Meet Purvi Shah, MS, RDN, who teaches kids the importance of wholesome food and nutrition in her private practice. She specializes in education and curriculums through cooking classes and more. Fun and inspirational work.

What attracted you to the field of nutrition and dietetics?
Growing up, I always had the desire to work in a hospital setting wearing a white coat. However, I was not brave enough to handle blood to become a doctor or a nurse. My mother has been a big inspiration for my career choice. I grew up with the belief that Food is Medicine. Even now I rely on natural food to help my family to fight preventable diseases.

Your Job Title?
President, Founder of Diets and Life Inc.

Company you are with now? 
Diets and Life Inc.

Website: 

www.dietsandlife.com

Describe a typical (or not so typical) day-in-the-work-life for you?
My typical weekday starts at 6:30 am, cooking fresh school lunch for my kids (ages 7 and 10).

At around 8:00 am, after dropping the kids as school, I either go to the gym or go to my office to get an early start with work. I prefer to work in an office setting versus working from home.

As soon as I reach the office, I write down my list of things I need to achieve for the day.

Later, I prepare for my late afternoon classes in schools.

Morning work routine includes business development, marketing strategies, hiring, training, building curriculums, and business analysis.

At around 2:30 pm, I prepare to leave for my after-school cooking classes at schools.

Classes usually start between 3:15pm-3:30 pm and end around 5:00 pm.

I enjoy picking up my kids after my classes from their school at 5:30 pm.

I play mommy role in the evening, driving them to their after-school activities, cooking dinner for the family, checking their homework, feeding them dinner, and having our dinner table conversations about our day.

After I put kids to bed at around 8:30 pm, I try to go over my work emails and things I need to do the next day.

I hit the bed at around 10:00 pm by either reading a nice book or reading an article on my phone. I need my 8 hours of beauty sleep :)

How did you get your current job in dietetics?
After fulfilling my dream to work in a hospital setting for more than 10 years as a Food Service Director, I knew I needed to do more. I had the burning desire to learn new knowledge and meet new people with different knowledge. I took the leap to quit my full-time, 6-figure salary job in 2017 to start my small business.

After working in a behavioral hospital with eating disorder kids, I knew I wanted to do something with nutrition education for kids. The desire to teach kids about culinary nutrition dawned on me after giving a workshop at an elementary school. I saw the excitement in all the kids’ faces to learn about food and nutrition. Being a mother of elementary age kids, I understand the importance of teaching kids about food and nutrition at an early age. I have always been interested in cooking new healthy recipes for my own kids and now sharing those recipes with my kids and their family gives me pure joy.

What skills were you born with and what skills have you learned along the way?

Skills I am born with –

• People skills
• The inborn desire for learning new things.
• Leadership Skills
• Analytical and critical thinking skills.

Skills learned along the way –

• Culinary Skills
• Communication Skills (Speaking in front of large groups)
• Organizational Skills
• Time Management Skills

What advice do you have for others wanting to be just as successful and fulfilled as you?

• Be fearless!
• Grab that opportunity before it’s too late.
• Listen to your heart, it’s always right.
• Network! Network!

If you could be paid for your job with something other than a paycheck, what would it be?
Travel around the world with my kids