Welcome to Dietitian Boss. My name is Libby Rothschild. I'm the CEO and founder of the Dietitian Boss Method. Our company is here to help you get started in private practice, even before you think you're ready. I've created a proprietary process to help you increase visibility, create organic content.
Enroll clients into an offer and learn sales skills that don't even feel salesy. Listen every week to your colleagues as they're being interviewed and we chat about their progress and success from when they got it started from zero to all the way to creating million dollar businesses and beyond.
Hello, Dietitian Bosses. This is Coach Heather from Team Dietitian Boss and I am here with Sarah Albandar. She is one of our rock stars from Dietitian Boss that has been really implementing some amazing strategies that we teach and Dietitian boss to start her business while she was in her internship for diet.
So first and foremost, welcome Sarah. So great to have you here. Thank you so much for having me. Yeah. So Sarah, where can people find you? Yeah, so I'm on Instagram and I'm at PCOS weight dot loss on Instagram. . Awesome. And who do you serve? I know your handle kind of gives us a hint here who you serve, but what kind of client do you help?
Yeah, for sure. So I recently got into PCOS, so I help women with PCOS who are really trying to achieve the outcome of sustainable weight loss. I do help too with like some of the PCOS symptoms as well, so it's not all weight loss, but that's the main outcome of my program. Awesome, and we're gonna come back to talking more about PCOS and how you landed in that niche.
But before we do that, I am just curious what motivated you to become a Dietitian? Yeah, so I've always been interested in healthcare. I knew that I really wanted to help people. Something that really stood out to me about nutrition is how if you compare nutrition to like other fields in medicine, nutrition is unique in the way that it can almost be like preventative medicine.
Of course, we can't prevent all chronic conditions from happening. Of course, there's other factors like genetics and things like that, but I really like how nutrition can, you know, really be. A change for people like lifestyle factors, making dietary changes. These can have huge impacts on people. So that's what really drew me to the field.
And you had a specific reason, you know, of your own challenges and your own story of why you focus on the Mediterranean diet or the Mediterranean lifestyle as a solution. Can you share some about that? Yeah, absolutely. I would love to. So my kind of journey in nutrition, I used to have like disordered eating behaviors and so something that was really important for me, especially with, you know, all of these messages about diet culture is finding something sustainable.
And throughout school I was constantly learning about the Mediterranean diet and all of the benefits. And just all of this research showing that it can help a lot of different conditions. And something that really stood out to me is how it's sustainable and it's set apart from some of these other like bad diets, so to speak.
So that was kind of like my initial, I guess like that intrigued me to this way of eating, but also partially my cultural background. So I am half Arab, half American, and the Mediterranean diet kind of encompasses things that I have grown up eating. And so it's really a lifestyle and, and that's why I use it for my clients too.
I really believe that it's a lifestyle change and something that's sustainable for people. Yeah. That's so great. What kind of stirred in you like this curiosity to start a private practice? Yeah, no, that's a great question. I think there were like a lot of experiences combined that got me thinking about private practice.
I've been following like the Dietitian boss Instagram for years now, even when I was a student. So I think seeing that other Dietitians were going into private practice that it was possible that you could be successful. That really motivated me. And then also my own experiences, just kind of looking back prior to even becoming a Dietitian, I've worked.
Almost like every setting, like I've been in health, like as a health coach, I've worked in wellness community inpatient, and while I enjoyed these experiences, I felt kind of limited in the sense that if you're in your own private practice, you can do things the way that you want to do them. Versus if you're working for someone else, you're kind of limited.
Like maybe you have to give a patient or a client like. These handouts because you're being told that you have to. And so I really like that freedom and flexibility that private practice can give so that you can put your own unique approach to how you do things and get clients results. So kind of those combined experiences made me want to go into private practice.
That is such a common driving factor, right? That sense of freedom, not only freedom in what advice you give or what handout you give, but the basis of that vi advice, whether that be the Mediterranean diet or the plate method or whatever resonates with you for your clientele, or maybe it's no diet and it's food freedom, right?
So that freedom to talk about what. Lights you up and what you implement in your own life is an awesome part. of starting your own private practice. Yes, absolutely. Yeah. So you hit the ground running when you joined Dietitian Boss. I mean, we were talking in our team meeting like, wow, Sarah's like really.
