Conversations With Anne Elizabeth

Conversation 19:  The Story, Journey and Passion of Registered Dietitian, Anita Turczynski RD, LD “I was asked to give nutrition talk at my daughter's pre-school (at the time) and I researched fun activities for kids nutrition education. That lead me to providing a presentation for Child and Adult Nutrition Education Programs on teaching nutrition education. I have realized that child nutrition is a passion of mine. It’s not work if you love it. There is always something new to learn.” - Anita Turczynski,  RD, LD My conversation today is with Anita Turczynski, RD, LD Anita is a one of those people you meet who just radiates positivity both personally and professionally. It was interesting to know she initially majored in accounting in college. While she was navigating her future career plans and after shadowing a registered dietitian, she truly discovered her passion for nutrition. This lead her to an interest in food service nutrition and also a love for nutrition education with children in a public school s

Conversation 18:  The Story, Journey and Passion of Registered Dietitian, Jenny Norgaard, RD, LD “Food is Medicine. We live in a society where there are so many resources for people to reach out and get help to be healthy. It doesn’t have to be complicated. Keep it simple because it is always the answer.” - Jenny Norgaard, RD, LD My conversation today is with Jenny Norgaard, RD, LD Jenny and I go way back to meeting each other during our internship and have shared many great experiences we still discuss and laugh about today, as well as a lifelong friendship.  She initially was going to go into nursing and decided after a conversation with a registered dietitian in her hometown, she was hooked. After experiencing a variety of careers in the dietetics field, Jenny currently feels at home and is very passionate about the preventative side of health and wellness. Please enjoy my conversation with Jenny. Links from the Conversation Connect with Jenny through email at jnorgaard@hy-vee.com   Iowa State University

Conversation 17:  The Story, Journey and Passion of Registered Dietitian, Kathryn Thompson, RDN, LD “Finding the balance of what you eat and what you do is very important for someone recovering from an eating disorder because it can become an issue for compulsive exercise. When I teach multiple (fitness) classes a day, you won’t see me going all out. I am the instructor and I’m their (participants) biggest cheerleader in the room. That balance, I’ve found that and it works for me because I have to be very aware of things in my life. ” - Kathryn Thompson, RDN, LD My conversation today is with Kathryn Thompson, RDN, LD Kathryn is someone I have had the joy of collaborating with on different projects involving school nutrition and health. I remember the first day I met Kathryn and her smile and energy were absolutely contagious. As I have gotten to know her over the years, we developed a great friendship and I learned more about her journey to being a registered dietitian nutritionist. She has had an eating diso

Conversation 16: The Story, Journey and Passion of Registered Dietitian, Courtney Slater RD, LD, CDE “I was diagnosed with diabetes when I was 5. I have always had to know the information that’s in food. When I was 17, I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease then I started having to eat gluten-free. My whole life has revolved around food one way or another.  If I can go into diabetes education and if I can help prevent one kid from making those same mistakes that I made (as a child with diabetes), then I am doing my job.” - Courtney Slater, RD, LD, CDE My conversation today is with Courtney Slater, RD, LD, CDE Courtney has a strong personal connection to nutrition because of her own personal experiences and struggles with diabetes and celiac disease.  She initially started her career path in education and teaching because she loved working with kids and along the way she realized she wanted to educate others as a registered dietitian. She is now meshing her 2 passions, kids and diabetes education. Her dietitian j

Conversation 15:  The Story, Journey and Passion of Registered Dietitian, Adria Huseth “Don’t be surprised if someone tells you that a business degree is a good with dietetics or a psychology degree because I think having a dual degree or  other focus definitely makes you more marketable (as a dietitian)” - Adria Huseth, RD, LD, CPT My conversation today is with Adria Huseth, RD, LD, CPT Adria took a little different route to being a dietitian. She was not quite sure what she wanted to do in college and obtained a business degree. With strong family ties to health and the medical field, she always found the human body amazing and knew working in the medical field was in her future. After working in marketing research, she decided her love for the human body and food was her future and became a registered dietitian. In her current job with the National Pork Board, she has successfully combined business and dietetics as well as becoming a new mom and Certified Personal Trainer. Please enjoy my conversation with

