In this episode of The Dietitian Success Podcast, Krista Kolodziejzyk, RD, MPH, MBA sits down with Heather Bray, RD from Behind The Plate Nutrition.
Krista and Heather chat about:
- Getting a job and starting a practice in a new city with no connections
- How to put yourself out there to get your first client, and how long it took her to get her first client
- Heather’s biggest client referral sources
- Developing your packages over time to fit your ideal client profile
- How to navigate when clients come to you for issues outside of intuitive eating (ex. weight loss), but you are an intuitive eating RD
Links:
- Check out the Dietitian Success Center membership here
- Connect with Krista on Instagram @dietitiansuccesscenter and @kristako.rd
- Check out our Freebies here – PES Statement Cheat Sheet, Client Resource Kit & Business Planning Workbook
- Follow Heather on Instagram
- Check out Heather’s Business – Behind The Plate
Episode Transcript:
Welcome to the Dietitian Success Podcast. I’m Krista, the founder of Dietitian Success Center, an online learning platform for RDs and students. I am on a mission to help more dietitians build confidence and expertise in running successful, profitable businesses. I went to business school so you don’t have to.
My team and I have grown DSC to a platform that serves hundreds of members. We’ve experimented with all types of marketing, tech, sales strategies, productivity tools, systems, and more. And we want to spill the tea on what’s working, what’s not, and how you can leverage our insights to kickstart, expand, or elevate your own business.
Ready to dive into your business school crash course? If so, let’s get started.
Hey there and welcome to a new episode of the dietitian success podcast. In this episode, I sit down with Heather Bray from behind the plate nutrition.. Heather has been a DSC members since day one, since the very beginning. And it has been so cool. To see her practice and see her business grow over time. She in today’s episode, it’s a really interesting unscripted conversation about what that journey has been like. And particularly what I think will be one of the most interesting pieces for a lot of you. Is the discussion around Heather being an intuitive eating dietitian, but how she navigates it when patients or clients come to her who are not necessarily. Looking for intuitive eating, they’re looking for something very specific like weight loss or like sports, nutrition support. Um, and so that’s a really fantastic conversation.
We also talk about what her experience was like as an RD, who was a new grad. And moved to a new city to start working, but didn’t have any connections. In that new city. And so for any of you out there who are in a similar situation, whether you’re a new grad or whether you’re just a dietitian, that’s relocating and you’re trying to figure out how do I get started in a new community where I have no pre-established connections. Then this is the episode for you.
Heather is incredible. She’s amazing dietitian, and she has so much wisdom to offer. She’s also just a really warm, amazing person. And so I know you’re going to get a lot out of this episode and I really hope that you enjoy it. Now with that, let’s get into the episode.
Heather, so good to talk to you today. Oh, so good to talk to you as well. Yeah we were just saying before we pressed record that you have like been with us since the beginning. Like when I think about when people are like, hey tell me about some of your DSC members. Like you are somebody that is always top of mind for me because you’ve been with us for so long.
But then I also think about like, You on Instagram. I’ve followed you for a while. Like I just, I think of you often. So I’m so happy to chat with you. Oh, thank you so much. And I was saying to you as well, like, this is such a full circle moment for me. Like I remember when you first started the podcast, like I listened to every episode and I’ve been following along the journey too.
So it’s so great. I’m so happy to be here. That’s so cool. Okay, so let’s back up. I want you to tell us a little bit about your dietitian journey. What has that looked like so far? Yeah, I mean, I have been, this will be my end of my fifth year as a dietitian. Um, and I guess maybe I could even start back to like becoming a dietitian.
Yeah. Like And, and I don’t know if this is helpful to the audience, but I’ll, I’ll just say it anyway. I was just reflecting on like how I even got into this because I was not like a super academic person. Like in high school, I struggled with school and I remember very distinctly a teacher telling me that I shouldn’t be in university level courses, which was honestly devastating at the time, but For me, you know, like your rebellious teenage stage.
I was just kind of like, oh, yeah. Well, I’m gonna prove her wrong I never got like overly good grades But I made it through and I really loved science even though it didn’t come naturally to me One thing about me is I have a work ethic like things don’t necessarily come natural, but I will work at something So I developed such an interest in science that Very early on and I never really knew what to do with it But I was always involved in sport and I grew up in a household where we ate a pretty nutritious diet I would say it’s not like we talked about nutrition very much But I just remember like as I was going like through high school in sport and stuff like that and just like learning about nutrition It just became something that was interesting to me.
