Transforming Lives and Growing a Private Practice. Meet Registered Dietitian Amanda Lapidus.

Amanda explained that being a Registered Dietitian continually challenges her and she's learning new things every day.

Written by
Abigail Keeso, RN Abigail Keeso, RN
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Meet That Clean Life member, Amanda Lapidus: an integrative and functional Registered Dietitian, and owner of Amanda Lapidus Nutrition.

We sat down with Amanda to learn more about her practice and her journey as a wellness entrepreneur. When I asked what made her want to become a Registered Dietitian, she told me about losing her mother to breast cancer. Amanda was 20 years old at the time and her mom was only 53.

"Life changing events have a funny way of putting things into perspective. My Mom’s diagnosis and subsequent death made me realize that I needed to do something fulfilling and meaningful with my life. All the better if it could be meaningful for other people as well."

Amanda decided to switch programs at University and started to pursue a career as a Registered Dietitian. She spent the next three years immersed in biochemistry, organic chemistry, biology and nutritional sciences.

Fast-forward to today, and Amanda has built a thriving private practice. She specializes in gastrointestinal health plus weight management and works with a lot of clients coping with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS).

Many people with IBS have completely lost the joy of eating. They become anxious at the thought of social gatherings and are often dismissed by health care practitioners. Amanda's unique approach allows her to help her clients regain normalcy and rediscover the pleasure in eating. She refuses to let her clients settle for constantly feeling uncomfortable.

"I try to reassure them that this is not how food should make them feel, that they should not feel isolated, dismissed or anxious. I show them how eating can be an enjoyable part of life."

Amanda explained that being a Registered Dietitian continually challenges her and she's learning new things every day.

"In my private practice, I find each client rewarding for different reasons. Some are more challenging than others, but I learn something from each one. Whether I’m learning about a medical condition or about myself as a health care provider, I’m being rewarded. But seeing my clients learn to speak up and advocate for themselves is probably the best part."

Amanda Lapidus Nutrition, Spotlight

While running a private practice has it's perks, it can also be incredibly overwhelming. When Amanda first started out, she was offering menu planning to help make her clients more successful, but it was taking countless hours to collect, document and format both menus and recipes. Using That Clean Life has allowed Amanda to increase the value of her packages and offer resources to her clients branded with her logo.

"Joining That Clean Life was part of my own self care. I was overwhelmed by my workload and I needed something to make menu planning less time consuming. That Clean Life filled the gap that other programs did not. It allows me to add my own recipes, tailor menus to my clients and I know that I can trust the recipes that are available."

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But even with the right tools on deck, the overwhelm that comes along with running your own business will continue to creep in. As many entrepreneurs can relate, it never feels like there is enough time in the day to do it all.

"When I was in school I envisioned myself getting married, having children and starting my own practice. I wanted a flexible job that would allow me time to spend with my kids. I do have more flexibility than I did working in hospital, but I work many more hours now. I really struggled with the mommy guilt at the beginning. What I am working on now, is learning to delegate."

To wrap things up, I asked Amanda what her best advice is for her fellow Registered Dietitians who are thinking about starting their own private practice.

"Don’t wait. If you think private practice is right for you and you’ve been hesitating because you’ve been told for years that you need to put your time in doing A, B, C or D don’t listen to that. Take every opportunity you get to learn from other practitioners and business owners to figure out what kind of health care provider and entrepreneur you want to be."

Amanda offers consultations in person in Toronto, or online via web conferencing. To learn more about working with Amanda, visit her at Amanda Lapidus Nutrition, or follow along with her on Instagram and Facebook.