Conversation 14:  The Story, Journey and Passion of Registered Dietitian, Ellen Davis RD, LD, CSSD “I truly developed a passion for nutrition and dietetic when I was running track and cross country at the University of Missouri. I realized far too late in my career as a Division I athlete that I was making poor fueling choices. I made it my goal to become a sports dietitian. Looking back, it was a challenge but I think that is what we do as dietitians, we just put our heads down and just do it. ” -Ellen Davis, RD, LD, CSSD My conversation today is with Ellen Davis, RD, LD, CSSD Ellen was always passionate about being an athlete since 7th grade running track and cross country. It wasn’t until college did she realize the connection nutrition had with her performance and health as a Division I athlete. She suffered from many injuries and realized how not fueling her body properly was part of the equation. By being an athlete herself, she wanted to help other athletes learn from her experience and now spends her

Conversation 13:  The Story, Journey and Passion of Registered Dietitian, Chere Bork MS, RDN “I think what comes up is thinking about letting go of perfection. I really believe perfectionism kills. It kills our spirit. I have seen it kill my dietitian clients. Everyday do something that is imperfect and write it down. The more you grow your life, the more you grow your fun.” - Chere Bork MS, RDN My conversation today is with Chere Bork MS, RDN Chere Bork is an energy igniter, speaker, media spokesperson, a registered dietitian and is truly living her passion and purpose by helping others living a life where she believes that knowing your purpose, energizes your life, which creates your happiness which you need in order to live healthy and then you can truly feel balance and authentically love your life.  I meet Chere a few years ago and listened to her speak at a conference about this exact topic which I feel has had a sincere impact in my current life. I was excited when she was our keynote speaker at our Io

Conversation 12:  The Story, Journey and Passion of Registered Dietitian, Brenda Shannon RD, LD “I knew I always wanted to do clinical (dietetics) and I knew it was a good fit for me because it is interesting and exciting. It kind of fits my life over all. When I leave work, I leave work and I don’t  have to take it home with me.” - Brenda Shannon, RD, LD My conversation today is with Brenda Shannon, RD, LD By listening to my conversations, I hope you know by now how much I enjoy talking with registered dietitians and having them share their story. There is truly something special when I can share the story of a registered dietitian who had a huge impact in my life by being my preceptor, co-worker and now one of my most dearest friends. Brenda chose to become a registered dietitian a little later in life and has worked in a variety of settings with her current position as  a registered dietitian in Iowa who works for a special population of individuals at Glenwood Resource Center where her clients have signif

Conversation 11:  The Story, Journey and Passion of Registered Dietitian, Jen Haugen RD, LD “Everyone has a book inside of them because everybody has a story to share. We are all drawn to stories and how someone else’s life can affect your life and impact you and inspire you and I think every dietitian can help someone.” - Jen Haugen, RD, LDN My conversation today is with Jen Haugen, RD, LD Jen is known nationwide as the Down to Earth Dietitian and I couldn’t agree more. I have been lucky to be a Nutrition Communicator for Midwest Dairy with Jen for the past 4 years and getting to know how her personal life has really influenced her professional life as a registered dietitian. She has come full circle with her passion of gardening, nutrition and nourishing the lives of others, especially her family and moms. As long as I have know Jen, I had no idea how deeply rooted gardening was in her life. It is wonderful how she is sharing her love for growth from the ground with growth at home around the dinner table. S

Conversation 10:  The Story, Journey and Passion of Registered Dietitian, Beth Sloan RD, LDN “To convince dietitians to be preceptors is one thing and I think we that we need to really come together as a profession and really look at what is important and how are we educating our future dietitians and is this model working?  And if this model is not working, how can we change that? ” - Beth Sloan, RD, LDN My conversation today is with Beth Sloan, MS, RD, LDN Beth Sloan is a registered dietitian I was thrilled to meet upon my journey to New Orleans. She is a native to New Orleans.  We had a great conversation about her journey so far. She has worked in clinical, outpatient diabetes and cardiac rehab, public health and currently is a professor at Nicholls College in Thibodaux, LA, where she is the Director of Dietetics and is an Assistant Professor of Dietetics specializing in teaching, evaluating, and advising undergraduate dietetics students. Not only is she a professor, but currently is the President of the