So I actually ended up going to Laurier for one year, um, which is a school in Waterloo, Ontario. I went there for a year and I basically took sociology and just as electives, I was taking science courses because I thought they were really interesting. And then it wasn’t until that first year that I heard what a dietitian was and what the career was.
And I was like, something just clicked in my mind. And I was like, I want to do that thing. I want to try my best and become that. And so I looked at what it took on like the dietitians of Canada website. I was like, how does one become a dietitian? I ended up leaving Laurier. So I dropped out and my friends and family were like, what the hell are you doing?
I ended up going back to take a night school course. Cause I didn’t have all the credits. So I took a gap year to kind of up my credits and everything. I ended up applying to a book. bunch of different schools, um, for nutrition and dietetics. I didn’t get into any of the schools in Ontario, which was devastating in and of itself, but I ended up getting into all of the schools in Nova Scotia.
So I was like, okay, the universe is pushing me somewhere. Let me go try to do this. So I ended up choosing Acadia university, which is where I went to school, wonderful experience, loved it so much. And I actually like thrived in it, which is amazing. Like Coming from a place where I wasn’t projected to be very good academically, I ended up doing very well and I think it’s because I just really loved the subject.
Um, except I thought I was going to be in public health. I thought I was going to be working in policy, in research, like that’s what I thought I was going to do. It wasn’t until my internship when I actually got clinical experience that I was like, This is what I love. Like I should be working with people one-to-one.
So fast track two, becoming a dietitian, passing the exam, all of that kind of stuff. I was looking for a job and I knew I wanted to go into clinical immediately, but it’s very hard and especially if you haven’t done your internship in the province that you plan to work in, it’s very difficult ’cause you don’t have those connections.
Right. So I was coming back to Ontario after finishing school in Nova Scotia. And I was like, how am I going to get a job? And I found it very difficult. I had worked in a job that just, it wasn’t a very good fit. So I didn’t stay there for very long. They, what the ask was, was a lot more than I could deliver as a new grad.
I ended up getting a part time job as a prenatal dietitian in the community. So I was working within the Peel region. Educating newcomers to Canada and teens on pregnancy nutrition, which was so interesting. But there was just so much of me like struggling to find a job, looking for a job. And I was like, you know what, I can build my own job.
So that’s kind of how my practice was born. It was born from a necessity, really. And I knew I wanted to do the clinical work. There’s so much imposter syndrome that came with that, but I really, I’m somebody who’s just like, just do the thing. So that’s essentially how my business was born. It was kind of born more as necessity and I had the time to do so, but I’m so glad that I started it because it has been sort of my backbone in my career thus far.
Yeah, that’s really cool. Wow. That’s awesome. Um, okay. I have so many questions. My first question, how did you end up getting just, just to sort of go back to that piece. And the reason why I’m asking this is because we do have a number of students that listened to this episode or people who are just starting out as dietitians in, like you said, a new province or a new state, depending on where they’re located.
Yeah, so that first job that you were able to get here when you didn’t have connections. How did that come to be? Well that job actually just came through indeed and I interviewed for it and and got the position um But I will say like Again, I ended up working at other jobs after that, and I was reflecting on this because I was listening to the episode you did with Alexis Williams, and she was talking about the importance of networking with people, and I cannot stress that enough because that’s something that I was doing in that time where I was like, I’m struggling to find a job.
I was reaching out to people on LinkedIn. I was talking to literally anybody I could. I went back to my preceptors and was like, Hey, do you know anybody working in Ontario that I can connect with? I was doing cold calls. I was going to hospitals to go and have coffee dates with dietitians. I volunteered at a hospital doing like food, um, audits, like, you know, the Trey audits, which like some of us who did an internship hated that, but I was, I was getting myself out there in any way I possibly could, because I know that just submitting applications online is not going to get you very far.
So that first job I got, it just happened to be a lucky thing. But. When I ended up getting into my first, like, full time job, it was because I had been doing that. It’s because I did the cold calls, I did the LinkedIn messages, I set up random coffee dates, and I cannot thank the dietitians enough who took the time to actually just chat with me.
