Laura Lagano, Dietitian Nutritionist, Holistic Cannabis Practitioner
Meet Laura Lagano, MS, RDN, CDN, who is extremely inspiring with all of her incredible accomplishments. She has positively transformed the dietetic community by being a forefront leader in nutrition and cannabis. Through her personal passion to help improve her daughter’s life, she has also helped hundreds of others. Read on to learn more about her tremendous work. - Sarah
What attracted you to the field of nutrition and dietetics?
I have been mesmerized by the relationship between food and mood since the age of 12. Watching my mother drink 10 cups of coffee daily and listening to nutrition pioneers such as Adele Davis, Carlton Fredricks, Ben Feingold, and Linus Pauling further piqued my interest. Add to that a high school trip on kulcha day (that's Brooklynese for culture) and I was hooked. Becoming a nutritionist became my passion.
Your Job Title?
Integrative & Functional Nutritionist & Holistic Cannabis Practitioner
Company you are with now?
Laura Lagano Nutrition & Holistic Cannabis Academy
Website:
Social Media:
- LinkedIn: lauralagano
- Twitter: @lauralagano
- Facebook: laura.lagano.16
- Instagram: laurawlagano
Describe a typical (or not so typical) day-in-the-work-life for you?
Nothing is typical about my day! I may see patients who have complex cases (such as autism spectrum disorder or multiple sclerosis), where I need to apply my training in integrative and functional nutrition and in medical marijuana. As the author of The CBD Oil Miracle (2019, St, Martin's Press) and co-founder of the Holistic Cannabis Academy, I may be interviewed for an online blog or print magazine or paper. Cannabis-related companies and organizations contact me regularly about serving on their advisory boards and providing consultation services as a cannabis KOL (key opinion leader). One of my favorite activities is creating presentations for healthcare practitioners and speaking at conferences about cannabis. I have had the opportunity to speak to every major medical marijuana conference plus nutrition conferences. FNCE 2019 featured me and Marie Molde in a talk about CBD as part of medical nutrition therapy and I am scheduled to speak at the National Association of Nutrition Professionals. Organizing and participating in retreats that focus on nutrition and cannabis (which includes CBD) plus developing recipes may be two other daily tasks. One of my favorite part of my day is collaborating with others to communicate about the healing benefits of food and of cannabis. My reward has been watching my daughter Isabella Speranza, whose name literally means beautiful hope, heal and leave the house every day to go to work at ShopRite, where she interacts with an in-house dietitian and tells me daily that she loves her life.
How did you get your current job in dietetics?
I have worked for myself since 1989. Following my daughter's first grand mal seizure (which was 10 minutes long), catapulted me into an unfamiliar world. Though I already had a Masters in Nutrition Education from TC, Columbia University, my career was in communications. I was lucky enough to be one of the first dietitians who worked in the media and PR since the early '80s. Healing individuals with deep dive nutrition by considering biochemical individuality was new. After Isabella's seizure at age 9 months, I was catapulted into the world of functional medicine. I enrolled in the Institute of Functional Medicine certification program, joining its first cohort and becoming one of first dietitians to complete the entire program. I did it for my daughter and ultimately helped many others heal with the power of food and nutrition. Because I am always looking for alternative modalities to help Isabella heal and live in this world as happy and functional as possible, I explored cannabis as a healing tool. That lead me to co-found and serve as the education director for the Holistic Cannabis Academy, an online learning platform about integrating cannabis with nutrition, aromatherapy, yoga, and other non-conventional wellness approaches. I have my mother and my daughter to thank for guiding me on this journey to help other achieve optimal health to become educated about the power of nutrition and cannabis in mood and much more.
What skills were you born with and what skills have you learned along the way?
I was a born communicator and teacher on the stage at the podium and in the media. My communications skills on paper, particularly my technical writing skills, were learned over the years. I have my traditional education that focused of grammar, creative writing, and research in grammar school (yes, that's what we called it) and high school to thank for my foundation in writing (12 years of Catholic school will do that!). My best teachers who incited me to keep an open mind and always question what I learned have been my daughter and my patients. Also, I have learned from encounters and individuals who been less than diplomatic and at times. unkind. At first, we recoil from these negative situations, but ultimately, they are significant teaching moments. If we make every moment a learning opportunity, instead of a negative rumination, we can move ahead with reflection and purpose in life.
What advice do you have for others wanting to be just as successful and fulfilled as you?
Follow your passion. Find a mentor. Have a purpose.
If you could be paid for your job with something other than a paycheck, what
would it be?
Time.
