Meet the Dietitian: Kelley Raetzsch

We love sharing the stories of the providers who use Healthie to help their businesses grow. Meet Kelley Raetzsch, RD, CSSD! Kelley is a registered dietitian with her own private practice, Vibrant Life Nutrition! Kelley’s practice specializes in creating individualized care for her clients to help them through recovery and develop healthy eating habits, promoting balance, variety, and moderation.

Kelley is currently launching the Embrace Eating Recovery Programs. This is a 6 – 9 month program created specifically for individuals suffering from eating disorders who are serious about seeking care, education, and coaching. Kelley offers two version of the Embrace Eating Recovery Program, with one specifically created with teens in mind. In this program, Kelley focuses on developing healthy relationships with food and seeking out hidden challenges and blind spots that have prevented past success.

We were so fortunate to get the chance to chat with Kelley as she shared with us her career path so far and a little advice from her experiences.

Tell us about your path to becoming a dietitian.

Kelley: We all have something that prompted us to become dietitians! For me, I kind of fell into after realizing I did not want to be an orthopedic surgeon or forensic pathologist. I had a natural draw to the field as an athlete in high school. What furthered my interest is when my sweet daddy was diagnosed with diabetes. He had some major changes to make, and I wanted to help others live a better life through their food and exercise choices as well!

Tell us all about Vibrant Life Nutrition. What is your approach to care?

Kelley: Everybody has a story to tell, and I like to take time to hear it. This helps me understand their relationship with food so I can provide genuine, empathetic, compassionate and individualized care. My underlying philosophy includes broccoli and ice cream…All Foods Fit, it’s a matter of helping my clients understand how to make that work for them.

What advice do you have for dietetic students just graduating/completing their internships?

Kelley: Be bold and courageous! You can make your career what you want it to be and you can break out of the box! Find other dietitians in the field you want to explore, learn from them, don’t be shy about asking questions and believe in what you do each day!

I heard that you have a lot of really fantastic advice for keeping healthy habits around the holidays, what’s your favorite tip?

Kelley: I had a lot of fun creating my 12 Days of Happy Holiday Eating! One of my favorites is a little something like this: “on the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me…a body that knows when it is hungry!” So, my favorite tip is to “Listen”-tune in to what your body is telling you about how hungry you are, what type of food you are needing and how satisfied you want to be when finished with your meal.

How do you think technology is changing the way dietitians are practicing care?

Kelley: We are gaining so many resources to be connected with our clients in real time, helping them to really make lasting behavior change.

Why are you excited about using Healthie?

Kelley: At first, I wasn’t sure about trying another EMR services, BUT…Healthie is more than that! I am so excited about the streamlined process of getting clients enrolled, tracking session notes, making payments and the awesome addition of telehealth. What a great way to package a service that is affordable!