, Stephanie Cundith. A few years ago, I was invited to attend a nutrition communicator event hosted by Midwest Dairy. Being new to the communication aspect of my job, I was very excited for this opportunity thanks to Stephanie Cundith. Stephanie has a very unique journey in becoming a registered dietitian with communications always being her underlying superpower. For the past 11 years, she has been working for the dairy farmers of the midwest and has found her professional and personal passions. Stepha

Conversation 49:  The Story, Journey and Passion of Dr. Felicia Stoler, DCN, MS, RD, FACSM, FAND “One of the most important things for us to remember is being grounded. There is still more for us to know. Yes, we can be the nutrition experts, there is always more to learn because science changes. It doesn’t change in terms of being right and wrong, but we learn more.” - Dr. Felicia Stoler, DCN, MS, RD, FACSM, FAND My conversation today is with America's Health & Wellness ExpertTM Felicia Stoler. At the Iowa Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Annual Meeting’s expo, there was this eye catching booth with tons of pink with a vibrant and interactive woman manning the booth. This is where I met Felicia Stoler, a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, Exercise Physiologist, Author and Journalist, as well as co-creator of Regular Girl, prebiotic fiber and probiotics for women, which is what brought her to Iowa. As I talked with her more, I quickly realized I needed to do a podcast with her and learn more about her j

Conversation 48:  The Story, Journey and Passion of Jill Castle, MS, RD, LDN “My parents never harped on us for whether we were eating enough or what choices we were making, there was no discussion about food. I tell all my clients now there is one thing I don’t want them to do, I don’t want them to talk about food at the table. You don’t need to educate your child about food and nutrition while they are eating, just talk about anything else because it feels like pressure.” - Jill Castle, MS, RD, LDN My conversation today is with America’s Childhood Nutrition Expert and Registered Dietitian, Jill Castle A few weeks ago, I had the privilege to listen to Jill provide a presentation to the Iowa Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Since I currently do not practice in child nutrition, I was interested in learning about how this area of practice has changed.  So much of our thoughts, beliefs and practices around food start as a child and childhood nutrition is more important than ever. With the many different chall

Conversation 47: The Story, Journey and Passion of Travis Gaule “Your building up weather and building up your lifestyle after you get out of college, as long as you can control that and not worry about what society, your friends and whoever it is are doing (when it comes to money). Just do your thing and be smart about it. Part of that is getting in touch with the professionals, whether it is the financial advisor or CPA, that’s what we are here for. ” - Travis Gaule My conversation today is with Travis Gaule, Financial Advisor As we enter into the world of practicing as a registered dietitian, I think we tend to focus a lot on the excitement of being an RD and not all the other important and financial details. For those of you starting your first job, for those of you changing jobs and for those of you who might be taking the leap into being an entrepreneur, finding a smart financial partner is so important. I have been in a 3 scenarios and I thought it was very necessary for me to seek out a financial advi

Conversation 46:  The Story, Journey and Passion of Pat Hoffmann, Owner of Lonely Oak Distillery “Sometimes, you just try too hard. Sometimes, you have to let it find you. That’s what I am finding. You can search and search and search and then don’t second guess yourself. You just have to recognize, you know, what I’ve got and this is it.” -Pat Hoffmann My conversation today is with Pat Hoffmann, the owner of Lonely Oak Distillery I come from middle America, small town Iowa. And my small town, I mean small, around 200 people is surrounded by a number of similar small towns. There are many great people that come out of this tiny pocket of Iowa and I get very excited when people from there are doing great things. Pat Hoffmann, a fellow small town resident has started his own distillery, making craft spirits from the land he farms. My cocktail of choice almost always involves vodka and I was very intrigued by a delicious vodka coming from his business only a few miles away from my parents house. Pat, his wife Am

Conversation 45: The Story, Journey and Passion of Jody Gatewood, RD, LD “ I think the big thing for me was prevention. A number of my family members had diabetes and high blood pressure and it was definitely linked to how they ate. I want to help prevent a lot of health issues that are related to food. I don't want to give medicine to help you with your diabetes or blood pressure, I want to teach you about food, how that can play a big role and help people motivate themselves.” -Jody Gatewood, RD, LD My conversation today is with Registered Dietitian Jody Gatewood. Jody and I have met through our great state affiliate the Iowa Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. She is taking on planning the annual meeting for next year and I admire her a ton for her willingness to do this. The ironic part of our conversation is that she never planned on staying in Iowa and she has made a comfy home with her husband and 2 kids and is thriving in her career with the Iowa State University Extension. Since I have recently found

Conversation 44: The Story, Journey and Passion of the First Anniversary of Conversations with Anne Elizabeth! “The one thing I think Registered Dietitians need to do A LOT more of in their life is to toot their own horns. Shout it out to the world that you are the nutrition expert, you are smart, capable and you are the professional all kinds of entities craving nutrition information and advice should seek out. Registered Dietitians are doing amazing things and working in amazing ways. This is why I started this podcast. I want to toot your horn for you, tell your story, share your expertise and then in turn create a kick-ass tribe of registered dietitians who support each other along this crazy, fantastic, challenging and valued journey. It all begins by starting a conversation that truly matters.” - Anne Elizabeth, RD, LD, FAND Today’s conversation is celebrating the 1 YEAR ANNIVERSARY of the podcast with yours truly! In honor of this very special and inspiring year, I am having a celebratory giveaway of t

