Empowering Dietitians

In this episode of The Empowering Dietitians Podcast, host and dietitian supervisor Jess Serdikoff Romola addresses a frustration that has been coming up for many of the dietitians in her supervision programs - the idea that there is "one right way" to do...pretty much anything, as a dietitian. From coaches touting their Proven Frameworks that we follow diligently to build the business of our drea...

In this episode of The Empowering Dietitians Podcast, dietitian supervisor and host Jess Serdikoff Romola talks about the conflicting advice she has received from business coaches on whether or not she should exclusively work with intuitive eating, non-diet, or weight inclusive dietitians in her supervision business - and how it took her stepping back from the external opinions, reflecting on it h...

In this episode of The Empowering Dietitians Podcast, host and dietitian supervisor Jess Serdikoff Romola addresses an issue that is often swept under the rug in the field: practitioners who, themselves, struggle with eating disorders and disordered eating. For too long, The Academy has either denied the existence of this issue or, more recently, claimed there is nothing to be done about it. Jess...

Jess Serdikoff Romola, dietitian supervisor and host of The Empowering Dietitians Podcast, talks about the concept of community within dietetics - why do so many community support options fall short? Why do so many dietitians continue to feel isolated and alone? Jess answers these questions and, perhaps even more importantly, what we can do about it - in this episode. If you liked this episode, yo...

Jess Serdikoff Romola, dietitian supervisor and host of The Empowering Dietitians Podcast, is celebrating the 100th episode by reflecting on clips from the top five episodes, from the past 2+ years of the show. Listener favorites are highlighted alongside new insights, reflections, and perspectives. If you liked this episode, you may also like the full episodes featured in this one: -Episode 1, Th...

Jess Serdikoff Romola, dietitian supervisor and host of The Empowering Dietitians Podcast, is joined in this episode by Celestina Brunetti, a U.S. dietitian currently living abroad in Germany while building and nurturing her business, The Dietitian Collaborative. Celestina works diligently to show dietitians not only the true magic of actual community support (without the judgment & competitio...

Jess Serdikoff Romola, dietitian supervisor and host of The Empowering Dietitians Podcast, addresses a topic that dietitians have some pretty heated opinions about -- the process that it takes to become a dietitian. From undergrad, to the internship, to a new masters requirement in the U.S., there are a lot of (expensive) hoops to jump through, and many dietitians feel they don't actually prepare...

Jess Serdikoff Romola, dietitian supervisor and host of The Empowering Dietitians Podcast, is joined in today's episode by Julia Zakrzewski, fellow dietitian and founder of the Freelance Dietitian. In this episode, Julia shares her story of realizing she was actually deeply unhappy in what was, on paper, a great job -- and how the pandemic helped her find a passion for freelance work instead. Jess...

Jess Serdikoff Romola, dietitian supervisor and host of The Empowering Dietitians Podcast, continues her conversation around her recent 2-week break from podcasting by explaining more about the intentions she set for her time off. Listen in to understand why Jess responded to potential early burnout with rest (when she's also adamant that rest is NOT a solution to burnout), the epiphany she's been...

Jess Serdikoff Romola, dietitian supervisor and host of The Empowering Dietitians Podcast, explains why she took a 2-week break from the podcast (spoiler: it has to do with burnout). Listen in to learn about one of the biggest reasons many dietitians don't respond to early warning signs of burnout, all through the lens of vulnerability as Jess transparently shares what 2022 has felt like behind th...

Jess Serdikoff Romola, dietitian supervisor and host of The Empowering Dietitians Podcast, explores one of the true root causes of dietitian burnout: white supremacy culture. What IS white supremacy culture? What are the values, or characteristics, associated with it? How do those characteristics influence burnout culture in the field? This conversation may feel uncomfortable, and may seem to be t...

Jess Serdikoff Romola, dietitian supervisor and host of The Empowering Dietitians Podcast, is joined in today's episode by Stephanie Schwartz, a clinical outpatient oncology dietitian in NYC (and the dietitian behind the Instagram account, @thatdietitianlife ). In this episode, Stephanie updates Jess on her recent transition from inpatient to outpatient work - how she navigated the imposter though...

Jess Serdikoff Romola, dietitian supervisor and host of The Empowering Dietitians Podcast, is joined in today's episode by current Empowering Dietitians client, Kourtney Johnson for a new "Supervision Spotlight" series. Listen in to an actual mini supervision session between Jess and Kourtney to get an inside look of what supervision can look like, and the types of challenges it can help dietitian...