So now when people ask me to do that, I’m like, yes, let’s talk! Like, I’m happy to do that, because I think the insight you can get from that is invaluable, not just in making connections, but like I learned a lot through doing that. Um, and I hope Alexis is okay with me sharing, but she was one of the people that was willing to chat with me.
So I learned a lot from her too. Yeah. And do you, I’m just curious, do you identify as being an extroverted person? Cause it’s, it’s pretty impressive that no, just as I’m listening to you talk, like, and I want to obviously get into your business story and your business journey too, but I mean, just so impressive that you.
Put yourself out there like this. That can be so intimidating and so challenging. So, do you feel like you’re an extroverted person? And what was that? Did you have to get over some mindset hurdles there around reaching out and putting yourself out there? Yes. Um, I would say, like, I definitely am an extroverted person, although I think in recent years I’ve become a lot more introverted.
But, I, I think, like, it didn’t come naturally. Like, I don’t think for anybody of any personality type, I don’t think that reaching out and networking comes easy for anyone. Like, it feels kind of cringey. But, Again, I think that’s just kind of where that determination really came in for me and something that I would recite to myself so many times, like when things were really tough in school, when things were difficult during internship and all of that, I would constantly say to myself, I didn’t come this far just to come this far.
So that’s what I would always say. And so when I was struggling to find a job, I was like, Nope, I didn’t come this far just to come this far. Let me push through and message this. person, even though it feels really weird, what’s the worst that they’re going to say? They’re going to say no. Okay. Or they don’t respond.
Okay. No problem. Let me just reach out to 20 other people. Yeah. Oh, cool. Wow. I love that about you. That’s really cool. Um, okay. So let’s talk a little bit about starting your business then. I think it’s really interesting that you said that you, and I can’t remember the exact words you, you used, but you were like, I can make this my business.
Do you remember if there were any specific people that you were following online that inspired you? Any dietitians that inspired you to make this your business? Or was it really something that was Because I think a lot of times, especially when it comes to business, it’s like we almost need to see something to believe it.
You know, it’s like, it’s so helpful when we can see somebody doing the work that we’re like, Oh my gosh, I didn’t even know this was possible. Or like, yes, that is exactly what I want. Do you remember if there were any people like that for you? Or was it truly like an intrinsic motivation, confidence, I can do this?
It definitely wasn’t that part. It wasn’t, it wasn’t like I can do this right off the bat. Although I do have that character trait of like, I think I can do anything I set my mind to. I would say, honestly, like you were definitely one of the people that I followed because I think at the time you were doing consulting with other dietitians.
So you were somebody I had found, but also in my first job that I was talking about earlier, I was kind of supposed to build the practice from scratch. So I did, I ended up doing a lot of research then. And so I looked at a lot of different private practice dietitians in my area, which is like GTA area, um, greater Toronto area in Ontario.
So I ended up finding a lot of people that way. And really all I had seen from them was like kind of their business storefronts, like their websites and their Instagram. So, um, That was really all I had to work off of. I don’t think anybody was actually at the time that I knew of at least, talking about the journey of developing a business.
So I had seen, okay, people have done this, but I didn’t really get any insight into like the back end of it all. And so tell us some of those first steps that you took to get your business off the ground. What did that look like? Oh, geez. Okay. So, um, I think the biggest one was, um, choosing my business name.
I was like, and I think honestly, the reason that I chose behind the plate is twofold. One, I think it’s like kind of clever. My fiance and I came up with it like over dinner, like we were thinking like, Oh, I provide the nutrition information behind your plate. And it was kind of like, A play on a sports reference as well and we’re both athletic in our background so like that kind of had Come up into it But I also didn’t want to use my name because I do plan on maybe changing my name at some point So I didn’t want to use my name exactly and I I have You know, I wanted to have the option to be able to incorporate my business as well.
That was something that I had just researched when I was reading how to start a business. I literally think I just Googled how to start a business. And so I chose my business name and then I ended up Checking if the business name was taken just online. It’s something you can do. I don’t know the exact way to do that, but it’s thing checked if it was open.
And then I registered the business name. Um, like with, I think it’s with the CRA, I got like the master business license thing, um, which I have to renew soon. And then after that, I pretty much was like, okay, what else do I need here? I need to have a website and I need to have an EMR platform. Like those were like the two main things that I did.
I set those up. Um, One thing I did do, I had business cards made up pretty quickly and I had somebody design a logo for me, which is awesome. But like, I felt like, you know, now looking back probably didn’t need to do that, but it was pretty cool. Like it made me feel pretty legit in the beginning. So I did that, chose a, a platform.
