Freelance Dietitian Podcast

061: Trying all the things! Ft. Catherine Karnatz, MPH, RD

• Julia Zakrzewski • Season 4 • Episode 61

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Catherine started her entrepreneurship journey when she moved out of state. She couldn't find a job she wanted in her new location, so she decided to start working for herself. 

Tune in to hear: 

  • All the things Catherine has worked on this year! 
  • Why it's never too late to add a new skill/service to your biz. 
  • New ways she's leveraging her credentials in the media. 

You can follow Catherine on instagram or visit her website. 

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Hey, and welcome to the freelance dietician podcast. I'm your host, Julia. I used to be a clinical dietician. And now I'm a freelance writer editor. I do cooking classes. And I started the show to showcase all the ways that you can start freelancing to. Today i'm joined by Katherine who is just starting her freelance journey, entrepreneurship journey and i can't wait for you to hear the episode let's dig in. Hey everyone. Another guest episode for you this week. Today, I'm joined by Katherine Carnot's. She's a Rhode Island based media, dietician, and owner of nutrition, education and nutrition communications business. When she's not debunking diet culture myths. Catherine uses her expertise to evaluate the nutrition, messaging and credibility of food brands, commodity boards, and online health publications. She also acts as a virtual assistant to fellow entrepreneurial RDS who are looking to outsource marketing and content creation services for their businesses.

Julia:

Welcome to the show. It's so great to have you. Did you want to say hi to listeners?

Catherine:

Yeah, I'm just super excited to be here and looking forward to diving in and seeing what we're going to talk about today.

Julia:

Yeah, I'm very happy you're here. I think your story is going to relate a lot to other listeners and definitely inspire them. I won't get ahead of myself too much, but I'm wondering if to start you want to share your dietitian career journey with listeners.

Catherine:

Yeah, so it's kind of been a lot. I've only been a dietitian since like 2019, but I've worn a lot of hats since then. Um, and of course, COVID kind of ruined everything and threw curveballs for everyone, I guess, in our field. Um, but for me, I started out in clinical and thinking that like I needed to do what was expected of us like doing a couple years of clinical having that under your belt and then like diving into other things. Um, but I learned very quickly that just wasn't for me I was like super burnt out from it. Um, and I'm like a very creative person so I knew that I didn't want to do that long term and I wanted to like dip into my creativity somehow and blend nutrition with that. Um. So actually with my internship though, what I did love is we had the option to do like a six month fellowship afterwards and like a different nutrition specialty. So we had one in corporate wellness and I opted to do that. Um, so for six months I was working on the corporate wellness team of the hospital and kind of helping with the employee employee. Employee wellness programs, um, and making like their marketing materials and kind of. Dabbling with content creation there and graphic design. So that's kind of where I really started to like, love it and, um, think like, hey, I can actually do this for a profession. So then from there, um, I was unemployed and was like, okay, what the heck do I do now? So I was Job searching and found a nutrition educator position in Philadelphia. So I moved like within three weeks. It was all kind of a whirlwind moved out of state moved there and I ended up teaching K 12 nutrition lessons like throughout the district. I was traveling with like a little cart of Food supplies like a couple times a week teaching like kindergartners and fifth graders like cooking and nutrition education and, you know, exposing them to new foods, which was really cool and I loved that. Um, and then with that job to I kind of took on the role of like marketing the program through their social media accounts so then like dabbled more with content creation and I was like okay like people are like the people on my team really seem to enjoy it because like they didn't have someone in that role really beforehand. Um, And then from there I moved again and I was kind of following my partner around like I was, yeah, moved out of state for him pretty much and got myself working into K 12 nutrition again but this time dealing more with like food allergies and the menu creation, um, across the district. But then I also found myself like volunteering to do their social media so it was kind of just like very repetitive like okay, if I'm really gravitating toward this area like. That means something and maybe I should pursue it as a profession. So then I moved again recently. I've just been like a nomad I feel like for the last five years, but I think we're finally staying put for a while at least. Um, but with this current state I'm in, I found that there weren't many opportunities like for nutrition education. Um, and I only really saw postings for clinical and I was like, I can't do that. I can't take a paycheck and be miserable and rather just kind of struggle a little bit up front and start my own business and kind of learn the ins and outs of it. Um, so that's where I kind of am. I started. nutrition education RD like earlier this summer and ever since have been freelancing, pitching myself, getting a couple gigs here and there and seeing where it goes. So kind of a crazy route, but I'm here now.