Jess Serdikoff Romola, dietitian supervisor and host of The Empowering Dietitians Podcast, is joined in today's episode by current Empowering Dietitians client, Anyea Lovette. In this episode, Anyea shares about her background in bariatrics, including how, and why, she has been transitioning over the past year to a weight inclusive, Intuitive Eating approach. Together, Jess and Anyea discuss how A...

Jess Serdikoff Romola, dietitian supervisor and host of The Empowering Dietitians Podcast, discusses the controversial decision to speak out about a political issue in professional circles. How do you decide which issues, and which situations, are appropriate? Can it hurt your career? How do you make decisions that are aligned with your unique values, beliefs, and practice? Jess will be answering...

Jess Serdikoff Romola, dietitian supervisor and host of The Empowering Dietitians Podcast, discuses RD state licensure laws in the U.S. and how they affect dietitians across the nation. In this episode, she touches on different definitions of medical nutrition therapy (MNT) by state, common loopholes used in spite of state licensure laws, and ethical considerations that apply with the RD credentia...

Jess Serdikoff Romola, dietitian supervisor and host of The Empowering Dietitians Podcast, is joined in today's episode by Orly Wachter, registered dietitian, business coach, and creator of Health Pro to CEO. In this episode, Jess and Orly chat about how to stand out in a sea of entrepreneurial dietitians, aligning your values with your work, and staying true to yourself even in some of the most p...

Jess Serdikoff Romola, dietitian supervisor and host of The Empowering Dietitians Podcast, chats about being introverted and empathic as an RD, and how you can use these qualities to thrive. In this episode, she discusses controversy in defining these terms, advantages and disadvantages of having these qualities in the field of dietetics, and how to benefit from these qualities within a society th...

Jess Serdikoff Romola, dietitian supervisor and host of The Empowering Dietitians Podcast, speaks about the roles of self-disclosure and vulnerability in the field of dietetics. In this episode, she discusses what disclosure is (and when it is appropriate), how to use disclosure and vulnerability as an aid to building trust with clients, and how to balance vulnerability in the professional world,...

Jess Serdikoff Romola, dietitian supervisor and host of The Empowering Dietitians Podcast, is joined in today's episode by Adrien Paczosa, a Texas-based dietitian who not only runs a successful group private practice, iLiveWell; she also runs a successful business coaching program for dietitians, Fearless Practitioners. In this episode, Jess and Adrien chat about how Adrien manages both busy busin...

Jess Serdikoff Romola, dietitian supervisor and host of The Empowering Dietitians Podcast, pulls the curtain back on burnout amongst dietitians. In this episode, she discusses the top misconceptions around burnout (including that rest is the primary treatment recommendation), WHY we as a society and profession continue to promote an unsustainable solution to this growing problem in the field, and...

Jess Serdikoff Romola, dietitian supervisor and host of The Empowering Dietitians Podcast, is joined in today's episode by Rachael Utstein, an outpatient eating disorder and disordered eating dietitian who has been working 1:1 with Jess since early 2021. Rachael shares how supervision has helped her set better boundaries to recover from burnout, feel less alone -- especially while working from hom...

Jess Serdikoff Romola, dietitian supervisor and host of The Empowering Dietitians Podcast, is joined in today's episode by Barbara J. Mayfield, MS RDN LD FAND, an expert in nutrition communication and author of the book, Communicating Nutrition: The Authoritative Guide (available for purchase for 14 CEUs!). In this episode, they discuss communication skills as a current gap in the field, the i...

Jess Serdikoff Romola, dietitian supervisor and host of The Empowering Dietitians Podcast, reveals the exclusive framework she uses in supervision to help dietitians overcome their self-doubt and imposter feelings, develop resilience, and create a life and career that lights them up and makes a difference. This episode is part 2 of a 2-part series; for the first part, listen to episode 76 below, R...

Jess Serdikoff Romola, dietitian supervisor and host of The Empowering Dietitians Podcast, is joined in today's episode by Marissa Sharkey, a clinical critical care dietitian and Founding Member of the Empowering Dietitians Group Program. Marissa shares her experience with pandemic-related burnout, why she believes supervision is one of the most important support options a dietitian can invest in,...