I chose practice better and have been with them ever since. Like absolutely loved it. I don’t even remember how I found them to be honest with you, but they, like, I, I love them and yeah. My, I had a friend who helped me build my Wix website because she had built websites on there before. Bless her heart.
She really sat down and helped me kind of build that because I’m not very tech savvy. So she really helped me build my first website. So those are kind of those first stages. And then really, I just started telling people, I just started telling friends and family, Hey, I’m starting this practice. And that’s how I started getting my first few clients was just through word of mouth.
That’s cool. And that was going to be my next question is where, well, first of all, do you remember how long it took you to get that first client? You know what? It was only about, I’m lucky. It was only about a month in. Awesome. That’s really cool. Yeah. And it was just because a family member had a colleague who was looking for a dietitian at the time.
I think it was just very easy, but I would say for the first six months of my business opening, I had maybe like three clients. Like I didn’t have very much at the time, but that was okay. Yeah, totally. Um, and so on that note then, so you had, you know, those first couple clients in the first six months and then what was it that you feel like, like, what made things turn, you know, what was it that you feel like started to increase clients coming in?
Was there anything in particular? It’s a good question. Like, I don’t think that I’ve ever hit like this exponential increase. Like I think over the five years that my business has been, I have just been growing at a gradual pace, which is really great. I think, um, you know, signing up for, for websites like health profs, for example, I definitely started getting more referrals through there.
It’s, it’s not the biggest referral source, but for a while, for me, it was one of my biggest ones. One of the things I need to start doing is tracking my referrals because I’m not very good at keeping track of where people are coming from, but I would say so there. And then I think a lot of people now find me just through Googling through my website.
Just, I think my SEO has been picking up a bit more and I think that’s because I was posting blogs and because I’m on social media. So I think people are finding me more just like through Googling dietitian near me type of thing. I wish I could say there was one specific thing, but I really think it’s just a.
A culmination of all of the things that I’ve done, um, and two, I would say, like, when I started at my business, it was like 2019. Shortly after that, I started working in a full time job, like in a full time capacity. So my practice was never Like just started it and worked in it full time. I still don’t work full time in it to this day So it’s just kind of been something it was very much a side hustle for a long time and then it became More part time more hours that i’m dedicating to it And again, i’m still not at that full time level, but i’m definitely getting there more and more That’s awesome.
And did you always offer, so I noticed on your website now you offer packages. You have, I think, three packages. Um, did you always offer packages or did you ever go through the process of starting off with one off sessions? That’s a good question. I didn’t always use packages. packages. So I started off just with the one to ones.
Um, and I still offer that. Like I don’t make anybody commit to any type of package or anything. Some people just want to see me for one or two sessions and I’m totally fine with that too. I can see how there’s some people who just do the packages and I can see where that’s really valuable. But what I have found in my experience is even by offering some of those packages, One off sessions.
Some people do end up going into the package afterwards because they’ve developed that relationship with me. So I have the packages there for people to kind of just see because I was getting a lot of Questions those free 15 minute introductory calls. I was doing so many of those and people were saying, well, how many sessions do you think I would need?
Or, you know, how much would it cost? I have this much with my insurance. How many sessions would that be? So I developed the packages to really kind of reflect what somebody might need that they’re looking for in working with me. I have one package, for example, my relationship with food redesign package, which Is basically a six month intensive of going through the process of intuitive eating, and it’s two, one hour sessions a month for six months.
So that one is one that’s for somebody who really wants to commit to something and see sort of a program through. I have a jumpstart package, which is essentially one initial session. And then. Free follow ups for anybody who’s seeing me for just kind of like general nutrition advice. People who maybe they’ve received news that their cholesterol levels are high, for example, from their doctor and they wanna work through some of the dietary changes that’s as kind of a package designed for them.
Um, and I, I found that it’s helpful to have them, but again, I don’t always just go with them. Hmm. I love that because I think a lot of people have this sort of notion that it needs to be either one or the other but that’s just not necessarily the case. You can design your offers based on what is best for the people that are coming to see you and it sounds like you really have listened to What the clients are saying that are coming to you and you’ve created your offers and your packages based on their needs, like this six month intensive, I’m assuming you probably wouldn’t have known to create that right at the beginning of your business journey.
