Staff Spotlight: Kelsey Umansky, RDN
Get to know Kelsey!
First, tell us a bit about yourself! Hometown, hobbies, favorite foods, favorite holiday?
Hello! I’m Kelsey. I grew up in Las Vegas and moved to SLO to study nutrition at Cal Poly. Once I got here, I knew I never wanted to leave and have been here ever since. My hobbies include creating new recipes in the kitchen, making macrame wall hangings, mountain biking with my husband, cuddling with my golden doodle, and traveling. My favorite food is pizza and the best pizza I’ve ever had was homemade by my grandpa. I’ve tried to learn how to make it myself, but it just isn’t the same. My favorite holiday is Thanksgiving because it combines my love for food and family.
Why did you choose to become an eating disorder dietitian?
A pivotal moment in my journey with my own relationship with food and body was being introduced to the book Intuitive Eating by Elyse Resch and Evelyn Tribole. My eyes were opened to the prevalence and harmful effects of diet culture and weight stigma in our society. I started to seek out more resources from likeminded professionals in this field and through this, was able to redefine my own idea of what “health and wellness” truly means. I still knew I wanted to help people through my work as a dietitian, but now I had a much clearer vision of the messages I wanted to spread. I wanted to help others heal their relationship with food and to feel liberated from the scale and the diet mentality trap. When the opportunity to work with Marlena Tanner at the Yellow House presented itself, I knew this was my opportunity to bring these messages to those who really needed it.
Most rewarding moment with your clients?
I feel honored to work with my clients and to be a safe person for them, someone they can open up to and share things that maybe they’ve never shared before. In these moments, it feels very rewarding to be that person for someone. I do think some of my favorite moments are when I get a text from a client in between sessions to share a success. They might let me know that they haven’t weighed themself in x amount of days or share that something we talked about in our session stuck with them and has been helping them with food throughout the week. Whatever it may be, reading the excitement and accomplishment in these texts never gets old.
What do you wish people knew about getting treatment for eating disorders?
What I wish more people knew regarding eating disorders and eating disorder treatment is…
It’s not the person’s fault that they have an eating disorder, they didn’t choose this.
Eating disorders and eating disorder recovery will look different in every person. You cannot compare, and whatever the persons size or symptoms look like, they deserve recovery.
Recovery is hard work, and it often takes a team and very strong support group to get there. But it’s possible, and it’s worth it.
What happens during a first appointment with you?
During a first appointment my number one goal is to make my new client feel as comfortable as possible. First sessions can be tough and emotional. I want to ensure my client feels safe and heard. I get to know more about them and learn more about their journey that led them here. Throughout the session, I am assessing their nutritional needs, providing education as appropriate, and together, we start to map out a treatment plan.
What is your favorite inspirational quote (related to recovery or not)?
While we cannot direct the wind, we can adjust the sails.