Today, we’d like to introduce you to Cassady Black.
Hi Cassady, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I spent a large portion of my childhood living in a body that I didn’t feel comfortable in. I was overweight and extremely self-conscious, and it held me back in a lot of ways – I wouldn’t try out for sports, I wouldn’t dance at parties, and I avoided anything that put me in the spotlight. I started dieting when I was 11 years old and reached my highest weight when I was 16 years old. That was when I decided enough was enough.
I got really serious about losing weight, followed a Jessica Simpson diet I found in a People magazine, and ended up dropping 60 lbs. in a year. Since the diet basically consisted of 1200 calories, which was completely unsustainable and lowered my metabolism, I gained half the weight back, which felt devastating at the time. I just knew there had to be a better way to lose weight – to feel like the best and most confident version of myself and have a peaceful relationship with food that left room for me to enjoy life.
This led to me studying nutrition, becoming a dietitian, and eventually learning to lose weight in a way that felt good and sustainable. After years of dieting, lacking confidence, and living on the sidelines of my own life, I finally broke free. This new way of living was so life-changing for me; I knew I had to help other women break up with restrictive diets and get their lives back. So, I started my business, and now I’ve helped hundreds of women find the same kind of freedom and confidence.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Any business owner who told you it was a smooth road would lie. I started my business at the end of 2019, right before the world fell apart with Covid. This really impacted sales for me in the first year, which was tough.
I’ve always been adamant that investing in my business would be the best way to grow it, so I took a sales and communications course that changed everything for me and resulted in quadrupling sales in my second year of business. Since then, the struggles come with growing pains and learning how to scale effectively.
Entrepreneurship is tough, and there are certainly days when I wish someone would just put me on a payroll, but if I’m being honest, I won’t trade my business and the life-changing work I get to do for the world.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
My business specializes in feel-good, sustainable weight loss for women. The women I work with have typically struggled with food and weight loss for most of their lives and come to me feeling defeated.
They’re tired of feeling like they have to limit themselves and track every morsel of food they feel in their mouth. They’re also tired of living on the sidelines of their own lives because they feel held back by how uncomfortable they feel in their bodies. How I teach them to focus on weight loss is a breath of fresh air, the solution they’ve been searching for and honestly thought didn’t exist.
I had a client recently articulate really well what it has meant for her to work with me and sets my program apart from things she’s tried in the past:
“I’m 45 and met Cassie after I have tried everything you can think of – WW, Macro’s, various other nutritionists, MY Fitness Pal, Noom, and so many other fad diets. She has changed my life. I’ve been told oh, the weight will never fall off; it’s menopause or something else. I wish I had started with her and had found her years ago. I’d say she is both a nutrition guru and a mentor.
She’s a powerful cheerleader, and I never ever felt embarrassed or judged, but the opposite felt heard and validated. We all know what’s good for ourselves and our bodies, but she has a way of bringing that intuition back into your life. I now go from events to vacations and beyond and feel in control without stress, worry, or thoughts of food. I used to feel inadequate about myself because I felt food had control over me and that I wasn’t strong enough to ever be better. The merry-go-round felt mentally and emotionally brutal. I realize now that wasn’t the case; I just had learned so many wrong things before meeting Cassie.
Through working with her, my body and mind are in sync, and I feel “free” from all the food noise and distractions that I realized were taking up so much space in my life. I am eating food now that I never did in the past. I enjoy food now. I eat anything I want whenever I want, and I know when I don’t want something.
I can take or leave aspects of food that once gripped me so tightly. She can teach you that. She has taught me how to tune into myself and listen to what I want. I’ve lost 10 pounds, down two pairs of sizes, and am buying clothes because I like them, not because they make me look skinny.
I can enjoy baking with my daughter, and I can be a good role model. I don’t spend hours meal planning or prepping or feeling nervous ordering at a restaurant. Working with Cassie will change your life. One time, she posted a comment I made, and I read it and had the surreal moment of, after all the times reading comments by others, wishing it was me, it actually was.
My three months ended a couple of weeks ago, and I’ve never looked back. I’ve gained a lifestyle I’ve always been envious of, wanted, and until I met Cassie, thought I’d never have. I am severely indebted and forever grateful for her, her knowledge, practices, and partnership.”
Many of my clients experience the same breakthroughs and freedom during our time together and knowing that they’ve found a sense of peace both in their body and relationship with food is what I’m most proud of.
Have you learned any interesting or important lessons due to the COVID-19 crisis?
I would say that Covid taught me the importance of being committed and patient with the process. I’ve mentioned how COVID-19 impacted sales and led to a very slow start in business. I had a lot of women who were interested in working with me at the time, and like many of us, didn’t feel comfortable spending extra money with the future feeling so uncertain.
Many of them have since circled back and made the decision to invest in themselves and, in turn, have changed their lives. That, for me, just proved that now is not forever. Keep pushing through. Things always feel tougher when something good is on the horizon.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @fatlossdietitian
Image Credits
Tina Smith
