Hi, I’m Nicole.

I help people of all shapes and sizes achieve a better relationship with food and their body so they can lead a life with more freedom, ease, empowerment, connection, health and well-being.

MY Mission

I work with individuals in a class setting, small group, or one-on-one to peel back the layers of past diets and beliefs and start to disentangle emotions from eating. I guide people who are tired of struggling with food and just want to stop thinking about it so much. Slowly but surely, I get to watch as the ideas and practices start to sink in, and someone who previously felt so stuck starts to relax about eating and to enjoy food, without the guilt and without depriving or over-indulging. I truly love what I get to do!

Working with me

I use aspects of mindful eating, which can help anyone appreciate and savor their food selection, preparation, and ingestion more. I also utilize intuitive eating, a term coined by Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch in their intelligently written and thoughtfully sequenced book by the same name.

Other philosophies and tools I incorporate to meet individuals wherever they are with their relationship to food, their body, and health, include Health at Every Size®, mindfulness and basic meditation, and mindful motion/physical activity. The body of research literature supporting mindful and intuitive eating as well as these other approaches is impressive and keeps growing.

My Credentials

I’ve been a registered dietitian for over 20 years and I’ve worked in clinical settings, outpatient counseling, and in the community at schools and grocery stores, presenting at churches, parks, universities, conferences, and places of business. Having my own private practice has been the biggest and most rewarding adventure in my career, although staying at home with my kids when they were young was up there in the rewarding category too.

Below are some of the key credentials and trainings I’d like to highlight to give you a flavor of my interests and education. Although this list communicates certain things to some people, I believe there is much wisdom outside of formal training. One of my favorite mottos is, “Don’t let school get in the way of your education.” Most of what I’ve learned has come from experiences outside of what is listed here, including parenting, being a good friend, going through a divorce, developing a practice/hobby/skill, and sitting with countless people and hearing their body and food stories. That said, here’s the (partial) list:

M.S. in Nutrition is from the University of Minnesota (2003). My research and publications were looking at fruit and vegetable intake in low-income urban and rural food-deserts in Minnesota, comparing civically-engaged versus less-engaged communities; along with dumpster diving for food.
Licensed to practice as a registered dietitian for virtual sessions for folks living in Minnesota, Wisconsin, North Dakota, and North Carolina. I am also able to work virtually in states that don’t require licensure, including Colorado, California, Arizona, and New Mexico. This is always changing, so please reach out to see if that is possible where you are.
Licensed Nutritionist in the state of Minnesota. (Each state handles licensure differently. In MN, “Licensed Nutritionist” means I have met all of the requirements to be a “Licensed Dietitian,” with the addition of having an advanced degree). My office is here in St.Paul, MN, for both virtual and in-person sessions.
Certified Intuitive Eating Counselor since 2014
Motivational interviewing training with Dana Sturtevant, 2016 and 2022
Member of Eating Disorder RD professionals (EDRDpro) since 2017, with many continuing education sessions/courses per month/year
Certified Body Trust® Practitioner since 2018
Just Practice with Hilary Kinavey and Carmen Cool, 2018
Certified Mindfulness Meditation Teacher, through Sounds True with Tara Brach and Jack Kornfield, 2-year program Feb 2019-Feb 2021. Particular interest in teaching basic mindfulness and self-compassion
Trauma-Sensitive Mindfulness training with David Treleaven, 2019, currently in Advanced program now in 2020
Freedom School with Desiree Adaway, all of 2020
Various trainings on therapeutic modalities for dietitians including ACT, IFS, DBT, harm reduction, and working with LGBTQIA+, culturally diverse, and/or neurodiverse clients
Meditation training at Mind Roads with Thérèse Jacobs-Stewart, 2011-2014, including several lengthy intensives on topics including The Four Bramavaharas, LoJong, and Tonglen
Certificate course in Mindful Eating through The Center for Mindful Eating, 2023.
Gut-Practitioner 6-month intensive course w Dr. Heather Finley, 2023.
200-hour Yoga Teacher Training, Core Power Yoga, 2012

The BodyTrust training has been the most comprehensive and in-depth journey through crucial aspects such as trauma-informed care, embodiment, self-compassion and the inner critic, the science of weight regulation, healthism, healing body shame, and more. Bringing Body Trust® to my practice has been the greatest and most helpful resource for counseling people through their unique histories; allowing space to explore stories and experiences that have consciously or unconsciously burdened their relationship with food, body, and self, and further, how to heal that relationship. I am so honored to be a part of the Body Trust Practitioner community and all of the amazing work everyone is doing!

My favorite movement

Most people learn pretty quickly that I have a serious passion for mountain biking. Sometimes this is due to an obvious injury (ouch), or because I occasionally have scheduling difficulties because I’m off somewhere to race/ride/tour on my bike. Yoga keeps me grounded (especially when it’s raining or too cold for even my snow bike). Yoga teacher training was an incredible growth experience for me and greatly improved my knowledge and practice of yoga both on and off the mat.

My take on food

As for food, I am a wholehearted grower, semi-talented cook (I prefer recipes more as guidelines and am not great at following them precisely, which is why I’m not such a great baker), practical and creative improviser, and ecstatic eater of all sorts of omnivorous meals. Shout outs to fave ingredients: avocado, bacon, berries, champagne, potato chips (good ones), dark chocolate and anything plucked from my garden. I have preferences for the type of foods that I eat, although my life and values (including the need for convenience and simplicity) allow for flexibility and a wide variety of food.

READY TO IMPROVE YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH FOOD?

Schedule a free consultation to learn more about a non-diet approach to nutrition.

A few ODD facts about me

I wrote (the first?) academic paper on dumpster diving for food
I am deeply in love with soil (“stop treating our soil like dirt!”) and keep worms – red wigglers to be precise – to compost kitchen scraps.
My first degree was in geography, so as my brother says, now I can “tell people where to go to eat.” This study “feeds” my interest in food systems, agriculture, and ways to approach feeding our global population.

I am a water-lover, especially partial to oceans – so if I ever disappear, check southern California or the US Virgin Islands, both places that I have lived before and would again in a heartbeat.
A good friend bestowed me with three adjectives she said described me: loyal, game, and durable. Every day I am proud of that and vow to keep it true.

So, enough about me.

What about you? What are your passions? What is your relationship with food like?

If you’d like to keep in touch, please like my Facebook page. If you’re wondering if you’d like to work with me, feel free to schedule a free 30-minute initial consultation. I would love to connect with you!

Schedule a free consultation