Today we’d like to introduce you to Brittany Verras, MPH, RD, LD.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Brittany. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I started my nutrition private practice a few months after finishing my clinical training at Emory but my journey to nutrition was definitely not linear. I was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes in the early 1990s, so you’d think I’d have always been interested in nutrition, but I was just a kid! I knew that some foods required injections, and some didn’t – that was the extent of my interest in food all the way through my early 20s.
Fast forward many years, after finishing grad school, I was hired by Emory University to help them with their preventive medicine residency program. That program was also piloting a lifestyle medicine clinic and that’s where I was exposed to how powerful nutrition can be. Not just for managing a disease (like my diabetes) but for preventing disease and really helping people THRIVE. I totally fell in love. That’s when I found my passion for dietetics and decided to return for another five years of school and my own clinical residency.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
The journey to becoming a dietitian (especially later in life) was tough for all the same reasons that other non-traditional students may find it difficult: I was returning to college well past typical college age, working full-time, maintaining commitments to volunteer organizations, and juggling relationships and family. These aren’t unique struggles; these are common challenges people have when they find their passion later in life. The process became bearable because I visualized a fulfilling post-journey life.
One of the scariest moments was when I had to stop working at Emory and commit to working full-time (not paid!) for residency. Like any residency you’ve heard of, the days were long, the nights sleepless, and the experiences emotionally draining. I often questioned whether I had made the right decision when I had to turn down invitations for things my friends and family were doing or be mindful with money in a way I hadn’t been since college. Self-doubt and fear made an appearance throughout the entire experience, but I think those feelings can really help push someone. Especially when you consider it’s scarier to not accomplish what you are working on. Every tear, every late night, every sacrifice has been worth it to be working as a dietitian and helping people change their lives.
Please tell us about Eat Well ATL.
My private practice provides boutique nutrition and wellness counseling to people who are interested in taking control of their lives, protecting their health, preventing disease and truly thriving. Sometimes people come to me for guidance on adopting a more plant-based diet, they have weight loss goals in mind, or they want to gain more energy. I also work with athletes who are looking to build or maintain strength or simply fuel appropriately for competition and recovery.
Because I am also boarded in lifestyle medicine, I provide counseling in other areas of wellness including stress, sleep, and exercise. Additionally, my clinical training and licensure extends to complex medical cases, chronic diseases, medication management, and much, much more. On a personal note, since I have Type 1 Diabetes, I also consider providing care of others with Type 1 one of my specialties. It’s a complex disease and tough to find providers who understand managing it.
There’s a wealth of academic research that suggests that lack of mentors and networking opportunities for women has materially affected the number of women in leadership roles. Smart organizations and industry leaders are working to change this, but in the meantime, do you have any advice for finding a mentor and building a network?
First, get involved! Go to the events, volunteer, say “yes”. And after you meet or learn from someone, set up a longer-lasting connection through LinkedIn with a personal message. It seems silly but professional social media can keep your name on someone’s radar and that comes in handy when they have a job to fill or a referral to make. Second, maintain the mantra, “not yet, but I will learn” when someone asks if you know how to do something you aren’t skilled in. This shows you are honest, keeps your fear in check, and instills confidence that you are committed to figuring out best practices. Then do it! Follow-through is the key to everything.
Building a support network can also begin while you are training. One of the best things I did was surround myself with a strong support network; people that pushed me on days that seemed too hard and encouraged me when something amazing happened. They served as positive beacons during challenging times and built me up when I was at risk of crumbling. Like any industry, nutrition has people in it who are there because it’s their job and others who know it’s their life’s calling. Surround yourself with the passionate people and skirt around those that aren’t.
I think it’s also important to remind my fellow women to be kind to themselves. When you are falling, reach out. If you see others falling, reach out. We need to be working together, asking the hard questions, and accepting that this journey is difficult but also achievable and that, most importantly, we deserve it.
Pricing:
- Nutrition and Lifestyle Consultations – $60 to $150 (includes nutrition and lifestyle prescriptions, body composition testing, and on-going digital support)
- 3 Month Subscription – $385 (1 hr in-person meeting & one 30-minute phone consult per month + ongoing digital support)
Contact Info:
- Address: 834 Inman Village Parkway Northeast, Suite 200, Atlanta, GA 30307
- Website: www.eatwellatl.com
- Phone: 678-575-5089
- Email: info@eatwellatl.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eatwell_atl/
Image Credit:
Headshot: Amber McDonnell
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