Today we’d like to introduce you to Caroline Young.
Hi Caroline, so excited to have you on the platform. So, before we get into questions about your work life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today.
My business, Whole Self Nutrition, is a manifestation of all of my life’s deepest passions—truth-seeking and sharing through writing and other media services, inspiring food and body freedom through counseling, and fostering body trust and joy through trauma-informed yoga. It all started with my own struggles with food, body, and exercise, which then pushed me to help others find healing and freedom like I did.
My first career in 2011 was print journalism – I worked as a general assignment newspaper reporter in Atlanta and also began writing about nutrition and health-related content on a freelance basis. Reporting the truth, especially about nutrition, eating disorders, and making peace with food and body (all of which are largely misunderstood), is incredibly important to me — so much so that I went back to get my master’s in nutrition.
After becoming a dietitian in 2016, I worked for an amazing brand and learned how to merge my communications training with my nutrition expertise. Now, I love working with the media and like-minded brands to help even more people develop the healthiest relationships with food and body possible. I then worked as the Intensive Outpatient (IOP) dietitian at an adolescent eating disorder treatment center, where I also led weekly family meal & nutrition groups. Earlier, I worked as a dietitian in an inpatient setting on a women’s trauma unit of a mental health hospital and in an outpatient setting of a substance-abuse facility — also working with their eating disorder populations. I have also co-led three women’s yoga & wellness retreats and led outpatient eating disorder recovery groups. Also, over the last 10 years, I have had the great pleasure of teaching yoga in a variety of settings, including traditional studios, addiction recovery centers, beachfronts, & mountain retreats.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I don’t think any road worth taking is ever going to be completely smooth. The main struggles in sustaining my business have been coming close to burnout and having periods of unstable income.
We’ve been impressed with Whole Self Nutrition, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Whole Self Nutrition has three branches—media services, nutrition counseling, and yoga. Within the media branch, I offer freelance writing, speaking, and other content creation on a range of topics within the nutrition and wellness field.
Our nutrition counseling arm includes a private practice of four dietitians who specialize in eating disorders and disordered eating. We take an individualized and holistic approach to counseling our clients and are committed to client-centered and trauma-informed care. We work with people who want to heal their relationships to food, body, and exercise and those who want to break free from chronic dieting. We also take clients who are facing metabolic challenges, like high cholesterol or blood sugar.
The yoga arm includes private trauma-informed yoga practices for groups and individuals.
I am most proud of our brand’s mission—to help others find freedom around food, body, and exercise, so they can live values-aligned lives.
What makes you happy?
Writing makes me happy, both personally and professionally, because it’s a way to express and share that comes naturally to me. Connecting deeply with others and cultivating safe relationships also makes me happy because it’s the main reason I feel like life is worth living. I absolutely love to travel and experience life in other places, mostly with my husband, because it opens my mind and uplifts my soul, and he loves it as much as I do. Being in nature also makes me very happy because it brings me more into the present moment and helps me to reflect on my life.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.wholeselfnutrition.org/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wholeselfnutrition/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thewholeyogiRD/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/caroline-l-young-ms-rdn-ld-ryt-7b428234/
