Diana Dugan Richards

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Diana Dugan Richards, RDN LDN is the owner of Namaste Nutrition, a private practice in Watertown, Massachusetts, a registered dietitian and nutrition therapist focusing on eating disorders, digestive health, and vegetarian and vegan lifestyles. She counsels using the evidence-based therapeutic technique of Internal Family Systems and includes the conceptual frameworks and practices of Intuitive Eating and weight-inclusivity.

What is your current position?

I’ve been a sole practitioner in private practice since 2007, previously, in the area of weight loss via very-low-calorie diets, prescription weight loss medications and surgical intervention in two academic medical institutions. It was clearly not the right path for me. When I was financially able, I created my own genre. As an Anusara yoga teacher, I taught group and private yoga classes, and created a Yoga for Mindful Eating series that ran for years. Marrying yoga philosophy to a deeper and more satisfying perspective of healing through Internal Family Systems (IFS), the foundation of my practice is solid and I haven’t looked back since my first training in 2011.

How did you get started in your career? 

I’ve been a maven for nutrition and exercise since I was 12 years old yet first worked as a legal assistant, then academic administrator at a College of Nursing, and finally successfully as a registered dietitian two weeks before my 40th birthday. My first position was as Corporate Wellness Director at a large, non-profit hospital in Little Rock, AR, then a move required I find new work in the metro Boston area. In Boston, I served on a DASH for Health website for 10 years and became a consultant for www.GoodMeasures.com. Amidst all that, a second job of teaching group exercise, personal training, and yoga kept me moving.

What advice would you give to someone new to the field? 

  • Plant seeds – lots of them, then harvest what feels exactly right to you.
  • Connect – with local practitioners who think like you do, into professional organizations, to what lights you up. Be open and curious.
  • Share – once established, give away all that you’ve developed. There is enough of it all to go around.
  • Embrace mentors in all fields to have access to as much as you can in all aspects of your career.
  • Keep learning! Branch out into areas of interest that can help you create your own special niche.
  • Move toward your passion with vigor and tenacity.

Learn more about Diana:

Website: www.NamasteNutrition.net

Phone: (617) 678-0607

Email: [email protected]

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dianaduganrichards/

FaceBook: https://www.facebook.com/dianaduganrichards

Twitter: @dianarichards

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