Growing up as a competitive equestrian I learned early on the critical importance of fueling to maximize performance and I was fortunate enough to work with sports dietitians to help me do just that! During high school, I developed a strong passion for nutrition and started a catering company, Ride Fit Café, to cater balanced meals to equestrian events to better help the riders meet their nutrition needs. Through running Ride Fit Café I learned a great amount about nutrition, eating disorders, and business development. When it was then time to begin applying for colleges, I knew that combining my interests in nutrition, athletics, eating disorders, and leadership was what I wanted to do as a career long-term and the University of Kentucky was a perfect fit! Once I arrived at UK, I immediately jumped into the dietetics program and got involved with the Student Dietetics and Nutrition Association (SDNA). Prior to the start of my sophomore year is when my career as a dietitian really set sail. I spent the entire summer interning with dietitians in all different fields to learn more about what they did and the various roles that a dietitian can play in hospitals, food service, private practice, and the community. These experiences solidified my passion for educating people on the importance of nutrition and for working alongside individuals as they strive to improve their overall health and relationships with food!

Once I decided that I wanted to become a dietitian I begin looking into colleges. I quickly found that Kentucky was going to be a perfect place for me! They had nutrition, horses, sports dietitians, and the most fantastic community. All of that was confirmed on my official tour. The first person that I met when I arrived to campus was Dr. Tammy Stephenson. She welcomed me with open arms to sit in on her introductory level nutrition class to get a better idea of what a college nutrition course would be like. She encouraged participation and collaboration and fostered an encouraging spirit for learning! Eager to get started, I was then connected with Dr. Elizabeth Combs who explained the process of applying to the Coordinated Dietetics Program which combines the dietetics undergraduate studies and the dietetic internship in an accelerated program. From that moment I was hooked! Throughout my time at the University of Kentucky and in the Coordinated Dietetics Program I learned that DHN is not just a school or a degree, but it was a place where I made many of my closest friends and people I would consider family. Everyone in DHN is willing to go above and beyond to support not only you and your career but also your personal growth.

UK DHN provided me with so many of my favorite memories! Some of the highlights include the cookouts/bonfires each semester for students in the Coordinated Dietetics Program with Liz Combs and Aaron Schwartz, learning how to cook, bake, and run a restaurant during Lemon Tree, participating in SDNA events, giving nutrition presentations on campus and in the community, gaining incredible experiences in a wide variety of settings during my dietetic internship, and most of all I cherish all of the friendships that I made during my time at UK that continue to serve a major role in my daily life!

Following graduation, I accepted a position at an inpatient psychiatric hospital as a clinical dietitian to gain more acute mental health experience and a part-time position at an eating disorder treatment facility. During this time, I was able to gain a significant amount of knowledge in the mental health and eating disorder fields where I earned my Certified Eating Disorders Specialist (CEDS) credentials. While working with this population I realized the critical need for improved access to care for individuals with eating disorders which led me to found my company, Nutrition DiscoveRD, an outpatient private practice providing nutrition services virtually across many states and in-person in Richardson, Texas. Over the years, Nutrition DiscoveRD has grown into a group nutrition practice with multiple providers specializing in eating disorders, sports nutrition, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), oncology, renal, as well as general nutrition. One of the favorite parts of my position is being able to mentor my team as well as interns each semester. I believe that it is important to share the knowledge that I have gained as a private practice dietitian and in the field of eating disorders with others who are also interested in learning more!