Going through the models, which is so recommended when you to take advantage of the program completely. It's an investment, right? And we love seeing the Dietitian bosses that hit the ground running and are really ready for the time and the implementation it takes. What do you think made you ready in this moment to join Dietitian?
Yeah, I think, you know, I guess again, it kind of goes back to my experiences. Like I just realized that pretty early on, like, so I was an intern when I started joining Dietitian Boss, like the program and everything, and I kind of realized very quickly from my internship experiences that I just didn't really care for inpatient, you only spend like 10 minutes.
So the patient, it just wasn't my passion. Learned early on that I really enjoyed like the counseling aspect and kind of the outpatient clinics. So I took that passion and realized like if I want to take this somewhere, I can't wait on two years of experience. I can't wait to potentially get an outpatient job when I graduate because some of those jobs are hard to come by.
And so I realized. , I just need to create this and get started. And I'm kind of the, like I'm the type of person that I always do try to put 110% effort into anything I do. I worked hard for my degrees, I worked hard in school, and I'm also working hard with my clients to get them results. And so that's kind of like the motivation, like just realizing what works for me when I'm passionate about, and knowing that if I wanted to make it happen, then I could do it essentially.
Yeah, and it's so inspiring to see like that in six months, really in less than six months. You went from not having a business to having clients that are reaching you through Instagram, scheduling, sales calls, discovery calls, and signing up for your group program. How did Dietitian boss, like what kind of things did you learn or that were really helpful?
Dietitian boss that helped you go from no business to having full group coaching groups? Yeah, you know, I think it's amazing to look back cuz it really is, it's been an experience and I'm really grateful for it. I think probably the biggest thing is like having a strategy and a framework. I think that any entrepreneur, anyone that started their private practice can agree that you kind of have different ideas that come up in your mind and you get excited.
And it's hard to kind of like actually sit down and organize those thoughts and make it into a strategic framework, you know, so you can basically achieve this process. And so I think that Dietitian Boss really helped. I mean, there's a lot of things that I could say here, but I would say the most important thing for me was, again, the strategy and the framework that Dietitian Boss helped me out with.
Like how to, you know, like take steps. Okay. I don't have a business. Right? Okay. How to go through the process of finding a niche, how to market yourself on social media, how to talk to potential. Then you know how to talk to your actual clients that are currently enrolled. Just that whole process, I'm sure that I could have figured it out on my own, but like that would've taken a lot of time and trial and error.
So this investment was really worth it for me and having it mapped out essentially. Yeah, definitely. One of the things one of my mentors would say is like, if you can hire someone to show you the map and somebody that's already been successful doing what you wanna do, that will always return your investment always.
Even if it's just in time, like you might not. See the exact financial numbers before that investment and after that investment, and we can't guarantee financial outcomes. But in terms of time saving, like how many years would it have taken you to figure out how to use Instagram? How to do it, a sales call successfully.
when you're not trained in any of those things in school, , you know, and then even just the little things of like the format for the group coaching and how to have people in a group format, cuz that is also not taught very often in dietetics unless you're supporting support groups or something. So, yeah.
At least got some years of time. Yeah. I got some years back in those six months, for sure. Yeah. Let's talk about you nicheing, because you started in one space and then took that knowledge and applied it to a different niche. Can you share with the Dietitian bosses that are listening how you went through that nicheing process?
Yeah, so that was probably my biggest challenge. I really struggled with it for a while. So when I started Dietitian Boss, I wanna say at least the first two or three months I was in the general weight loss space. I was still honoring my principal as the following a Mediterranean style diet. I was getting clients, but it was just a lot slower because, you know, it wasn't specific.
I wasn't, I didn't know who I was helping and I was, I myself was confused. And so I just kept thinking and like, I was also using the framework that was taught to me in the, you know, in the method, in the program to do some market research. And so throughout the process of doing market research and through like the Mediterranean diet space, I realized that there were a lot of women coming to me who had found the Mediterranean.
For PCOS, and they were able to see a lot of benefits, not just in weight loss, but things like cycles. They were becoming, like having more regular cycles, improving their blood sugars and a lot of the other symptoms too. And so I took that message and I kept listening to it and I realized like I've always had a passion in endocrine space.
So like with diabetes, PCOS as well, insulin resistance and these things kind of all. And so I realized, look, I do have experience in this area, you know, even prior to becoming a Dietitian, like in my internship and even like as a health coach and things like that. So maybe I can take this passion endocrine space and for the Mediterranean diet and use it for PCOS.
