Meet Jessica Levings, MS, RDN, who works from home doing her dream job. Want to learn how you can work from home? Check out what Jessica has to say. – Sarah

What attracted you to the field of nutrition and dietetics?  When I was in high school I was really involved in endurance sports – swimming, cross country, track, and soccer. I could tell I performed better after eating more healthfully leading up to an event and I developed a natural interest in nutrition. When I started college at the University of Florida I couldn’t decide what to major in and my anatomy professor suggested I talk to the UF sports nutritionist. It had never occurred to me to major in nutrition (at the time I was studying journalism) but after meeting with her for just 30 minutes I knew I wanted to be a dietitian; I went straight from her office to change my major.

Your Job Title? Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, Owner, Balanced Pantry

Company you are with now? Balanced Pantry

Website:
www.balancedpantry.com

Social Media:
 – Twitter: @balancedpantry
 – Facebook: Facebook.com/balancedpantry1
 – LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessicalevings

Describe a typical (or not so typical) day-in-the-work-life for you? Every day is different, which is one of the things I like most. No matter what I have scheduled, I usually check email first thing in the morning to stay on top of new projects or requests, and remind myself of upcoming deadlines. I’m often working on a print or online article, so after catching up on my scheduling I’ll write for an hour or two, and then spend about 30 – 60 minutes checking and updating my social media accounts. If I’m working on labels or recipe analysis without a tight deadline, I’ll devote the afternoon to it. I’m currently working on a social media and branding project for a local company so a lot of my time lately has been spent working on this one project.

How did you get your current job in dietetics? I launched Balanced Pantry in April of 2016 after almost 7 years of working on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Sodium Reduction Initiative. For the last 3 of those 7 years I was fortunate enough to work from home permanently after my family and I moved back to Florida. However, I knew it wasn’t going to work long term so I started looking into other options in my area. The majority of nutrition-related jobs in my immediate area are in clinical dietetics which is not for me, so I decided to take the plunge and start my own business. I had a hard time deciding what my niche would be before I started Balanced Pantry, so I did some soul-searching thinking about what my natural nutrition-related interests were and what I was good at. I finally realized it was food labeling, writing, and marketing/branding so that’s what I based my business on.

What skills were you born with and what skills have you learned along the way? I was a born writer, communicator, and people-person. Patience and saying “no” to things I don’t want to do are skills I continue to learn.

What advice do you have for others wanting to be just as successful and fulfilled as you? Never underestimate the value of networking, find and keep a great mentor (shout out to you, Cindy Culver!) and don’t stay in a job just because it looks good on paper. My husband is also self-employed and when I was thinking of leaving CDC most people thought I was crazy. Many of our friends and family members told me I should just be happy with what I had – a great job with benefits where I was lucky enough to work from home – instead of wanting more. I knew without a doubt it was the right move and luckily my husband was totally on board, so I just made the decision and didn’t look back. I haven’t regretted it for a second!

If you could be paid for your job with something other than a paycheck, what  would it be? Cheese, or all-expenses-paid vacations.

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.