Meet Amy Gorin, MS, RDN, an entrepreneur on fire. Amy is a huge inspiration in my life and the lives of many dietetic professionals. She is on a mission to empower our industry by boosting the presence of nutrition professionals in the media. She makes six figures, and she specializes in educating other nutrition professionals on how to get their name in the news and thus increase their earning potential to six figures, too. Knowledge is power, and Amy has the information for you. Read on to learn about her exciting career and how you can have it, too. – Sarah

What attracted you to the field of nutrition and dietetics? I’ve always loved to cook—some of my favorite childhood memories are of when when my mom would let me loose in the kitchen, and I’d combine everything in the fridge and pantry to make the most “creative” (not super tasty!) brownies. With trial and error, I became skilled in the kitchen! My “aha” moment came when I was working as an assistant in the nutrition department at Prevention magazine. I spoke on the phone with a scientist for over an hour about EPA and DHA, and he explained all the details of these omega-3s to me. I got off the phone thinking that I wanted to understand all of that info in two minutes, not two hours! So I started looking into pursuing my RDN credentials through night classes. It took about six years of part-time school, while working full-time, and then the dietetic internship, but I did it!

Your Job Title? Registered dietitian nutritionist and owner of Amy Gorin Nutrition in Jersey City, NJ

Company you are with now? Amy Gorin Nutrition in Jersey City, NJ

Website:
AmyGorinNutrition.com
MastertheMedia.co

Social Media:
– Twitter: @AmyGorin
– Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/amygorin/
– Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amydgorin/
– Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/amydgorin/
– LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amydgorin/

Describe a typical (or not so typical) day-in-the-work-life for you? There is no typical day, and I love that about my job! Typically every week, I’m working on recipe development projects for my blog and/or for brand clients. I write between two and five articles a week for my nutrition-focused WeightWatchers.com blog and for websites and magazines, including FoxNews.com, Shape.com, FoodNetwork.com, Parade, Dr. Oz the Good Life, Runner’s World, and many more! I also regularly answer questions for interviews with media outlets like Self.com, WomensHealthMag.com, ReadersDigest.com, and more. And then of course there are some patients in the mix, as well as my media coaching clients. I work with other dietitians and health professionals to help them get published and be more present in the media. I’ve also been spending a lot of time lately getting my passion project up and running. It’s a self-guided Master the Media e-course of over 30 videos and cheat sheets that I launched with fellow dietitian Erin Palinski-Wade. We share all the trade secrets we’ve learned about landing the freelance article, getting interviewed for print, online, and broadcast outlets, and leveraging social media and other platforms to boost your business and bottom line. We’ll be offering free webinars (you can sign up here!) on this topic periodically throughout the year, and the next one is scheduled for early June 2017.

How did you get your current job in dietetics? I made it myself! When I became an RDN, I thought, “I’ll give this entrepreneur thing a try. And if I don’t like it, I’ll go interview for jobs.” Well, I never looked back. I love the freedom of having that perfect mix of all the different nutrition-related things that I love doing—and I never, ever get bored. A big part of what I do is writing nutrition articles for web and print outlets. My first career was as a nutrition and health editor for magazines and websites. I worked at Prevention, Parents, American Baby (now Fit Pregnancy and Baby), Health, Weight Watchers Magazine, and WeightWatchers.com. So I leveraged that experience into a freelance writing career, while at the same time building my private practice, media coaching business, and other aspects of my business.

What skills were you born with and what skills have you learned along the way? Good question! Both of my grandfathers were entrepreneurs. My maternal grandfather owned a supermarket, and my paternal grandfather owned a hardware store. My parents always say I was born with the entrepreneurial gene. I’ve always loved following my passions and creating and meeting goals. When I was little, my sister and I used to create little story books that we’d sell from our sidewalk for a dime. So I always had a business hat on to some degree. I also feel like there’s a lot of creativity in my job—you know, creating recipes, staging them, and photographing them, and of course creating new business endeavors—and I spent my childhood and my college years painting and creating art. So I love that my current job is a mix of all those skills. As for skills I’ve learned along the way, there are so many! I feel like in my first year as a business owner, I earned a degree in entrepreneurship. I learned a ton about social media and how to leverage that to grow my business. And I have really learned a lot about the importance of networking and relationships. When I started my business, I was worried about feeling alone, since I mostly work from my home office. But I’ve met some really amazing RDNs along the way and talk to many of them on a daily basis. These woman are my tribe, and it’s so important to have one. We bounce business ideas off of each other and are sounding boards to help each other grow and flourish.

What advice do you have for others wanting to be just as successful and fulfilled as you? A friend and colleague recently shared the quote, “behind every successful woman is a tribe of other successful women who have her back.” This saying really rings true for me. I’ve met some amazing RDNs, mostly through networking! So I would definitely say to go to as many networking events and conferences as you can, because you never know whom you’ll meet. And form a mastermind group of a few of those trusted colleagues so that you can formally be sounding boards for each other. Also, delegate if it will help you be sane! There was one point when I was working 10- and 12-hour days and many weekends, and then I had the light bulb moment of hiring an intern and paying for some social media schedulers. Sure, these are expenses, but the help is a lifesaver in how much time I get back for work-life balance.

If you could be paid for your job with something other than a paycheck, what would it be? A long stay at a villa in Tuscany!

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.