Julia:

Thank you so much for sharing all those details. Definitely a lot of moving. Are you sick of moving at this point? Are you like a pro? Like half an hour or less packed up the car.

Catherine:

Yeah. Oh, such a pro. Like we're leaving for Thanksgiving. I'm from New York, so we're leaving tomorrow from Rhode Island to celebrate Thanksgiving and I could pack a bag in like 10 minutes and be out the door. Like I'm so over it.

Julia:

Yeah, I bet. So, one thing that I wanted to ask you, like, when you first graduated, because I earned my license in 2018, so we're actually, very close in timeline. Yeah. Did you have an idea of what career or, discipline of dietetics you wanted to land in, or were you still, figuring it out?

Catherine:

Um, I feel like I had my heart set on, like, Bariatrics, weight management, which is very funny now because I'm the complete opposite. I feel like once I got into the field, actually, instead of just like reading from a textbook, I learned very quickly that like, I'm very much against a lot of dieting culture, which is like what my whole business is based around now. Um, so I think it's kind of funny that like I did a 180 really. Um, yeah, like in school I was so set on like doing That sort of area. But then once I got into my internship and then I pursued a graduate degree in public health, I just was like, this really doesn't align with my nutrition philosophy after all.

Julia:

And you've given a few like teasers for this question, but I want to ask you again, more thoroughly. What really motivates you to work for yourself?

Catherine:

Yeah. Um, I'd love being my own boss. One. Like that's great to make your own schedule is really great. Um, but also just like doing stuff that again aligns with my own nutrition philosophy instead of like following such rigid rules. Um, I feel like in clinical, we're just trained to follow X, Y, Z to a T. And like, of course you need to follow rules in life, but I don't know. I feel like I, Okay. Switch gears so much every single day and just love working on different things every day and the repetitiveness of working in clinical just got to me and burnt me out really quickly. So, um, that's what I love about freelancing. You never really know what the day to day is going to entail.

Julia:

Yeah, I am totally with you on that. Yeah. And what are all the services that you offer? Do you want to say your business name to you? I don't know that you introduced it yet.

Catherine:

Yeah, I own Nutrition Education RD, and it's really like a nutrition consulting business, so I'm kind of like your one stop shop with any nutrition communication services that you need. I recently decided to become a virtual assistant for dietitians, so I could do, like, a wide range of things for dietitians in private practice or media dietitians. So that's like social media content creation. I have like many years of doing that graphic design. I make like media kits for your services. If you want to pitch yourself out to other brands, I could do ebook creation, really anything, in that realm for fellow dietitians. And then I also work with the media. So I pitched myself out to different media outlets. I've worked with a couple of food brands and done like nutrition labeling compliance. I feel like I wore a lot of hats back when I was like working a nine to five, but now I also wear a lot of hats now. So,

Julia:

and do you love that though? That's like part of the appeal, I guess.

Catherine:

Yeah. Yeah, definitely. Yeah.

Julia:

I'm totally with you. Yeah. Out of everything that you're offering right now for your services, do you have any favorites? Like what's your, what makes you most happy?

Catherine:

Yeah, I would say my bread and butter is the content creation, graphic design area. Like I always enjoy that work the most and get like the most passionate about it. So I'd say that.

Julia:

Yes, and how are you learning how to do this stuff, learning about this stuff? The listenership for this podcast is very motivated to take action themselves. So if you can share any people you like to follow or courses you've taken or just whatever way you're learning, I think they'd really appreciate hearing that from you.

Catherine:

Yeah, so, um, a lot of, like, my Canva graphic design experience was kind of self taught, but also just, like, seeing what other content creators out there were doing, um, and then kind of, like, molding it to that, but also, putting my own little twist on it and seeing what my followers want, of course, that's the most important thing, like, listening to your audience with what they want. Um, I also took a six month media course with Amy Gorin, which you've interviewed before. Yeah. So that kickstarted everything for me this year too. I forgot to mention that earlier. That kind of gave me the final kick in the butt to like get going on doing my own business and like working with the media. Cause that's also such a great opportunity to be creative. If you're a dietitian, kind of just tired of the same old thing every day in clinical. Um, but yeah, and just like. Browsing social media, seeing what other dietitians are doing and like what's working for them and what isn't, that kind of like helps me plan my own content schedule and strategize.

