More Than Nutrition: The Life-Changing Work of Dietitians
Release Date: 03/12/2025
Leading a Business That Lets You Live Your Life
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Welcome to the This episode wraps up Season 3 of the podcast. We'll be back for Season 4 this fall! Join Jennifer McGurk, the CEO of Pursuing Private Practice, and Hannah Turnbull, founder of , a group practice specializing in eating disorders, and a business coach at . Hannah shares her journey of building and leading a thriving group practice, the challenges and rewards of managing a team, and her bold decision to step away for an 18-week sabbatical. Together, they dive into leadership, company culture, burnout, and what it really takes to create a sustainable business that supports both...
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Welcome to the Join Jennifer McGurk, CEO of Pursuing Private Practice, and team member Courtney Vickery, CEO of Declet Designs, to talk about the COAST stage of business. Join them to discuss the importance of coasting as a business owner, how it can be a strategic and intentional phase, and the benefits it brings to personal and professional life. When you’re a business owner, the need to COAST can come up at any time, sometimes planned, and sometimes unplanned. Whether you think you’ll be coasting anytime soon or not, this episode will leave you feeling confident when it’s your...
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LEAD: Hire, Manage, and Build Your Private Practice Team
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Welcome to the Join Jennifer McGurk, CEO of Pursuing Private Practice, and team member Courtney Vickery, CEO of Declet Designs, to talk about the LEAD stage of business. This stage is focused on the importance of hiring and leading a team. Hear insights on how dietitians can step into leadership roles, overcome the fear of hiring, and build a sustainable business. Whether you already have a team, are ready to hire, or may want to hire in the future, this episode is for you. Introduction to the LEAD Stage: Learn why hiring is essential for expanding your business without...
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Welcome to the Join Jennifer McGurk, CEO of Pursuing Private Practice, and team member Courtney Vickery, CEO of Declet Designs, to talk about the GROW stage of business. This is a stage where you'll focus on expanding your reach, refining your marketing strategies, and implementing new systems, all while continuing to serve your clients effectively. This stage of business is all about getting fully booked but on your terms. In this episode, Jennifer walks you through the ups and downs and practical advice for marketing, finances, and much more. Whether you're looking to refine your...
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START: How to Counsel Your First 5 Clients and Keep Them Coming Back
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Welcome to the Join Jennifer McGurk, CEO of Pursuing Private Practice, and team member Courtney Vickery, CEO of Declet Designs, to talk about the START stage of business, the time where you transition from setting up your private practice to seeing your first clients. We'll explore the emotions, challenges, and action steps involved in this stage, focusing on the importance of developing strong counseling skills and effective customer service strategies. Whether you're just starting to see clients in your private practice or looking to refine your counseling approach, this episode...
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SET UP: Open Your Business in 30 Days
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Welcome to the Join Jennifer McGurk, CEO of Pursuing Private Practice, as she kicks off the brand new Stages of Business Series with the very first stage: SET UP. In this episode, Jennifer dives into what it really takes to get started - from finding the courage to begin, shifting your mindset for success, and the practical steps to open up a business. This is the first of five episodes, each one dedicated to a different stage of business growth! If you’re thinking about starting a nutrition private practice, now or in the future, this episode will give you the insight, advice, and...
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Welcome to the Join Jennifer McGurk, the CEO of Pursuing Private Practice, and Courtney Vickery, a valued team member and a multi-passionate entrepreneur in the weight-inclusive space, as they dive deep into the journey of building a successful private practice. In this special series, they explore the five distinct stages of business: SET UP, START, GROW, LEAD, and COAST. Each stage comes with its own set of emotions, challenges, and action steps, and they’re here to guide you through them all. Whether you're just setting up your practice or looking to expand and lead a team, they’ve got...
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Big Risk, Bigger Rewards: Expanding Insurance Services as a CEO
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Welcome to the Join Jennifer McGurk, the CEO of Pursuing Private Practice, and Amy Plano, Founder of The Reimbursement Dietitian, a successful private practice CEO passionate about helping dietitians create profitable nutrition private practices using insurance. Amy shares her journey of expanding The Reimbursement Dietitian by introducing a new service to help dietitians get credentialed and contracted with insurance companies. Jennifer and Amy chat about the ups and downs of starting something new, why meeting clients where they’re at really matters, and how group practices are shifting...
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Helping Kids Build a Healthy Relationship with Food
Pursuing Private Practice
Welcome to the Join Jennifer McGurk, the CEO of Pursuing Private Practice, and Sumner Brooks, the founder of EDRDPro, co-author of How to Raise an Intuitive Eater, mom of two, and dog-loving RDN. Sumner shares her advice on raising children to become intuitive eaters, drawing from her personal journey in motherhood and her professional expertise. We discuss her three keys framework for fostering a healthy relationship with food and body image in children, and explore the challenges and triumphs of “balancing” motherhood as a business owner. Whether you're a parent, a dietitian, or...
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Join Jennifer McGurk, the CEO of Pursuing Private Practice, for a special bonus episode of the podcast to celebrate Registered Dietitian Nutritionist Day! Jennifer shares her journey to becoming a Registered Dietitian, highlights the powerful impact dietitians have on their clients, and explains why she’s so passionate about supporting fellow dietitians.
Whether you’re an RD2Be, have been a dietitian for years, or someone who values the work of dietitians, join Jennifer to celebrate RD Day with 10 reasons why dietitians are an essential part of health and well-being.
- Personal Journey to Becoming a Dietitian: Jennifer talks about her own struggles with disordered eating during the early stages of her career and her journey to eating disorder recovery.
- Starting a Private Practice: Jennifer decided to start her own private practice after years of “research”. The ups and downs of business are worth all the benefits of private practice: freedom, autonomy, feeling valued, and making a difference in the lives of so many clients.
- Reasons Why Dietitians Are So Powerful: Celebrate RD Day with Jennifer’s top 10 reasons why she loves being a dietitian!
Timestamps:
- 00:08 Introduction: Celebration of Registered Dietitian Nutritionist Day (RD Day) with Pursuing Private Practice!
- 01:44 Personal Journey: Jennifer shares her experience with disordered eating and how it led her to study nutrition at Penn State University.
- 04:32 Transition to Private Practice: Jennifer realized that she wanted to open her own private practice for flexibility and freedom.
- 08:59 Reasons Dietitians are Powerful: Introduction to the 10 reasons why dietitians are impactful in their clients' lives.
- 09:01 Reason #1: We help people change their relationship with food from negative to positive.
- 10:50 Reason #2: We see people get excited about food rather than fearful.
- 12:27 Reason #3: We get to the root of eating disorders and help clients find lasting recovery.
- 13:49 Reason #4: We support body image healing and help clients end the war with their bodies.
- 15:22 Reason #5: We see the difference nutrition makes in mental health.
- 17:10 Reason #6: We witness the power of hunger and satiety signals returning.
- 17:50 Reason #7: We help clients fuel their bodies for joyful movement.
- 18:30 Reason #8: We continually learn and provide cutting-edge nutrition information.
- 19:10 Reason #9: We embrace that sometimes there are no ‘right’ answers in nutrition—but there is always a next step.
- 19:50 Reason #10: We collaborate!
- 18:43 Conclusion: Celebration of all dietitians on Registered Dietitian Day and a reminder to feel valued and inspired in your work.
Today, we celebrate the dedication, passion, and impact of dietitians everywhere—because the work we do truly changes lives.
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