Diana Wright, MS, RD, CEDRD
Founder and Owner: Life Inspired Nutrition
Website: www.lifeinspirednutrition.com
Instagram: @Life_Inspired_Nutrition
Facebook: Life Inspired Nutrition
What is your current position?
I am the founder and owner of Life Inspired Nutrition, a private practice offering individualized nutritional consultations focused on helping clients recover from disordered eating and heal their relationship with food. We work from a non-diet, weight-inclusive approach routed in Health At Every Size Principles.
How did you get started in your career?
I began my career during my combined Master’s of Clinical Nutrition at NYU and dietetic internship at the Bronx Veterans Medical Center. As I completed my rotations, I felt especially connected with nutrition counseling and one of my preceptors connected me with Melainie Rogers, MS, RD, CEDRD-S, founder of Melainie Rogers Nutrition and Balance Eating Disorder Treatment Center in NYC. Melainie and the incredible staff members became my mentors, providing me with further education and guidance on nutrition therapy for eating disorder treatment. I worked my way up from a recovery coach to the nutrition team leader and program coordinator for both the Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) as well as the Day Treatment Program (DTP). I then relocated to San Diego and furthered my skill set as the West Coast Director of Nutrition for Eating Disorder Recovery Specialists (EDRS), an adjunct service providing transitional and supplemental support for individuals struggling with eating disorders. These positions allowed me to grow not only my experience with eating disorder treatment, but also my management skills. Since graduating from my Master’s program, I always had a small private practice and in 2017, I decided to focus primarily on my private practice. I then was able to hire an additional registered dietitian to the practice 1 year ago and we are expecting continued growth.
What advice would you give to someone new to the field?
I would recommend attending the amazing webinars, conferences and presentations that the field offers. I learned so much from these experiences! They allowed me to meet and brainstorm with wonderful professionals. Since the field is always changing and growing, I have found being a part of local and global professional networks is essential to expanding your knowledge. The IFEDD listserv in particular is immensely valuable! In addition, resources through the International Association for Eating Disorder Professionals (IAEDP), Academy for Eating Disorders (AED), Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics – Behavioral Health Nutrition Dietetic Practice Group (AND-BHN DPG), and the National Association of Eating Disorders Association (NEDA). There are also a plethora of amazing websites, books, podcasts, and social media accounts that provide valuable information to support your clients (There are too many to list but feel free to email if you’d like recommendations: [email protected]). In summary, get involved in the field, meet other professionals and stay connected via organizations, listservs and social media. We all learn from and support one another!