Jean is a registered dietitian and Account Supervisor in our Chicago office. A recent addition to the FoodMinds team, she provides consulting and communications services to help clients navigate the food and nutrition environment and develop strategies to support health and wellness stewardship. Her professional experience ranges from nutrition counseling, health education and promotion, and clinical program development to client-side nutrition communication and influencer outreach. She earned her master’s degree in nutrition communication from Tufts University, her bachelor’s degree in dietetics from Miami University, and she completed her dietetic internship at the University of Virginia.
What is the most surprising thing for people to learn about being an RD?
We are advocates for balance, not perfection. We’re into ALL KINDS of food – from quinoa to cupcakes.
What is your favorite part of your job?
I love that my job lights up both sides of my brain. I can dig through science and analyze data, and then I get to take those facts and figures and churn them through my mental Play-Doh factory to create something fun, compelling, and totally new on the other side.
What are three things on your bucket list?
Seeing the swimming pigs in the Bahamas; seeing the wild horses on Assateague Island; swimming with the horses in Jamaica…my goals are whimsical in nature, albeit narrow in scope.
What’s the best piece of career advice you’ve received?
Know and play to your natural strengths. Constantly trying to contort yourself to fit the expectations of others will drain your energy and diminish your power. Just try to be the best version of you. Authenticity guides you toward work, goals, and decisions that you will feel good about.
How do you find balance?
For me, the best way to recharge is to unplug. I try to practice mindfulness, though it’s a work in progress. Making time to be present- with myself, the people I love, animals, food- is so important to me. We all need some time to get out of our heads, pull away from our devices, and fully sink into our lives.