So I started testing out that strategy. I started testing out some content with PCOS. And then I, it kind of just went from there. Like I had more people reaching out to me and then it just became a process of talking to people than now enrolling clients and really helping them. And it's been amazing because I feel so much more clear and aligned with my messaging and I'm helping people, I'm getting them results, and I just, it's been a process.
It took me some time, but yeah, essentially just kind of getting used to the process and doing that market. . Awesome. And I remember us talking early on in your exploration about insulin resistance and how you were really interested in insulin resistance, but that is kind of a hard term to market too, right?
Like that's, mm-hmm. can be technical, and then there are some audiences that understand insulin resistance because of the way it's impacting their health outcomes. So the process of market. , you found that you could really help people with PCOS, but you don't have PCOS, right? Correct. Correct. Mm-hmm.
Yeah. So this becomes a question that comes up a lot for other Dietitian bosses is, can I niche in X, Y, and Z if I've never had X, Y, and Z, or can I support this particular audience when. I am not that audience. So like we've had recently in Rebellion, we had someone ask, I really wanna support people who are first responders, but I'm not a first responder.
Like, can I help them still? And so how did you. Come to that space of I wanna help women with PCOS and I don't have PCOS. Was that ever a question for you? Like, can I help them? Were there any roadblocks with that? Yeah, for sure. So that is something that I struggled with actually for a little bit, because you're right, I don't have PCOS and I was a little bit worried because it is such a complex condition and I know that I might not be able to understand exactly how they're feeling.
So I was a little bit worried about that. I actually, what kind of helped me is I did listen to another Dietitian Boss podcast, , so that really helped. I can't remember her name off the top of my head, but it was another PCOS Dietitian who also does not have PCOS herself. And I kind of just realized, you know, like when you go to the doctor for example, like say you have to go to a cardiologist, They still help you.
They don't necessarily have heart disease, so like maybe they don't know exactly what you're going through, but you can still empathize with people. You can see where they're coming from and you can help them. Like we have the knowledge, we have the education in the background to do so. And so it was a process, but I just kind of realized like.
Maybe I can relate in some way because I do have a family history of things like diabetes and insulin resistance. So I can relate to those struggles and I can be a good help, even though I don't have PCOS. So a lot of affirmations too to kinda help me throughout this process. Yeah, and that's such a good point that, you know, we go to our primary care doctor.
No way can they have all of the diseases that they're supporting people with. Right, right. And you can still develop that empathy. And I'm through your market research, like you mentioned before, it helped give you some insight into what was happening for women with PCOS, what their life was like, or what their main struggles are, and that made it clear for you to see how to support.
Exactly. Yeah. And that's been really helpful too. Yeah. And you mentioned mindset , so you had to do some mindset work to get from maybe having some self-doubt about treating or supporting women with PCOS to like, I can do this. And one of the things I've been really impressed with you throughout the entire program is your willingness to say, This is where my mindset's getting stuck and this is where, this is how I can move forward.
Share with us a bit about your mindset process. Absolutely. So you are absolutely right. I was really stuck before, I guess, you know, PCOS is a complex condition, you know, it's not just reproductive, but it's metabolic. There's so many different symptoms and it's a lot to stay on top of. But I think that just telling myself you.
for one. There are other people who are less qualified out there helping. And this isn't shaming anyone, it's just the reality of it and realizing, you know, Hey, I'm a Dietitian. I've went to school for this. Maybe I don't have the answers to everything. And you know, that's okay. Like, you know, every health professional is gonna have questions at some point in their career where they might not always know the answer, but I do know where to find that information.
I know where to look at credible sources. I know how to help. So it's kind of like what Dietitian. Teaches, but going from a fixed to a growth mindset, and so like even being open to, Hey, I can find this information. Hey, I can help people. I am capable. And just constantly repeating that to yourself or even journaling if that's your thing, it's been helpful for me.
So just kind of, you know, just reiterating to yourself like, I can do this. And then, As I kept doing that, I was also seeing it in my clients. Like I've consistently had clients be able to achieve results and help them. So that's also helped seeing it actually play out in reality too. And do you keep your affirmations somewhere or do you have some type of routine around these affirmations that have helped you?
