Dietitian Spotlight: Jessica Kelley

1. Tell us a bit about yourself? I consider myself a nontraditional dietitian as I have my hand in a variety of different areas of work. I’m the founder of Nourished by Nutrition, my recipe blog, which I’m rebranding into a wellness website that focuses on a whole person approach to wellness. My goal is for Nourished by Nutrition to become a resource for individuals to make lasting changes that will optimize their health, while letting go of perfection and finding a balance that is unique to them. Aside from Nourished by Nutrition, I am one of the Registered Dietitian Nutritionists for HUM Nutrition, a supplement company that focus on health and beauty from the inside out, as well as the Community Manager for Nutrition Simply, the website and wellness community founded by Registered Dietitian and Business Coach Shannan Monson.

2. What’s your favorite part about being a dietitian? Being able to use my passion and knowledge for helping others become the best version of themselves! Every time I am able to help someone shift their mindset towards creating a balanced lifestyle rather than focusing on restriction and diets, my heart explodes with joy. Touching the lives of others and building community are things I value, so being able to have jobs that allow me to do that on a daily basis is more than anything I could ever ask for!

3. Describe what your typical week looks like Very flexible. Since I work from home, I am able to shift my time as I please. However, I’m really trying to get a more concrete schedule in place. The majority of my day is spent providing nutrition and supplement recommendations, and responding to nutrition-related emails for HUM. I also work daily on launching new campaigns for the Nutrition Simply hashtag project (#nutritionsimply), sourcing content from contributors and building up that community. On Mondays and Thursdays I grocery shop and meal prep for one of my clients. Since I prepare all of her meal and snacks for the week, this takes a good part of the day. I try to meet with clients on Tuesdays, but this doesn’t always happen. Wednesdays are “me days”. I focus on writing content for Nourished By Nutrition, testing and photographing recipes, and working on any freelance projects I have going at that time.

4. How do you find balance between work & personal? Finding balance is something I try to help others achieve on the regular as well as something I work on daily. I truly believe balance is a practice and takes tuning into your needs at the present moment and making shifts as needed. Since I work from home, the line between work and personal can get a little blurry. However, there are some non-negotiables I have in place that helps me stay grounded and connect with fiancé daily. I have a morning routine that allows me to practice gratitude, be creative, source inspiration, and exercise first thing. Since I wake up extremely early naturally (and LOVE it!), I am able to get things I want to do out of the way so I’m ready to settle into work by 9.

Evenings and weekends are my time to wind down and recharge with my man and two fur babies. I usually end my work day with a evening walk with the pups before dinner. There are times when my fiancé is working late or is out of town, and I can dip into some work if it’s needed or if I want to work ahead. I try my best to stick to this work-free evening time, but if there is a pressing timeline or I want to work ahead so I have more free time the next week, I give myself permission to work into the evening or on the weekends. For me, balance means ebbing and flowing with what I have going on in life while working towards my goals. Thankfully, I get an immense amount of joy from the work I do so it’s hard for it to feel too much like “work”.

5. What are 3 foods you can’t live without?
Almond butter – by the spoonful!
Sweet potatoes / winter squash
Frozen raspberries

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Jessica, thank you so much for being a part of our Dietitian Spotlight! To learn more about Jessica, and check out her beautiful recipes, visit Nourished by Nutrition and make sure you go follow her on the gram!  xo