Conversation 9:  The Story, Journey and Passion of Registered Dietitian, Dorria S. Amer, MPH, RD, LDN “ I was restless because I wanted to be self employed and then I realized, well I can be. I always wanted to work for myself and I never wanted to dread Mondays. ” - Dorria S. Amer, MPH, RD, LDN My conversation today is with Dorria S. Amer, MPH, RD, LDN As I have set out on a quest to meet registered dietitians, I decided I would make it a priority whenever I go to a new city, I would meet up with registered dietitians from this location. I headed to New Orleans in October of this year and had the great opportunity to meet Dorria Samer. Dorria graciously opened up her beautiful shotgun home up to me and we had a great conversation on her comfy couch. Dorria has had a fascinating career so far as a registered dietitian with family roots and first job out of college in California, an internship and next career moves taking place in Boston, and certain events happening in her personal life leading her to her cur

Conversation 8:  The Story, Journey and Passion of Food Scientist, Susan Bingaman “There was never a connection but the lightbulb went off. I remember it like it was yesterday. I had those big college books where you are trying to figure out your life, looking at all the majors in the majors in the colleges. I was in the Food/Dietetics section and Food Science was in there. I thought it sounded ridiculous and my mom goes, that’s you. Wanting to help people cook is what I want to do. Dietitians know how the food acts in the body. I know how food acts in the food ” - Susan Bingaman My conversation today is with Susan Bingaman, Food Scientist From time to time, I want to have conversations with guests who are not registered dietitians, but have a deep connection to food, nutrition and wellness. Susan Bingaman is one of those fascinating guests whose lifelong passion has been the science of food. As a little girl, Susan always found herself in the kitchen with her family cooking and this passion lives on in her t

Conversation 7:  The Story, Journey and Passion of Registered Dietitian, Erin Thole, RD, CSSD, LD “Having my initial background as my own personal employer, for a lack of better words, I had to do business and when I went to my previous job, it was very business focused instead of nutrition focused. So I went and got my MBA, in part because I always think of what is the next step. I want to dictate where I am going to be in the future. Yes, I can always learn something, but I am always the type who is grabbing for more. ” -Erin Thole, RD, CSSD, LD My conversation today is with Erin Thole, RD, CSSD, LD Erin and I have known each other professional through the Iowa Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics by volunteering together in Marketing. This is when I learned Erin has a passion for nutrition and dietetics, but also for sports, running and business. What is fascinating about hearing Erin’s story is she struggled to find a job outside of her internship and decided to start her own business. She is one of a few c

Conversation 6:  The Story, Journey and Passion of Registered Dietitian,  Jodi Schweiger RD, CDE, LD “Coming out of that (dietetic) program, I knew I wanted to do something non-traditional in being a dietitian.  Back in that time, it was-oh dietitians just do hospitals, there wasn’t so many options out there. But I was lucky to have found an option (in retail) for a non-traditional dietitian role...Isn’t that the point of our career?  Anything is possible.” -Jodi Schweiger, RD, CDE, LD My conversation today is with Jodi Schweiger, RD, CDE, LD Jodi, my guest today, is a registered dietitian, Certified Diabetes Educator a wife and mom and one of my mentors. When Jodi got out of her internship, she approached a retail business, basically cold calling them and explaining to them why they needed a registered dietitian. In her jobs to follow, she carried on this entrepreneurial spirit and has made things happen for herself professional. Jodi’s story is inspirational and noteworthy. Enjoy listening to her story. Lin

