Meet Amanda Sauceda, MS, RDN, CLT, who wears multiple hats as a lecturer, coach, and business owner. I originally met Amanda online through social media and she is a rock star full of passion, fun, and great food photos. Read on to learn how she works with students helping them get into internship programs while also running her own business. – Sarah

What attracted you to the field of nutrition and dietetics? I knew I wanted to be a dietitian since my junior year of high school when I was researching careers. Since I love to eat I started researching careers in food. I wasn’t great at cooking so that ruled out a culinary career but I knew I would never get tired of talking about food. The rest is history.

Your Job Title? I have a couple hats that I wear. I am a lecturer, a coach, and a business owner.

Company you are with now? Right now, I am a lecturer at CSU Long Beach, I also am an applicant coach with All Access Internships, and I have my own private practice.

I also volunteer with the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics on the Consumer Informatics Workgroup and my favorite DPG, Nutrition Entrepreneurs

Website:
Amandasauceda.com

Social Media:
– Twitter: @_AmandaRDN
– Pinterest: amandaRDN

Describe a typical (or not so typical) day-in-the-work-life for you? A typical day is usually a mix of all the different things that I am doing in my career. A large part of what I do for teaching is behind the scenes work. I am usually preparing lectures like designing in-class activities or working on grading and answering emails from students. And then I will also be working on my private practice. I use Pinterest a lot with my private practice clients so I might be pinning recipes or right now a big project of mine is redoing my assessment form. In my practice I also focus on integrative and functional nutrition and that has been a big learning curve so I have been watching a lot of webinars and reading a lot of studies.

How did you get your current job in dietetics? I got my job teaching as I was finishing up my thesis. I mentioned to my thesis chair, who is the department chair, that my current job was ending because I worked under a grant that wasn’t being renewed. She mentioned she might have a class that needed a lecturer and that one section turned out to be five sections! I started working at All Access Internships after sending an email to the owner, Jenny, telling her I would love to be a coach. Then after always wanting a private practice the opportunity came to have my own office and in a week I dived in!

What skills were you born with and what skills have you learned along the way? This is actually a tough question and I’ve done a million quizzes to figure out my strengths! I think my strengths are that I am able to relate to people and I like to think outside of the box. There are even more skills I have learned along the way and a big one is to challenge limiting beliefs. When you think you can’t do something you never will but when you open the door to the possibility amazing things can happen. I really have to credit Chere Bork who I have worked with as coach for helping me challenge my own limiting beliefs.

What advice do you have for others wanting to be just as successful and fulfilled as you? Get involved, be open to learning at every point in your career, do what you love, and be generous. Nutrition Entrepreneurs DPG really inspired me is a big part of me being successful because the members are amazing! I have to shout out Wendy Jo Peterson for being a mentor to me and telling me to join.

If you could be paid for your job with something other than a paycheck, what would it be? Yoga and Pilates classes and doggie daycare days for my 8-year-old terrier. Or amazon gift cards!

Sarah Koszyk is founder of Family. Food. Fiesta. A family-based wellness program and blog focusing on recipes, family health tips, and videos with kids cooking in the kitchen. She is a Registered Dietitian and Nutrition Coach specializing in sports nutrition and adult and pediatric weight management. Connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, or LinkedIn.