Where do you live: Annex
Profession: nutritionist, college professor, personal trainer
Please explain what you do in your job?
I teach wellness and nutrition related courses at George Brown College on a part-time basis.
As a registered nutritional consultant practitioner, I help design eating plans for clients and advise them on supplements that best serve their health and/or fitness goals. I train people in their homes or one of my affiliate gyms, working with competitive athletes and regular folk who want to improve their condition. With my experience and knowledge with rehabilitative exercise, some clients have made great improvements in their mobility and function.
Current job: George Brown, professor; staff nutrition consultant at Trainers Gym and Berkeley Street gym; personal trainer, Yorkville Club.
List of accomplishments: I am well versed in clinical and holistic nutrition. I received my Bachelors of Science from Ryerson University and received my holistic training and credentials at the Institute of Holistic Nutrition. I spent a year in Boulder, Colorado and one year in Rome, Italy working as a nutritionist and personal trainer. I loved my time in both places, learning and experiencing a lot while having so much fun! I came back refreshed, recharged, rarin' to go! Plus I gained 20 pounds in Italy which I was quite happy about.
How do you measure success in your chosen career?
That's a good question. I live from the heart. I need to feel it, if I am going to do it. So, my success has to do with working in areas and with people that I enjoy while making a decent living. I say I am successful, but I qualify it by saying there are bigger and better things to come. I want to expand my sphere of influence, so that I can spread the word about powerful nutritional truths and possibly publish a book this year.
When did you decide this is what you want to do for a living and what was the 'moment'?
No "moment", but lots of adaptations, as I refined and discovered more deeply what made me tick, what moves me and what I want to contribute into the world around me.
What did you have to do in order to get involved with this profession?
Finding good mentors and many of them. Also experience. Experience and mentors can't be beat! Most of what is important, I did not learn in school. The best thing I got out of school was how to research and ask questions. I gained confidence and belief in my abilities as a volunteer at a community centre. Being the "vitamin boy" in about six different health stores early in my career gave me an incredible amount of experience. Not many nutritionists talk to 200 to 500 people a day about health and nutrition. That experience was a gold mine. I continue to compare notes with practitioners that I know - working in Ayurveda, herbalism, nutrition, personal training, and even the medical field.
Pros and cons of this job?
The positives are huge - people walking away from disease, pain and problems. People getting healthier, feeling better and looking better is so rewarding. Teaching is a great love of mine, and I am blessed to have different roles in my career that are so fulfilling. I get to contribute to the awareness of food and nutrition to future chefs, nurses and others which is a real privilege and responsibility.
With my personal training, people have fun while they are building their health and their bodies. I am especially happy to notice a client walking and standing taller, and looking fitter and firmer. They feel better in their own skin, and it shows.
Skills required for this job?
You need to feel a job, to do it well. Passion, for sure. Also good connection and communication ability with people. Empathy, patience, and humour are great things to bring to the table, in nutrition, teaching and training. If you enjoy working in your field people are going to come to you.
The goal, or a big part of it, is showing people how to be their own trainer, their own nutritionist, their own teacher.
What can people expect if they want to pursue this job?
What they can expect is continually getting better. With a healthy thirst for knowledge and experience, they are just going to go from good, to better, to even better. They need to do well at home, before going outside; they need to truly walk the talk. Be healthy, be fit. Enjoy supporting their body in building its health up high. That gives them the credibility to be taken seriously, regardless of their experience or inexperience.
Percentage of people who actually succeed in this field:
In holistic nutrition, I would say about half. Teaching jobs I would say are not easy to find, but the jobs are there for those who keep looking.
Salary range: Teaching in college, is in the $35 to $60/ hour range for part-time instructors.
Personal trainers make from $18 to $100/hour, depending on experience and their set-up. Gyms may take 20 to 70 per cent of the fees. Nutritionists charge mostly in the $60 to $100/hour range.
Advice to people who are thinking about pursuing this field:
Talk to people who are working in your field. Observe them in practice, and practice it yourself - grab a friend and offer to train them or help them with their diet for free and see how you like it. Read voraciously. I love used book stores. I must have a hundred books catering to all of my fields. Get rid of your TV and you will find yourself reading more and sounding more intelligent.
Anything else you would like to say?
I think it is really important to have a broad education in your field, and to never stop learning. Go way past the status quo, and really see what a whole huge range of players in your field have to say, especially the ones who are not mainstream or well known.