Julia:

ANd, and in terms of like learning about entrepreneurship, do you read books? Do you have any podcasts on that? Or did you also learn a lot of that through Amy's course?

Catherine:

Yeah, I learned a lot of it from Amy's course, um, this podcast actually, I was listening to your podcast a little bit, um, a couple months back and like picked up a bunch of things from other dietitians, which were really helpful in moving forward. And then I'm also part of like a bunch of different, um, dietitian Facebook groups, like the master of the media one, um, there's like a nutrition writing ones, there's really A lot for like whatever niche you're looking into exploring. Um, and I think that's really helpful getting on those and kind of brainstorming with other dietitians, that are pursuing freelancing and entrepreneurship as well to see like what's working for them and, um, kind of getting insight on what's new in the field. So.

Julia:

Yeah, are you able to walk us through like what an onboarding or what a pitching and then onboarding process would look like for your clients? I think again listeners are just so keen to hear those details as much as you feel comfortable sharing.

Catherine:

Yeah, um, I guess I'll talk about brands. Um, so for that, definitely my process is writing down a list of food brands that I'd like to work with, that align with like my philosophy, like that's always key. I always want to be authentic, um, and work with people that like, you know, you don't just want to like make a quick buck from them. You actually want to promote their product, be passionate about it. And like, You would eat it yourself or like have your family eat it. I think that's key. Um, first and foremost, because people can see right through when you're not authentic and what you promote. So I want to do that and make a list of all the different people I would love to partner with. There's like definitely some dream brands on there that are like a goal of mine. So I do that. I have, uh, I love using Trello. It's like an organizational tool. Um, so I make like a ton of different lists and it really helps me stay on track. And once I do that, I like go through all their websites, kind of see what their pain points are, um, and how I could fill in the gaps, I guess, with my nutrition services. So if there's a website of a food brand that doesn't have, like, any recipes using their product, I could, like, pitch out that and say, hey, I would love to recipe develop for you. Um, and yeah, you kind of just want to tailor your messaging to each of the brands to fit, like, what their pain points are and how you can benefit them better. Um, if you're kind of just bragging about yourself the whole time and not really getting to the point to, like, that's not helpful. And then being sure to, a lot of them are cold pitches for sure that I do. Um, so being sure to follow up, not like immediately, but giving them a couple weeks to breathe and then being like, hey, this is what we, or if you didn't discuss it with them, being like, hey, just wanted to like bring this to the forefront of your inbox again and like see if we could schedule a chat. Um, and also another thing that might be helpful is sending out your, um, media kit to them just to show them past work that you've done, what you're capable of doing, um, things like that are always helpful, too.

Julia:

Mm hmm. And I, I wanted to share during our interview, like, how I even reached out to you, because I saw your story. I love following her Instagram, by the way, listeners. Um, she's hilarious. Kathryn's hilarious. But I love on your story you posted that you were doing brand work for Olipop? You posted on your story, so I assume it's fair to talk about?

Catherine:

Yeah, um, I would think it is. Maybe, I don't know. You might have to blurt it out. So yeah, there's this brand I recently worked with, um, that you can do. It's called pay for pay per play. And I actually learned it in Amy's course, which I before taking that I had no idea like the ins and outs of media and there's so much to learn from that course. So if you're considering doing it. It's a great investment. Um, but anyway, so I reached out to the brand and said that I could basically provide like expert nutrition quotes in different articles that I pitch out, or I'll find a story, um, that is wanting like this particular brand, I guess, like to be, I'm trying to think of how to explain this the best, I guess, without mentioning the brand. Yeah,

Julia:

no problem. I think i can describe it using your words when we were talking on instagram before we started recording this podcast Which is the brand obviously wants. People, they trust recommending their product when you're responding to a query or something. So if your quote or your submission gets accepted, then you would be paid

Catherine:

yeah, like it's really good to have. the credential as a dietitian, like people are going to pay money for that. And what I didn't realize is in the media, like they really value what you have to say. So if you are recommending a product, um, and putting your name behind it, like that just boosts the credibility of a brand. So for the brand that I did work with, they do have a lot of like functional gut health benefits. Um, so backing that scientific research that they've done and as a dietitian, like standing by it is such a good. Credibility booster for the brand. So yeah, I got paid recently, like a good chunk of change just for writing like a little blurb and backing that brand. Um, but it does depend if it actually does place in the publication, like you could pitch out as many quotes as you want. Um, but if they don't land, then you don't get compensated. Um, and a lot of the work that you do is based on like what's laid out in your contract too. So you'd have to keep that in mind.