Yeah, exactly. I think I totally, it came from experience. Like if I had just randomly listed off something, I don’t know if it would have. You land with anyone. So yeah, yeah, totally. And I mean, sometimes that is the starting point to write is just throwing something out there and seeing does this stick?
Does this feel right? Is this the right amount of time that I want to be working with somebody to? I mean, sometimes we don’t know until we know. Exactly. And we just have to trial and error our way to that sort of ultimate place. Yeah. Um, very, very cool. Um, and so what have you actually, I want to ask about your, cause I know you’re a certified intuitive eating counselor, when did you decide to do that in your process and what prompted that for you?
Uh, that was I think it was like, maybe into my second ish year of being a dietitian that I even learned about the concept of intuitive eating and I started, you know, listening to different podcasts and then I eventually ended up reading the book and it really changed the way I practiced as a dietitian, but I, I, felt like there was so much that I grasped from like the podcast and the book and everything that was really helpful in my practice.
But there were so many very niche questions that I had as a practitioner as to how do I deal with this scenario? Somebody struggling with this. How do I help them with that? What questions do I ask in an intake session? I felt like I really just needed that like further coaching and. Education on like what intuitive eating really is.
Um, And so I’m, I’m very fortunate like I was able to go through and do that process. It, I did it over the course of two years. Like it was a long process for me to become that. But I think it’s just like, Um, and I felt like it was very, very helpful with again, just me being able to understand how to answer certain questions and how to format my sessions.
Not that they tell you how to format your sessions, but just listening to like the different group calls and coaching. It was really, really helpful just in me being able to understand like how to guide certain conversations. Thanks. So I’m curious when, and I’ll tell you why I’m asking this question in a second, but the last few clients that came to you, what did they come to you for?
So they said, I need help with, what was it? Intuitive eating. Oh, no. Cool. Yeah, like I’ve had and in this month, I would say I’ve had like maybe three different people reach out to me being like, I’ve read the intuitive eating book or I know what intuitive eating is, but I really need help with this process.
And over the last few years, I’ve noticed that coming up more and more. And I think it’s because I’m just kind of putting myself out there in this space. Um, I don’t know if this is the right space because it’s honestly the space I’m most passionate about, but I’ve noticed a lot of people who will read the book, who will hear about the concepts or they’ll listen to a podcast and they just get kind of stuck on certain points.
So for example, I see a lot of people who are like, yep, I can get rid of the diet culture mentality. I can give myself permission to eat, but I’m really struggling with my hunger and fullness cues. Or I think I only need to be eating. Or my hunger and fullness cues, et cetera. So a lot of people have just been coming to me like I get the concept, but I’m stuck.
So they’re looking specifically to learn about intuitive eating from somebody who’s trained in it. That’s really cool. That’s really cool because sometimes I think that Um, and you can tell me your thoughts on this But sometimes I think there’s and I I hear this from other dietitians that there’s this sort of perception that if somebody doesn’t come to me seeking intuitive eating then that intuitive eating is sort of something that I can’t use.
When in reality, I think, you know, like if somebody’s coming to me for, um, sports nutrition, for instance, or prenatal nutrition, or diabetes management, or whatever, um, What’s sort of your thought on that? When somebody is coming to you with a medical condition, how do you bring that intuitive eating lens into that world?
Oh, that’s like, and I think that was like the question I was stuck on for so long. I’m like, does it have to be one thing or the other? And I really don’t think that it does. Like, I always say to people, And not that I necessarily upfront say it to a client, but just like my practice is guided by the intuitive eating principles.
And I will make some of those things clear to people when they’re working with me. For example, a lot of people will reach out to me looking for weight loss, like they want to lose X amount of pounds. And when I’m having that sort of like discovery call with them, I listened to some of those pain points, but I also stay very true to my values.
Because like, not only is intuitive eating, you know, science backed and all of that, it, it very much aligns with my values as a practitioner. And that took me a very long time to, um, stay solid in it. I don’t know how else to say it, but like, I think for so long, like I wanted to just be like, okay, yep.
You’re looking for this. Here’s the education that you’re on your way, like as almost like a client service. Aspect like I was just looking to kind of almost please people in a way they were looking for just the medical nutrition therapy. And I think a lot of the times I was going with what I was taught to teach people in school.
