Meet Erin Palinski-Wade, RD, CDE, founder and owner of Vernon Nutrition Center. She went from being a competitive gymnast to creating her dream job in fitness and nutrition. Learn how you can turn your passion into a paid reality. – Sarah

What attracted you to the field of fitness and exercise? I grew up in sports as a competitive gymnast and have always been interested in fitness and the impact it has on health and well-being. As a dietitian who specializes in diabetes, it was a natural fit to incorporate exercise prescriptions into my clients’ wellness plans. I became a certified personal trainer so that I bring the gap between nutrition and fitness for the individuals I work with to allow them to achieve the best health results possible.

Your Job Title: Owner, Vernon Nutrition Center 

Company you are with now: I am the owner of my private practice Vernon Nutrition Center, LLC as well as the co-creator of Master the Media, an e-course dedicated to helping health professionals break into the media to build their brand and their business.

Website:  http://erinpalinski.com

Social Media:
 – Instagram: http://instagram.com/erinpalinskiwade
 – Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HealthyMomHappierFamily
 – Twitter: @ErinPalinski
 – Pinterest: @ErinPalinski

A typical (or not so typical) day in the work-life for you: No day is ever typical, but I like it that way. I rotate between working with individual clients designing exercise and nutrition plans, to writing articles on fitness and nutrition for a variety of publications, to filming exercise videos or creating recipes for my social media sites and blogs, to speaking to the media on topics pertaining to the impact of fitness and nutrition on diabetes and health. I also work with healthcare and fitness professionals to provide coaching services on how to build their practices, brands, and break into the media. It’s a very fun mix and keeps me busy. No matter what the day brings, I also make sure I find time to fit in my own workout and spend time with my two sons (sometimes we combine that!)

How did you get your current job in fitness and exercise? I created it! I started my practice with the goal in mind of helping improve the health of those I worked with one-on-one through nutrition and fitness. This has now evolved into helping individuals face to face as well as large groups through e-courses and social media platforms and campaigns I have developed.

What skills were you born with and what skills have you learned along the way? I think by nature I was born with the desire to be an entrepreneur. I am always dreaming up new business ideas and have always been passionate about going outside the box to create my own path. I have learned along the way, however, that in order to be as successful as you want to be, you cannot take the journey alone. It took me longer than I’d like to admit this, but once I formed a network around me to outsource tasks, learn new skills, and share expertise with me in areas that I struggled, my business took off and my work/life balance improved.

What advice do you have for others wanting to be just as successful and fulfilled as you? Figure out what you love to do and then figure out how you can get paid to do it. It sounds simplistic, but there are so many opportunities and career paths available now thanks to areas such as social media and e-learning that the ways you can generate revenue from your passion for fitness are almost limitless. The beauty of many of these opportunities is that they can be done at non-traditional times. This can allow for a better work-life balance as well. For me, although I work fulltime hours, since a lot of my media work/writing/video work can be done outside traditional work hours (and because some of it my family can help me with), I am able to have my children in childcare only part-time, allowing me more time with them while still earning a full-time salary.

If you could be paid for your job with something other than a paycheck, what would it be? Fun! To me, exercising, trying out new activities, creating new recipes – its all so fun and I get paid to do it at the same time, which is amazing. However, even if I never received a paycheck again, if I could continue to experience new ways to be active and have fun while spending quality time with my family while doing it, that would be all I would ever need.

Sarah Koszyk, MA, RDN, is a Registered Dietitian and Sports Nutritionist specializing in Weight Management and Sports Nutrition for youth and adults. She writes articles for multiple publications, provides customized nutrition coaching, and is a brand spokesperson. She is founder of Family. Food. Fiesta.Connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, or LinkedIn.