Conversation 43: The Story, Journey and Passion of Heather Osby “If I am in it, then I am all in it. I was working out 4 days a week, doing CrossFit, some yoga and barre and I just wanted to be healthier and do more. If a little is good then a lot must be better right? So I was exposing myself to a lot of semi-questionable nutrition sources and it got to the point where I was almost unhealthy with it. For example, (I believed) healthy was being a raw vegan. My thought process was nothing else was okay and I was really mentally unhealthy about that. That is what I thought you needed to be to be healthy.“ - Healthy Osby My conversation today is with fitness expert, CrossFit Level 1 Coach, Precision Nutrition Level 1 Coach and Postnatal Fitness Specialist, Heather Osby. I have had the joy of knowing Heather when I moved to the beautiful city of Des Moines, Iowa, I was connect with her to be my house-hunting warrior. After looking at over 100 homes and then deciding to build, I think that's when she decided she d

Conversation 42: The Story, Journey and Passion of Lori Graff, RDN, LD, CPCC, AFAA “The first thing you have to do is, you have to keep an open mind...all the time. It is what got you where you are to start with, especially as dietitians. You had some sort of notion to say “hey, nutrition matters” where others weren’t saying that. So you are asking (the important) questions and the minute you stop asking questions like how and why something works, then you’re just going to be lost in the field of medicine right now.” -Lori Graff, RDN, LD, CPPC, AFAA My conversation today is with Registered Dietitian Nutritionist Lori Graff. Miss Lori Graff has always had me in awe of the wealth of knowledge she knows. She has more knowledge of health and nutrition in her pinky finger than I do in my whole brain. I admire this Registered Dietitian for being on the forefront of integrative health. She is a lifelong learner who is very passionate about disease prevention by taking the food and nutrition route first. I have known

Conversation 41: Checking in with Jena Hunt, RD, LD Today we are doing something a little different. Since I love talking with my favorite people, I am going to check in with some of my previous podcast guests from time to time. Wayyy back in October of 2016, I started this little labor of love and graciously had on my first guest, Jena Hunt. Jena was my first guest and she aired as Episode 1. If you listened to Episode 1, you remember Jena was expecting her first child at that time and starting a diabetes program. I thought it would be fun to see how things are going in her exciting world. I hope you enjoy my conversation quickie with Jena. ~AE   www.anneelizabethrd.com Copyright © 2017 OPI & AEHC Song: One Of These Days Artist: The Gemini www.thegeminimusic.com Music used by permission. All rights received. © ASCAP OrtmanMusic     --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/anneelizabethrd/message

Conversation 40: The Story, Journey and Passion of Lyndi Buckingham-Schutt, RD, LD “It is so important to let them know what you do and who you are. Talking to someone, when you’re a dietitian, there is a lot more to that. I remember when I starting looking for jobs, I just can’t put into the search engine “Registered Dietitian” I needed to look at other things because maybe the job is not asking you to be a Registered Dietitian but it can fit into this role or bring something they didn’t know they needed into this role. With the position I am taking, it didn’t call for a Registered Dietitian but it’s going to benefit so much by having a Registered Dietitian doing that job.” - Lyndi Buckingham-Schutt, RD, LD My conversation today is with Registered Dietitian, Lyndi Buckingham Schutt I had a great conversation with Lyndi who is not only a Registered Dietitian, but she is a PhD candidate and graduate research assistant. She is currently working diligently on finalizing her thesis. Lyndi has volunteered her time

Conversation 39: The Story, Journey and Passion of Alison St. Germain MS, RD, LD “It is hard to get the buy in with intuitive eating...If you allow this process to happen, you have such a peace and you love to eat. You are also are able to maintain a healthy, I really don’t want to use the word weight because that is used so loosely, but your body is healthy because your body eventually eats what it is suppose to. As a society we micromanage everything so much, including our food and our exercise, everything is so external. This is more taking a step back and looking internal of I’m going to eat because I am hungry, not because it is noon.” - Alison St. Germain MS, RD, LD My conversation today is with Registered Dietitian, Alison St. Germain Alison has had a very interesting start when she was deciding what to study in college. She starting out wanting to be a lawyer and then dietetics found her. She has worked in a variety of settings from long term care and private practice to her current role with the Diet

  Conversation 38: The Story, Journey and Passion of Nicole White, MBA, RD, CSSD, LDN “If it’s not a good fit; if it’s the work environment, if it’s your boss, it it’s you, if it’s the people you work with, whatever it is, then you shouldn’t have to be unhappy. Work should be, what I believe, and I know not everyone get’s this luxury, something fun. That’s why I like it so much here (University of Iowa). I just get to come and do different things everyday and interact with so many different people. ” - Nicole White, MBA, RD, CSSD, LDN My conversation today is with Registered Dietitian, Nicole White In the past year, the University of Iowa’s Department of Intercollegiate Athletics hired a Registered Dietitian to be their Director of Sports Nutrition. Sports Nutrition is quickly becoming a popular job opportunity for Registered Dietitians and working with all types of college athletes. So, I was very excited when I reached out to Nicole and she agreed to be a part of this podcast. Nicole shared some great infor