Meet Stephanie Darby | Registered Dietitian

We had the good fortune of connecting with Stephanie Darby and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Stephanie, have there been any changes in how you think about work-life balance?
I have always struggled with the word balance because it implies being able to give equal time to various tasks. When I first started my business, I also was juggling pregnancy and new motherhood, and I thought I had to find that elusive balance to succeed in both areas.

I’ve since learned through the process of having a second child and pivoting my business that sometimes there are seasons where one passion takes priority. I choose to not work as much in the summer when my children are home from school, so I’ve created a business that allows me to bring in more passive income during those months. And then during the school year, I have time dedicated to working more in order to be completely in parent mode when my kids are home from school or off for holidays.

I love what I do, and I love using my brain and abilities in two completely different ways. I’ve also learned that work and parenting don’t have to be opposing things. I help women find the root cause of their symptoms and manage their stress load through nutrition and lifestyle interventions. I get to practice what I preach every day as I also navigate parenting, work, relationships, and self care.

Balance to me is about knowing when to give more and when to let go. It’s about knowing what matters and needs priority and what can be done later. It’s about knowing what you need to be your best self and lending attention, time, and space to that and not letting the have-to-do’s of life take over. Balance isn’t about having it exactly 50/50 all the time. It’s about living in your season, being mindful of where you spend your time, and doing the things that will help you craft a life that is not just successful but filled with joy.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I support active women, mothers, and runners reach their fitness goals utilizing functional nutrition resources. Endurance nutrition and functional nutrition are two opposing fields in terms of how eating, optimal intake, activity, and rest are coached. But I found through my own experience of trying to get back into running postpartum with both of my children, that many times we need functional support in order to get our bodies ready to handle endurance challenges. We have to eat and train one way to recover from pregnancy, childbirth, motherhood before we can effectively chase our fitness goals. And then when we get to the point where our bodies can handle going after that endurance goal, we need to make sure we are eating enough, fueling enough, resting enough and not listening to what diet culture is screaming at us, telling us our bodies need to look a certain way or we need to follow a trendy diet in order to be able to reach those goals. Any body can run or chase fitness if it is fueled properly. I want women to not just thrive in their every day lives but to realize that their fitness goals are actually attainable and to provide the support needed along the way to get there.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I believe that our stories have the power to change lives, and that sharing our stories matters. My life shifted when I heard Robin Long, Pilates instructor and founder of Lindywell, share her health story on her podcast. I was in the middle of taking a pause in my work due to having my second child, and was struggling with my own health challenges. Her story not only changed my health journey and helped me find healing, it changed the course of my entire business, as I shifted my nutrition practice from supporting families through intuitive eating practices to supporting women and moms through functional nutrition and testing.

Conventional medicine and nutrition provide so much value in helping heal illness and disease. But there is also so much lived experience out there that cannot be explained by science. And that doesn’t mean that those suffering have no hope or that their struggles aren’t real or don’t matter. Robin opened my eyes to the world of functional healing through her own experience and helped me see that we can optimize health even in the absence of diagnosed disease. Health isn’t black or white, healthy or sick. The grey space of not feeling our best and wanting to thrive in our lives is real and has value. After I went through my own functional healing journey, I began to research, learn, and educate myself as much as possible in the field of intuitive functional nutrition so that I could not only pass it forward by sharing my story but also help women heal and feel vibrant in their own lives. The way we change the larger narrative of what defines health is one story at a time.

Website: https://stephaniedarbyrd.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stephaniedarbyrd/

Image Credits
Amanda Evans Photo