The Story, Journey and Passion of Dietetic Intern (so far), Sonja Ouimet, Dietetic Intern. “My goal is not to be a dietitian in the military. It is kind of like a good experience to have one really good dream job of being a dietitian. Then on the weekends, I get to go be someone different and it’s a lot of fun but I do get to use a lot of my education there.” - Sonja Ouimet, Dietetic Intern My conversation today is with Sonja Oiumet, Dietetic Intern at Iowa State University Sonja Ouimet is a dietetic intern from Iowa State University. Sonja spent some time with me during her internship and I really wanted to know more about her story and passions about dietetics. Sonja has quite the journey to being a dietetic intern. After high school, Sonja started her career with the National Guard, which altered her timeline and path to becoming a registered dietitian.  We talked about her journey so far, tips on applying for your internship, and her love for being in the military. Please enjoy my conversation with Sonja.

The Story, Journey and Passion of Registered Dietitian, Sherry Adams RD, LMNT   “I wanted to do something more medical and I had a half crazy notion of going to med school at one point, but that didn’t last very long. I really loved working in ICU, have been a Certified Nutrition Support Clinician®(CNSC®) and have taken the test 4 times. Recently, I decided to make the jump (out of clinical) and work with physicians out of the hospital and caring for people in the home setting on enteral and parenteral support.” - Sherry Adams, RD, LMNT My conversation today is with Sherry Adams, RD, LMNT Sherry Adams is not only a registered dietitian and but a nutrition support expert. Sherry was my clinical preceptor during my internship and taught me everything I know about tube feedings and TPN’s. She also believed in me so much as an intern, she offered me my first registered dietitian job. She has such a special place in my heart. I knew Sherry’s dietitian journey was interesting, but it was wonderful to sit down with

The Story, Journey and Passion of Registered Dietitian, Kristyn Kamrath RD, LMNT “I have an innate curiosity about everything. If I don’t know about it, I want to learn about it and I’m still that what today. If I’m going to speak about something or be asked about something, I want to know everything I can about it so I can be a reliable and credible source.” - Kristyn Kamrath RD, LMNT My conversation today is with Kristyn Kamrath, RD, LMNT Service Leader Clinical Nutrition at Nebraska Methodist Health System Kristyn and I go way back to the early 2000s when we were both newer registered dietitians. Kristyn started with Creighton University Medical Center as a bariatric dietitian while I was working as a clinical dietitian. She has a great story of moving from Nebraska to Florida for her internship, working in Florida and navigating the registered dietitian professional landscape in a very unique way.   So please kick back, relax and enjoy my conversation with Registered Dietitian, Kristyn Kamrath.   Show Not

Conversation 2: The Story, Journey and Passion of Registered Dietitian, Erin Hoisington RD, LD “Throughout school and even in the short time I have been out of school, some of my philosophies have changed and shifted and which I think is a good thing. And I hope that they continue to do that because I think that’s only the responsible thing to do. The more we learn about, the more experiences we have to gleen from those (experiences) and form our own opinions.” - Erin Hoisington, RD, LD My conversation today is with Erin Hoisington, RD, LD  Long Term Care and Consultant Dietitian for Catholic Health Initiatives (CHI) Living Communities My guest today is Erin Hoisington, a registered dietitian who chose dietetics as a second career a little bit later in life, similar to myself. When I first met Erin, she was reaching out to me to ask about what she needed to do to get the schooling necessary to become a registered dietitian. Erin’s first degree is in agricultural education and teaching But she had such a stro

The Story, Journey and Passion of Jena Hunt, RD, LD , Diabetes Education Coordinator for Central Iowa Healthcare Jena and I really connected while she was my intern.  I was looking forward to catching up with her on where she is in her life and her career. When she completed her internship, Jena wasn’t really sure where dietetics would take her, but she knew family was the most important to her and her job would follow.  She knew during her internship she enjoyed working in community nutrition.  She started out her career as a registered dietitian for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) in Marshalltown, Iowa and realized her passion was working with expecting and lactating mothers. As she was evaluating her life/work balance, she was found her second job as a Diabetes Education Coordinator a better fit. Please enjoy my conversation with Jena.   Show Notes: Iowa State University Undergraduate Program/Internship Program Iowa Methodist Medical Center Iowa Luthera