Today we’d like to introduce you to Kayla Fitzgerald.
Hi Kayla, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I got my Bachelor of Science in Dietetics from Kansas State University and was then matched to an internship at the Medical University of South Carolina. I was actually the first mom to go through the internship program and my kids were 2 and 4 years old at the time so it was a very busy year for me! I was offered a job at MUSC before my internship ended and I started working 2 days after graduation. I worked in a clinical position for a year and covered mostly General Medicine/Family Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, and Diabetes. Due to several Dietitians taking maternity leave, I also got to cover Transplant and Bariatric Surgery services. About a year into my career at MUSC I received a phone call from a friend and fellow Dietitian as she was looking for a part-time Dietitian to join her private practice and wanted to know where she should post the job. I told her to reach out to the local Dietetics association but as soon as I hung up the phone, I called her right back and told her I was interested. It was a tough choice to leave a hospital job with great insurance, benefits, and steady income and make the leap to private practice where so much was unknown but as a mom with young kids, I wanted the flexibility that private practice could offer. I worked with Nutrition Rites for the last 4 years and loved working with the amazing Dietitians there. It was during those years that I really discovered where my passions for this profession lie: Intuitive Eating and Sports Nutrition. I spent several months receiving additional training and became a Certified Intuitive Eating Counselor. Recently- I decided to branch out and start my own practice: Endurance Nutrition where I work with people who want to ditch dieting and learn to fuel their body in a way that makes them feel good both physically and mentally. I also work with athletes who want to learn how to use nutrition to optimize performance. And when I say athletes, I don’t just mean elite or professionals. If you are exercising- you are an athlete and you need to fuel your body like you are.
I also work at Locomotion Fitness as their Registered Dietitian!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
There have certainly been some struggles! I was working on my degree and going through the internship program at MUSC while I had very young kids at home and a husband who also works full time. Those were some of the toughest years of my life for sure. Not only was it hard to manage my time but I also felt a lot of guilt for not being there for my family as much as I was used to. The reward for all of that is that now I have a job that allows me to create my own schedule.
As you know, we’re big fans of Endurance Nutrition. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
I created Endurance Nutrition because I saw a need in the active/sports community. Many people that I’ve worked with or even friends that I run and workout with have this belief that less food is better and that we need to “burn off” all the food that we’ve consumed in order to be healthy when in fact, the opposite is true! Many people that exercise don’t consider themselves athletes but if you exercise you are an athlete and you should eat like one. I work with people to help them learn to ditch dieting and listen to their body so that they don’t have to follow strict meal plans or fad diets.
We focus on using food to help fuel your body as you go throughout your day and also how we can use nutrition to support training/exercise to optimize performance and recovery.
Health does not have a certain look and it does not have a one size fits all approach. I help my clients find that middle ground where their health/nutrition habits are sustainable for the long term and it feels easy.
There are several ways in which we can work together. I offer 1:1 virtual nutrition coaching via a HIPAA-compliant platform. I also offer small group coaching, online programs, customized fueling plans for race/competition days, workbooks, and speaking opportunities.
Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
I love being outside so the fact that the weather allows for that year-round is amazing! I grew up in the middle of nowhere so the traffic can drive me a little crazy 🙂
Contact Info:
- Email: kayla@endurance-nutritionist.com
- Website: www.endurance-nutritionist.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/the.endurance.nutritionist
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/the.endurance.nutritionist
Image Credits
Greg Shore
Casey Sweeney
