Q&A with Robin as a Newly Certified Nutrition Therapy Practitioner

Q&A with Robin as a Newly Certified Nutrition Therapy Practitioner

What led you to pursue further education in nutrition and to acquire your certification as a Nutrition Therapy Practitioner?

It’s no secret that I’m passionate and deeply interested in the power of food and nutrition. For more than a decade I’ve been supporting clients and members on their quest to nourish their bodies well and understand the implications of food on our health and wellbeing. Up until this past year I’ve been largely self-taught (through hours and hours of reading, classes, courses, etc) and have partnered closely with nutrition professionals and registered dietitians in order to lead and guide in a way that is ethical and well-researched. I will still continue to do that, but I also wanted to go through the entire certification process myself to bolster my knowledge, increase my understanding and allow myself and our team at Lindywell to support our community in more significant ways as it relates to nutrition. 

Why now?

The past 10 years have been so full – full of growing a business and growing a family, while cultivating our very special Lindywell community. Adding to my plate by going back to school was just not in the cards. Once I completed my manuscript for Well to the Core, it felt like the right time given that the massive project of writing a book was nearing completion. However, in hindsight. Adding “going back to school” to my plate this last year has been extremely challenging. I’m grateful that the Nutrition Therapy Association is designed to work for working professionals, but it was still a lot of work! From weekly reading, to weekly homework, to weekly classes and midterms and finals – it was a lot to juggle while also being a mom and working full-time. But I am SO glad I did and so grateful to have made it through!

In a world full of nutrition programs and certifications, why did you choose Nutrition Therapy Association?

My dear friend Madeline Given recommended them to me because she knows me well, she knows my approach to nutrition and she thought we would have good alignment. She was right! I did a lot of research on programs and certifications and found that my approach to food and nutrition fell very in line with the Nutrition Therapy Association. 

A few of the key elements that come to mind are that many of modern society’s health problems result from dysfunction and imbalances in the body’s physiological foundations, which include: 

• A nutrient dense diet
• Sleep
• Stress
• Blood sugar regulation 
• Digestion. 

In my years of studying nutrition on my own accord, my own personal experience and my work with clients and members of Lindywell, these are the foundations I believe in as well. (If you’ve read Well to the Core, this is no surprise!) 

The NTA also believes in the fact that we are all bio-individual (meaning one approach to food doesn’t always fit all) and that the body must be treated as a whole. I also greatly appreciated the depth of education they provide within the curriculum, the acknowledgment that access to quality food is not equal and the celebration of food as an important part of emotional, cultural and social health. 

I love this quote from their website: 

“Our practitioners work to help each client find the right types of whole foods that will restore balance and enhance their health. They teach the importance of following a thoughtfully prepared, nutrient-dense diet, rich in whole foods that are delicious, nourish our bodies, and restore good health. We also honor the body’s innate intelligence and its incredible capacity to restore, regenerate, and correct itself – when given support through nutritional therapy, lifestyle modifications, and patience.”

How did you fit this into your busy schedule?

A lot of creativity and hard work! I tried my best to not do school work at night, because I know how much that impacts my sleep and circadian rhythms (I talk about this more in Chapter 3 of Well to the Core). So I time-blocked my schedule to allow time for nutrition homework either during the week or on the weekend. I did lots of nutrition work from the airport or on planes, and I was very thankful that classes were recorded so that in the event that I couldn’t show up live (which was often) I could watch the replay on my own time. I’m am very thankful for the Lindywell team that supports me so much and for my husband, Matt, who is a true partner in caring for the kids and the home.

How do you see this impacting what you do at Lindywell?

I am so excited because I am now able to lean deeper into nutrition, provide more specific guidance and I have SO much information that I want to share! I’m eager to hear what our community hopes for in terms of nutrition support and to continue listening to our community and providing the most trustworthy, reliable and realistic information so I can to help each of us feel our best and live our lives to the fullest.

As someone who spent years feeling paralyzed and frustrated by food (ie: Is this “healthy”? Should I eat this? Is this a good food/bad food to eat?) I’m excited to bring more information and support to our community to make it easier to nourish our bodies well, support our health, achieve our fitness goals (like more muscle and healthier bones!), and to do so while celebrating and enjoying the gift that food is in our lives. 

How are you going to start sharing your knowledge with the Lindywell community?

I am teaching a LIVE Nutrition Class to celebrate my certification and start sharing nutrition tips and hacks with our community. If you want to improve your diet, but get so overwhelmed by all the conflicting information about where to focus first. And are asking yourself, “Where do I start?” I am teaching this FREE Nutrition Class just for you! It’s a Zoom class for anyone who wants to get clarity on some foundational nutrition and bust some myths that society tells us.

Join me LIVE as I dive deeper into these myths with a FREE Nutrition Class on January 30 at 4pm PT/ 7pm ET.

PS: If you’re wanting to study nutrition for your own personal purposes or for your career, I do highly recommend the Nutrition Therapy Association. I paid in full and this post is not sponsored. However, if you enroll you can use my code at checkout (code: ROBIN) to receive a bonus resource. And you can also enter the code FEB24NTP500 to receive $500 off the February enrollment!