Today we’d like to introduce you to Margaret Peterson.
Margaret, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
My interest in health and fitness started at an early age–I was an overweight child, and once I hit the middle school years, it was something I became more aware of. I decided to go on my first “diet” at age 12 and that was the beginning of years and years of the vicious dieting cycle that I know many women fall into.
Fast forward eight years, and I was still struggling with the same thing–and putting on the “freshman 15” while I was at the University of Georgia didn’t help. I was also struggling with what to pursue career-wise. All I knew was that I wanted to work in the medical field. One day I learned what a Registered Dietitian was, and I instantly knew that was what I wanted to do with my life. I could combine my interest in nutrition with my desire to work in medicine. I changed my major to dietetics and studied not only nutrition but the science behind how food works in our bodies. Even with all of this knowledge, applying it to my own life was still difficult. I love food! I understand how difficult it can be to make healthy choices and stay consistent. Application is the hardest part of living a healthy lifestyle. Eventually it clicked, my body changed, and I discovered that living in “balance” doesn’t mean 50/50 effort. It takes hard work and consistency, but the lasting effects are so worth it. ANYONE can achieve this!
The real journey, however, didn’t start until post-grad when I started my Master’s program at Georgia State University. The Master’s program is combined with 1200 hours of supervised practice with other Registered Dietitians. I did all of this while working a part-time job–I was BUSY. I went through Grady Hospital, Cobb County Schools, Meals on Wheels, and many more to gain valuable experience practicing the different roles that Registered Dietitians take on. In the back of my mind, however, I knew my passion lied in starting my own private practice and working with young women that had faced similar struggles as me.
After wrestling with the idea that starting a private practice wasn’t going to happen for many years to come, I finally decided to just go for it. I started the Mindful With Margo Instagram page in hopes to share my knowledge and inspire people through my journey. To my surprise, the positive and supportive feedback I have received has pushed me towards my dream! Mindful With Margo started as a far-fetched idea and is turning into a reality. I am so excited to share my story and help other young women find the help they need to achieve their best selves.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Time management has been something that I have had to become an expert at. Over the last year and a half, I’ve had classes, internships, and worked a part-time job. Some days I would work for 14+ hours and have school work to do once I got home. I was tired.
This schedule was really hard to get used to at first. I moved to Atlanta and all of these things hit me at once. I struggled with some challenges to my mental health that I had never dealt with before in the form of anxiety and panic attacks. I’m happy to say that realizing how overwhelmed I was and seeking help has made all the difference! I’ve become such an advocate for mental health awareness and although times were tough, I feel like this year and a half has helped me grow more than I ever could have imagined.
Having gone through this, I know the influence wellness has on mental health. This is something I hope to help my clients with–healthy lifestyle habits are about more than just your body composition! They help promote good mental health as well.
Mindful With Margo – what should we know? What do you do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Mindful With Margo is a nutrition counseling business designed to lead young women to healthier lifestyles. The key challenges my clients face are 1. Defining balance and 2. Applying healthy habits to reach this balance. I aim to prevent unhealthy relationships with food and negative body image (a vicious cycle that many women fall into–years of body shaming, dieting, weight cycling, etc.) by providing the nutrition tools young women need to live mindful, healthy and balanced lives.
Starting from the premise of “redefining balance”, I want to guide women through the process of achieving their ideal self through using nutrition. There is no magic trick to achieving a desired body composition–it starts with mindfully eating a nutritious diet! This isn’t always easy and I will provide the tools for the practical application of eating in a way that fuels the body. My goal is to teach young women the connection between the mind and body in order to further help them in finding the body satisfaction they desire. The concept of “balance” gets lost with the idea that it’s on again off again eating and exercising pattern, 50% good habits and 50% bad habits – it’s not. Instead, it is about putting health first, MOST of the time. I aim to help women learn how to consciously make better diet choices and bridge the gap between where they are now and who they want to be.
Having been in the shoes that many young women are in–the struggle of reaching body satisfaction, I can help them reach their goals with my knowledge and expertise in nutrition. I want to end the dangerous cycle of dieting that women fall into and many never get out of. Finding happiness and achieving our ideal selves is possible and can lead us to a more fulfilling life. This is Mindful With Margo and together, my clients and I will fight the battle young women face with loving themselves and their bodies.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
I believe that being successful comes with reaching long-term goals. This goal can change–as previous goals are reached or vision changes happen. My first goal is to be a Registered Dietitian, my next goal is to start seeing clients through Mindful With Margo, and what’s beyond that is yet to be determined!
Success isn’t linear. Taking the time to make short and long-term goals every so often and holding yourself accountable to reaching them is key. I apply this principle to my clients as well! Weight loss may be the long-term goal, but let’s figure out some short-term goals along the way to measure progress and reach success. Small victories matter!
Contact Info:
- Phone: 7703560279
- Email: mp@mindfulwithmargo.com
- Instagram: @mindfulwithmargo
Image Credit:
Matisse Rogers
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