Julia:

And how do you get over nerves or just the scary thoughts of being an entrepreneur and putting yourself out there?

Catherine:

Yeah, it's taken a lot of getting over imposter syndrome and I'm very much an introverted person so I kind of have to give myself an extra push some days to like get on camera or I mean you don't even have to do that with a lot of the freelancing work that is a possibility. Um, but for me, It was just seeing, like, a lot of other dieticians that have started their own freelance. Businesses. And it's like, okay, well, why not me? This is working for so many other people. I think I can have a piece in the pie and do it myself. And, you know, if you're passionate enough and work and pitch yourself and, you know, build your network up, the sky's the limit. So that's kind of how I see it. Yeah. Nice.

Julia:

Very positive. And this is a question that I'm just curious about. It's kind of like a bigger question or maybe not. Um, how do you measure success in your

Catherine:

business? Um, a lot of it for me, I'd say since I am relatively new, um, is like just seeing that my content is like resonating with other people and helping them. I get like some messages and comments that are saying like, thank you so much for your account. Like it's really helping me like unlearn diet culture. and how harmful it was, like, growing up, um, in the media, but also, like, on the brand side of things, having repeat clients, like, come back to me and message me wanting, like, more services, that's always great because it's showing me that I'm doing a good job to the brand that I'm servicing. Um, and of course, like, Different reviews, um, on my work is also

Julia:

appreciated. Yeah, nice. From when you first started, you know, being self employed to now, is there something that you're very proud of that you just look back on and you're like, I can't believe I achieved that?

Catherine:

Um, yeah, there's one that happened like last week. I was in a, I was quoted in a story like promoting this one brand. It was unpaid, but I didn't care because it's like one of my favorite products that I've used for years. And they reposted my quote on their Instagram story and they have like 300, 000 followers so I was like, that's cool that they even took notice to that. Um, and then another one that I really loved, um, recently was, uh, a nutrition PR company. I applied to being there or one of their, um, now I don't know how to say this. They had like a program for up and coming nutrition communications, dieticians, um, to join and kind of learn like the ins and outs of brand partnerships. Um, and I applied for that and I was selected as like one of their honorees. So that was really cool to see like, Oh, people are watching and they're like appreciating the work that I'm doing. So, Yeah, that is so cool. Congrats. Thank you. So what comes next for you? Um, I guess just since I'm relatively new, I just want to keep like pitching myself and hopefully working with more dietitians in the virtual assistant services that I offer. Like I really think I there's a big need for that. Like, I think a lot of dietitians think that they need to do everything themselves. And I'd love to kind of take that behind the scenes work off their shoulders so they can get back to like servicing their clients, um, and showing up better for themselves too. So that's kind of my next big goal is to kind of building up my client list of dieticians to work with. Cool.

Julia:

Well, thank you so much for lending your knowledge and giving your time to the show. I really appreciate it. Did you want to share any closing remarks with the audience or you can just drop your social handles, whatever

Catherine:

you want. Sure. Um, thanks so much for having me. This is great. Super fun. Um, I guess I would close with to anyone like thinking that they can't do this. Um, you can. You just have to get over the hump of imposter syndrome and, like, believe in yourself, and you can totally do it. Like, that's so cliche, but it's true. I mean, a year ago, I wouldn't think that I would do this, but here we are, and I'm so happy. Like, no regrets whatsoever. It can be stressful at times, but it's totally worth it in the long run.

Julia:

Nice. That's awesome. Thank you so much. Thank you.

That's the end of another episode before we head out, I did want to say that after we finish recording, Catherine was very clear in saying that she always practices ethically as a provider working with brand work. She always discloses brands that she's working with and any kind of media work that she does. And I just want to share that because I know it's not something we talked about during our recording, but it's something that a lot of dieticians are being mindful of these days. And I did want to say Catherine is absolutely doing that. If you have questions, you can follow her on Instagram and reach out to her. Thank you so much for tuning in as always i hope you have a great week Bye.