Get through some of these mental blocks. I used to have a better routine, so I do need to kind of get back on that. Sometimes I'll put them in my journal and my goal is to do every morning, like just a little bit of some journaling, cuz it does help. Lately I've been doing it kind of weekly, so I do need to be more consistent with it.
But sometimes too, it's just something that I talk about like in my mind or something that I pray about. . So all of that has kind of helped me. Thank you for sharing those real life practical tips. And yeah, sometimes we have practices that are more regular and some things that we need more regularly for certain periods of time, and then we can get more gentle with ourselves about them.
Okay. So what are some of the accomplishments you have made through these last six months through starting the Dietitian Boss program? And this is not bragging. This is just sharing so that we can inspire our listeners to let them know what's possible. Yeah, absolutely. I totally understand. So I think, I mean in terms of accomplishments, there's a lot of ways that I could go with this.
I think that there are definitely like money accomplishments, but there's also accomplishments too in my personal growth. So I think I'll start with personal growth, just cuz it's on my mind. I think from mindset, I would be lying if I said I didn't struggle with it from times. I mean, I think that that's natural to occasionally struggle with that.
But I do feel more confident in my skills as a Dietitian. I feel more confident in the process of being a business owner and just being able to go through that. I mean, I think it's amazing cause I was really scared to get started and I just did it. So I'm really proud of myself in terms of a personal growth aspect of just taking the leap, so to speak.
And then I guess in terms for money too, cuz that's important and I do wanna be transparent because I know that there are people who were in my same shoes maybe a couple months ago or still are. So my first income goal, this might not seem like a lot, but it was honestly just to make two K. Like I just wanted to see that it was possible to make money.
So the first month that I really was like, I niche down and really focused on PCOS, I made just a little bit under two K, and then these past 30 days, I've surpassed that at 3,500. And then we just started this month, so it's a little soon to tell. But I think that I'm gonna surpass that goal too. Like I've already made money in the first week of this month, so I'm really excited, not just from a personal growth perspective, but also knowing like financially like this is sustainable.
It's. Consistent, and I'm really excited to see where it takes me. Awesome. And that helps you achieve your goal that you set out of being able to be your own boss and serve people and step away from the typical track post internship, which would be to get a job in clinical right. Right, exactly. And I'm just, I'm really grateful because, you know, you kind of have to do what works best for you, and this is what is in alignment with my goals.
So it's amazing knowing that it's possible and that I'm You're doing it . Yeah. So you started this during your internship and we know that that's an intense time for Dietitians, like that's a time intensive part of your training. So is school, so was working a full-time job in clinical, how did you balance.
The work that was necessary for implementing the Dietitian boss method with being in your internship, and by the way, passing your board exam ? Yes. Oh, it was a lot. I still don't know sometimes how I did it. It was a lot to juggle all at once. So luckily I was towards the end of my internship. I don't know.
In some ways I guess that made it better, but also I feel like sometimes the end of the internship as far people get burnt out. So it was challenging not to mention. So I went to an internship that's pretty well known, duke Hospital, and it was very rigorous and challenging. So it was kind of like honestly just learning how to.
Be better at time management, like really prioritizing, Hey, I have these assignments too. I have these projects due. I'm also trying to study for the RD exam and doing business. So just getting really good about writing things out in your calendar. Setting timers, which is something that also Dietitian bosses help me with, like setting timers for specific tasks that just kind of helps you be more accountable and get more done in a shorter amount of time.
So I think it definitely was hard, but just again, time management was really key there. , yes, that is key. Those alarm clocks are amazing at . Getting you to accomplish things or to track at least how long you're spending on something and question if that's enough time or not enough time. Cuz people can go.
Actually what I see more often in Dietitian bosses that we under schedule our time and how underestimate how long. Can take. But then once you get that timer involved, it can really help shorten how long you're spending on certain tasks. Mm-hmm. . So how has your content evolved since working with Dietitian Boss?
Because you've started your. Account at zero followers. Right. You started a new Instagram? I actually, so my account actually wasn't at zero, but I had a former Instagram account. It was just like food pictures, , you know, like a typical RD to B type account. Nothing really specific, just kind of like food pictures and pictures of life.
And, you know, I was at maybe like 300 follower, 300 to 400, something like. , and now it's kind of crazy, but I think I'm at 19,000 and this has only been in a couple of months, so the growth has been just ridiculous. , it's like, I can't believe it's real, but I would say your question was about content, right?
