Dietetic Career Spotlight: Yvette Quantz, RD, CSSD, LD
By SARAH KOSZYK, MA RD on MAY 1, 2012
Creativity and Design are the 2 major words that describe this artistic Dietitian, Yvette Quantz. Yvette has found her passion of designing newsletters and other media materials for RD’s all over the US.
What attracted you to the field of nutrition and dietetics?
I always was interested in food as a young girl – my mother loved to “bake” and she was always doing “crafty” things with food and such. In 8th grade I received a book on how to make your own beauty products from various foods – I loved that book! I guess you could say that was the beginning of it. In high school I was always interested in health, nutrition, and fitness. In college I first graduated with a degree from Louisiana State University in Kinesiology and a focus on Human Movement, but my fascination with the field of dietetics was still there, so I went on to pursue my second degree in dietetics. During my time taking my dietetic course work I became even more intrigued and fascinated with the field and all that it had to offer. I really LOVED learning about all the aspects of dietetics from human nutrition to food science and food service management. I knew that the field would be ever evolving and if you kept an open mind that you could really do some pretty cool work!
Your Job Title and what company you are with now? Owner of Customized Nutrition Newsletters & Design Services and Food Therapy, LLC.
Website:
www.customizednutritionnewsletters.com
www.foodtherapyonline.com
Describe a typical (or not so typical) day-in-the-work-life for you.
Lots of time at the computer, creating, writing, responding to e-mails. I really like to wake up early before anyone in my house is up to do some work. That is when I feel my creative juices are really flowing! I still see clients about 2 days a week in my office and the other days I am working with my team on creating and building newsletters for our dietitian clients, working on new additions coming up as well as the various design projects we have going on. I am always trying to learn new things and see what other industries are doing to market their business and how we can incorporate services to help dietitians better market and promote their services. I also have a 5 year old who keeps me pretty busy!
How did you get your current job in dietetics?
Initially my passion was always in sports nutrition. I worked at 2 fitness center prior to working for myself and feel I learned a lot about how to create and build a practice. During my time at Telos Fitness Center in Dallas, TX I also noticed that there was a lot of things I wanted to do to keep my practice running smoothly and stay connected with my clients – however the busier my client load became the less time I had to do those personal touches that mattered.
One of the core values I had when I first started in the field was to always remember to keep the human connection with my clients. We are in the “people business” and people come to us and want to connect with us - this is where the trust gets built regarding their food and nutrition habits. So, when I moved for the 2nd time in a short 3 year period I knew I wanted to start a service to help dietitians stay connected with their clients and inform them of nutrition information going on – this is where Customized Nutrition Newsletters & Design Services came from. At that time I started my private practice, Food Therapy, as well.
What skills were you born with and what skills have you learned along the way?
I have a very creative mother and so we always were “creating” things at home. So I guess being creative and writing always came pretty easy. Accounting, numbers, and hard science – never did come all that easy to me…but I put up a good fight in college to learn it!
What advice do you have for others wanting to be just as successful and fulfilled as you?
Find what you are good at and go to that place where there is peace in your heart that you are doing what you are supposed to do. Find people you admire and “want to be like” but DO NOT try to copy them. Learn from them, it is okay to model for even a little while as you learn what is right and true for you – but don’t try to become them, be true to who you are. We all have different gifts and talents to offer and share and when we can appreciate our gifts and stop comparing to what we don’t have, the world will be a much better place. Also working for yourself takes a lot of hard work and it is scary stepping out of that “comfort zone”. Always remember no matter how easy it looks on the outside or how “successful” someone looks – they worked VERY hard to get to that place. Another tip is to accept your flaws. We all have them. However, you can use your flaws to your advantage by hiring people who complement your flaws and let your strengths shine through.
If you could be paid for your job with something other than a paycheck, what
would it be?
Trips to Disney World with my daughter with no lines and meals with all the characters!