But what ended up coming from that was, I felt like there were some people who were just there’s kind of that missing piece. Right? So there’s some people who have come to see me because they want to lose weight or they want to just like eat better in a general sense. And then what they end up learning about throughout it is like me talking about hunger and fullness.
For example, somebody will say, how much of this food do I need to eat? And I’ll say, well, I can’t really tell you exactly how much to eat. And here’s why. And then I start to explain it and then when people start to get curious about it, then I kind of invite that in. I never just like Push it on people because I don’t think it’s a thing that works for everybody.
I don’t think that it resonates for everybody, but I always give it an option. I always say, Hey, I practice from these, these principles. Do you want to learn about it? Do you want to hear about it? And I’m happy to go through kind of like what it’s all about. So I think I always just try to stay open and curious with people when I’m talking about that.
Yeah, that’s really cool. Thanks for speaking to that. I was kind of hoping that you would touch on that when people come to you looking for weight loss, because that’s, that’s the thing a lot of people wonder when they’re curious and interested in the intuitive eating space. I think there’s, they have a hard time connecting the two, um, you know, people seeking weight loss and then also you coming into the session with your lens on intuitive eating.
So I appreciate you speaking to that. Yeah. And maybe if I can just a little more specifically, like I think for a long time, like, I was Not necessarily turning people away, but kind of indirectly turning people away being like I don’t specialize in weight loss and that’s kind of all I say But I felt like that wasn’t really serving people necessarily because I think if somebody’s looking for that information They’re gonna find it and I would rather try to keep people safe and give them some evidence based information than not so So, you know, I, I make it now.
I’m making it more of like an open platform for people to talk about their weight with me and their weight struggles, because people want to talk about it. People want to talk about their body image and their, how their body’s changing. So I try to make it a safe space for that. But I always make it very clear that I cannot guarantee any specific amount of weight loss.
And a lot of the times the response I get from that, or people are like, Oh yeah, no problem. Like I don’t even weigh myself anyway. And then I’m like, okay, here we go. So we were all, we were on the same page this whole time. Exactly. Yeah. Oh, wow. That’s really cool. Okay. Thank you for going into that. I really appreciate that.
And I know listeners will appreciate that too, that perspective. Um, let’s talk a little bit about marketing. And what your experience has been like there you sort of did a When I brought that up, so tell me more about that Oh, I I feel like marketing is maybe the bane of my business right now.
Interesting. Okay And, and I don’t know, like maybe from an outside perspective, it doesn’t seem that way, but I think I don’t have a strategy straight up. I don’t, and I really want to, because, and I’ll just say this openly, like I really want to scale my business. I want to grow it. I want it to be big, but right now I don’t have a strategy and it’s something I’m definitely looking to work towards.
I think my biggest block was just. Getting on social media period. And it’s because of you, Krista, that I was like starting to show my face because there were so many times that, that you’ve encouraged in the podcast and on Instagram, et cetera, for people to just start getting on there and to just start talking.
And for me, that was really uncomfortable. I I’m not very big, like personally on social media, but I, as soon as I saw it as kind of a marketing opportunity for my business, I, something shifted in me. I was like, no problem can post. Food things, all of that, et cetera. So I don’t really have a strategy, but I’m definitely wanting to build one soon.
Yeah. Very cool. Um, and so is there anything else besides social media that you do from a marketing perspective that might not be part of a, a strategy per se, but just like any other way that you put yourself out there? I know you said your website is maybe starting to get a little bit of traction, you said health profs.
Yeah. Yeah. So those are two and the intuitive eating website also has a directory of counselors as well on there. So I have got a couple of clients from that. I also, I guess I, yeah, I guess maybe I did do something. So I created little postcards, um, on Canva that I printed out at some point. Staples, um, two different types of postcards, one being for prenatal nutrition, which is still something that I do.
And I actually mailed those off to a whole bunch of different like midwife clinics. So like paper mailing out to people. And so I’ve got clients through that. I, you know, have done a whole bunch of just cold emailing people and I created a flyer on Canva that I would just send to different medical practices, um, and just people who would kind of fall into my niche.
So I was thinking like, how would people find me, you know, their family doctor? Cause even my family doctor, when I would go to see her, she asks me what I do and she’s like, Oh, can I have some of your cards? Because people ask me for this. So just talking about what I do Is helpful and then as well reaching out to different mental health clinics, because that’s definitely an umbrella that I fall within is within mental health.
