Today we’d like to introduce you to Caroline Burkholder.
Hi Caroline, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
When I was a collegiate soccer player, I knew next to nothing about nutrition. Our coach consistently told us we needed to “eat better,” but never provided any actionable information, nor did he point us in the direction of where we might find it. The information he did give us was based on restrictions, “don’t eat this, don’t eat that, you all need to lose weight to be faster.” In my junior year, a dietitian came to present to our school about sports nutrition, and for the first time, I understood that in order to optimize performance, we needed to fuel with many of the foods that our coach had told us we should avoid–carbs, snacks between meals, consistent meal times.
It was then that I realized how important it was for women to have access to reliable, scientifically founded information delivered in a compassionate and nurturing way. I got licensed as a registered dietitian in 2017 after earning my Masters of Health Science and Nutrition from Georgia State University and began my career at the Georgia State University Counseling Center, where I was able to help college-aged students heal their relationships with food and their bodies. I went on to pursue intensive training in eating disorder treatment and was able to put this into practice working at a residential mental health treatment center, where I met some incredible mentors, and at an outpatient group, a practice specializing in eating disorders.
In 2022, my husband and I moved from Atlanta, GA to Knoxville, TN, where I opened up my own practice dedicated to healing the pain caused by eating disorders, disordered eating, and body image disturbances: RootED Nutrition and Counseling.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I’m sure all business owners would agree that starting a business is never quite as smooth as you might want it to be! For the most part, though, every setback, both in my career at large, and specifically while starting my practice, has landed me in a better, more informed, and more resilient place. We are lucky in that there are so many resources at our fingertips–e-courses, podcasts, Instagram accounts, Facebook groups–providing a vast and supportive network of like-minded professionals who can share wisdom when obstacles come up.
I think the biggest struggle I encountered was burnout. At my former jobs, we had extremely high client quotas, and it certainly took a toll on my wellness. Luckily, this was one of the catalysts that led me to open my own practice, because I know that excessively high client volume can compromise quality care. I was able to use this experience to inform myself about the kind of practice that I would want to go to as a prospective client, and therefore, the kind of practice that I, as a clinician, wanted to build.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about RootED Nutrition and Counseling?
I am a registered dietitian specializing in eating disorders, disordered eating, intuitive eating, and body image disturbances. I provide nutrition counseling and medical nutrition therapy to individuals who are looking to heal a fraught relationship with food. Some of these individuals have chronic health issues, such as diabetes or polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), and some have been diagnosed with eating disorders, but many are just people who have been on and off of diets for much of their lives and are looking for a sustainable and compassionate approach to nutrition therapy.
In addition to being a registered dietitian, I am also pursuing my licensure as a psychotherapist and licensed mental health counselor (LMHC). This has given me a unique combination of skills: I have the medical and metabolic understanding of how nutrients affect health outcomes, and I also have the counseling skills to help individuals sort through why they might struggle with food in the first place, and what they need to overcome these barriers.
I have a special interest in the intersection of eating disorders and sports. As a former collegiate athlete and a current mountain biker and distance runner, I know firsthand that nutrition and make or break performance. Athletes are particularly vulnerable to engaging in disordered eating, and I am personally dedicated to breaking this cycle.
Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc?
There are a few books in my library that I would call “must read:” Intuitive Eating by Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch, Health at Every Size by Lindo Bacon, Growing Up Mindful by Christopher Willard, Hunger by Roxane Gay, and The Gift of Therapy by Irvin Yalom. These books inform me as both a practitioner as well as a compassionate and socially-interested citizen.
As far as podcasts go, some current favorites include Maintenance Phase, which is devoted to nutrition myth-busting, The Consummate Athlete Podcast, which focuses on sustainable athlete performance, and The Free Method Podcast, a non-diet nutrition podcast by one of my colleagues and fellow dietitian, Dylan Murphy, We Can Do Hard Things with Glennon Doyle, which discusses a wide variety of mental-health related issues.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.rootednutritionandcounseling.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/root_ednutrition/
- Other: https://www.rootednutritionandcounseling.com/blog
