It's been a long time since I've posted on here, but I have a good excuse, I promise! I had a baby! My daughter, Holly Lynn, was born on August 26th of this crazy year. To say she has changed my life would be an understatement. It's amazing what this tiny human has done to me. I am now a mom, a person I was never sure I would be, but, alas, here I am and loving it.
Holly is not the only change in my life since my last blog post. I also recently decided not to return to my job as an outpatient oncology dietitian. This was not an easy decision and it impacted more people than just me. My decision came as a shock to my co-workers and some were not happy about it. I knew leaving (and just before the holidays) was not ideal but I had to make the best decision for me and my family. I am nothing but grateful for my time as an oncology RD, but the truth of the matter is that regardless of my family's needs, I also realized oncology is not my passion. The field of oncology is difficult. There is a lot to know and the research is constantly changing. Though a changing field is certainly exciting and keeps things interesting, I think a person working in oncology should have the heart for it and I just do not. I cared about my patients very much and I did my best to help them, but I never quite felt like my best was enough. I could go on and on about this subject, but the simple matter is that I am currently unemployed.
I guess you would categorize me as a stay at home mom at this point...something I NEVER thought I would be...ever! I enjoy working, especially in my chosen field. I want to work. Although, I must agree with all the times in my life when I have heard that being a mom is work. This is definitely work. Unfortunately, I am not getting paid to raise Holly (now wouldn't that be nice?). Money makes the world go 'round, especially in a place like Colorado where the cost of living is quite a bit higher than the national average. However, besides the basic need for income, I also have a need to find fulfillment in my career as an RD. I didn't go back to school to become an RD just to work for 2 years in the field then never again!
This brings me to my final point. This year has been a cluster you-know-what to say the least, with the one very shiny light being the birth of my daughter. But something else important happened this year besides her birth. I found the courage to give up my steady job in order to follow a dream of mine that I have had since starting my nutrition journey. That dream is to open a private practice. I have been researching, learning, getting organized and slowly working towards getting this thing going. My hope is to get through the holidays then launch in early 2021. The hardest part so far has been figuring out what niche in which I want to work. I know I want to work with women but that is all I know for sure. My specialty ideas include runners, prenatal and postpartum, or peri-menopausal women. As a perfectionist and over-thinker, it has been difficult to figure out which one is the right fit. Until that becomes clear I will call myself a women's health RD and figure out a more specific niche down the road. I hope to see a few clients in each area of interest and then re-brand as needed.
I am a mixture of emotions about all of these changes: happy, scared, optimistic, excited, anxious...the list goes on. The most important part of the decision to leave my job and start my own virtual practice is that I now get to watch Holly grow up at every moment and will not have to miss any firsts. I get to be there for her first laugh, her first bite of food, her first step, her first word. I also get to be my own boss. What could be better than that? I'm so excited to continue this journey and really get it started. I plan to transition this blog site to my practice site. I will keep the blog going and continue to provide free content on various nutrition topics, especially tailored towards women (sorry, men! no offense!).
Until then, stay tuned.
-Brittany
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