So I started reaching out to a lot of psychotherapists, just a lot of mental health practices, sending my info through. So I guess, yeah, I do have a bit of a marketing strategy. I do a lot of cold emailing, a lot of like cold calling. I dropped off those postcards in person to a lot of different clinics as well.
So yeah, that’s something I’ve done. Very, very cool. And do you have that question on your intake form? I’m so curious, like where did you find out about me or on your discovery call booking form? Yeah. Okay, you do. Okay, so you have that information somewhere. Maybe it’s just Yeah, I do. I just, I just haven’t extrapolated it and put it anywhere, but I am asking the question.
Okay, good. I love that because I’m just, as you’re talking, I’m like, I’m so curious what that information would tell you. Like, I think it would shed so much light in terms of what, what is working for you, you know, where are you spending your time? What is the, what is the most fruitful place to spend your time?
So I’m just, I’m curious. That’s just an aside. I’m so curious about that. Yeah. I, you know what I am too, I’ll add it to the list, but it’s, it’s something that like, I’ve actually, I’m noticing that I’m getting a lot more word of mouth referrals lately, which just feels like such a win. It just feels like I’ve just been nurturing and so hearing like other clients refer their friends and family to me, I’m like, Oh, so good.
That’s there’s nothing more validating than that. Right. Like at the end of the day, Marketing doesn’t really matter if you’re not great at what you do. You have to be great at what you do. That’s the most important thing in running a business. So it sounds like you’re crushing. So I’m really happy for you.
That’s really cool. Um, I’m curious what your, so you’ve been a DSC member for a really long time. What, what, how does DSC play a role in your, and I try, I’m not trying to make these episodes like salesy, but I’m actually just really curious. Like what does DSC look like for you in your business and just in your practice too, from a nutrition perspective?
DSC has been invaluable in the sense of like helping provide me with the handouts. I think are. By far the best because I am very much like in my counseling style or just education style with clients. Like I’m always sharing my screen and pulling up the DSC handouts. Like I’m like, you want to talk meal planning.
You want to see what a balanced meal looks like. Here’s the info on meal planning handout. Let’s go through it together. So I find that that’s a really helpful thing, like even on just label reading, right, even on the hunger and fullness scale. So the fact that you guys have all of that accessible is so, so helpful.
I don’t know if anybody in the audience has tried to make their own handouts, but it’s incredibly tedious. It takes so much time and we’re all basically giving the same information anyway. So to have those already made, I think is so big. I was also saying before this call, Krista, like when I was earlier in my career, being a DSC member was so helpful on taking on clients that I didn’t have a lot of knowledge about.
So, for example, like hypothyroidism, like I went through, like, you’re like the, Evidence summary to that to kind of help give me that background knowledge. So there’s so much, like even the fertility stuff is so helpful. Like that was really great. And just giving me more confidence in my counseling because prior to DSC, I was like spending.
I woke up hours before my counseling sessions with clients trying to research their medications, their specific condition. How am I going to teach them about this? Like it was just so jumbled up. So DSC is really helpful from that standpoint, I think that the business side of DSC has also been really helpful too, just in learning so many different things.
Like I would not know anything about SEO if it wasn’t for the DSC, um, platform. So yeah, I think it’s just helped in so many ways. Cool. Thank you for saying that. I so appreciate it. I love hearing about, I always say like, DSC in the wild. So like hearing about how people use it in their day to day practice just like really lights me up.
So thank you for talking about that so openly. I appreciate it. Yeah, no problem. I’m trying to think if there’s any other questions I have for you, but I don’t think there is. I think we covered everything when it comes to your business. I just want to say you’re awesome and I am just so impressed with the work you do.
I love following you on Instagram. I just find the things you have to say so interesting and you’re just a very engaging person. Um, so just know if you ever feel like you’re, you know, talking to no one, I’m there. I’m listening. Thank you so much. I see you liking it. Yeah, I’m always there. I love it. So thank you for joining me and where can the audience find out more about you and the work you do?
Yeah, you can find me on Instagram where I try to be the most active I can be at BehindThePlateNutrition. Um, you can find me on my website as well at BehindThePlate. ca and I guess those are like the two main places where I’m the most active. So, yeah. Okay, great. Yeah, totally. I will drop those links in the description of this episode.
So, thanks so much, Heather. It was so good to talk to you. Thank you so much, Krista.