And how that's evolved. Yeah. Mm-hmm. . Yeah. So going back from the early days, just posting food pictures, you know, it was just an Instagram account for me and my friends, so there wasn't any strategy behind. Then starting the Dietitian Boss program, I wanted to evolve it. So like I said, I did start in general weight loss.
So I was still doing market research, but it was honestly like the post didn't connect, like my content. Maybe I'd post one day about sustainable weight loss and the next day about a different topic. So it just wasn't really connecting with anyone. And then when I did get more involved with PCOS, I was taking what people were saying to me and really just using a strategy and a framework for my.
So it's very in line with my messaging. My focus is sustainable weight loss. So my posts are typically about sustainable weight loss. So it's just very consistent. Now, my content, that's one word that I can use to describe it. Very consistent. And consistent based on jumping off from a framework that we teach in Dietitian.
And that helped you get started, I'm sure. Mm-hmm. ? Yeah. Yes, for sure. And as you were working through this program, that is when. Instagram really started pushing reels over static content. , can you share with us how you still use static content, which I love your static content. How do you pair your static?
Content like carousels or photo posts with the reels? Yeah, so basically I kind of have like a layout on my Instagram. I usually do like a reel and then a Canva or a static post, and then another reel. I just like the way it looks on my screen, like I like the layout of when you get to my page, it's just kind of cohesive.
But beyond that, I've noticed that even though Instagram does push reels, I have had some really strong camp that really resonate with people. So that's why I try to have a balance. Not just a balance in what I teach my clients, but I like, I practice what I preach, I believe a balance in my life too. And so I try to do that with my content.
Since people seem to resonate with both, I just like to do a mix. I still have more reels than can, but it is a balance of both. Yeah. Thank you for sharing that. And so as we wrap this conversation together, what would you want to say to other Dietitian bosses out there based on your experience over the past six?
Yeah, I think most valuable thing that I can say is to hire a business coach because they essentially cut out the guesswork. They save you time, and I know that it's an investment, but you are investing in yourself and it will pay off. So that is first and foremost my advice. And then my second piece of advice is there is no perfect time to get started.
I know that Dietitians can be perfectionists, but I started my internship. You can too. Even if you have, if you're not in your internship, if you have years of experience wherever you may be coming from, there really isn't a perfect time. You just have to make the week essentially . Yes. Thank you so much, Sarah, for sharing your story with us, showing us how we can start from zero to a.
Sustainable business in really a short period of time. I mean, there's not very many other businesses that can be sustainable in six months, and you're a real inspiration the way you just dove in headfirst into the Dietitian boss method and are a shining example of what can happen when you put in the work and the effort.
Also sticking to some of the tide management things mindset I know is huge and you are so active in that. So I just wanna say from team Dietitian boss, we find you really inspirational and we're so grateful to work with you. Remind us again where we can follow you or how we can connect with you. Yeah, absolutely.
It's at PCOS weight loss on I. Great, and so we hope you follow Sarah and get some inspiration and we know that this is possible for you. We know that this is exactly why the Dietitian boss method is set up. The way that it is is to help create this freedom that Sarah was looking for from working in clinicals and getting something started during her internship so that she can take this path.
Being her own boss and having some freedom in what she provides for people and what she talks about in the way she applies the Mediterranean method for a very specific clientele. So we know this is possible for you. We hope that you find this inspiring and maybe it's just the thing you needed to hear to take some action.
And we are always here to support you at Team Dietitian. Please let us know if you have any questions, and we look forward to you continuing to be a source of inspiration for our Dietitians looking to break the mold. Thank you so much for joining us. We are so excited to offer you support in our various programs.
If you identify as a beginner and you're looking to lay down the foundations, our society program might be a great fit for you. I encourage you to go to Dietitianboss.com under group coaching and apply for our experience, our transformative experience based off of my proprietary system called the Dietitian Boss Method.
Additionally, we offer a higher level program called Executive to help you hire and manage a staff as you expand and scale your program, whether you're offering a membership course, group programming, private coaching, or a combination of various different offerings, we're here to help you on your journey with developing processes and implementing the operational foundation that you.
To reach your goals. A lot of our clients wanna work 20 hours or less a week, and we're so proud to say that we've helped them achieve that goal. And you'll hear their stories on this podcast. Make sure to stay tuned and apply if you're looking for support to get there faster and meet some colleagues along the way who share your same growth mindset.
