Meet Leanne Smith! Leanne is a Health at Every Size aligned dietitian who is passionate about helping her clients achieve positive, nourishing, and sustainable relationships with food. Read on to learn about her love of reality tv and how she got interested in nutrition!
Where are you from and what is your favorite thing about that place?
I’m from Raleigh, North Carolina. I grew up there and I’ve lived all over North Carolina. I’ve lived in Greenville, North Carolina and Greensboro, North Carolina and Asheville, North Carolina. I’d say my favorite part about North Carolina is … I really like the fall there. It’s very pretty. I really like having the mountains and beach very close to each other.
What was your favorite food as a child? What’s your favorite food now?
My favorite food as a child was mac n cheese. My favorite food now is … donuts. Krispy Kreme are my favorites. As someone from North Carolina, I feel like it has to be Krispy Kreme donuts.
Are you a savory or sweet person?
Sweet person.
Do you have any hobbies outside of work?
I like to read. I like to play video games. I like to ride my bike. I like to rock climb and play volleyball. Watch TV, specifically reality TV. I love RuPaul’s Drag Race. I have two cats and actually one of them is named after a drag queen who was on RuPaul’s Drag Race. I really like the show survivor- just really classic reality TV. And then any TLC show … like Say Yes to the Dress, but really anything.
If you could live anywhere, where would you live?
Hmm … maybe Greece. It just looks really beautiful. Honestly, that’s pretty much it (laughs). I love Greek food. Being by the ocean would be cool. I feel like it would be a really cool place to live.
Do you like to cook? What are your go-to things to make?
I do love to cook. I really like … I have a really good chicken and dumplings recipe that I love to make. Hmm … for breakfast, if I had a waffle maker I would make waffles all the time. I love waffles. Really anything. I love to try new recipes. I love to try new things I haven’t made before.
How did you become interested in nutrition?
I originally went to school for psychology and when I graduated I thought for sure I wanted to go into more … medical, healthcare instead of counseling. I was actually in the process of preparing to apply to nursing school when I found out what a dietitian was. And I happened upon a program for dietetics and just … lightbulb went off. Because nutrition was pretty interesting to me and I just was like … that’s the area I want to be in. So, I ended up going to that program and here I am now.
What is something you wish you knew about nutrition when you were younger? Something you want other people to know about nutrition?
You can’t tell anything about someone’s nutrition by how they look.
What is your favorite part of working for Courage to Nourish so far?
I am a newer dietitian, but I know that I really want to work with people who understand eating disorders and who understand that health can exist at every size. So I’m really looking forward to getting to work with other experienced dietitians and people who are in this space that I want to work in.
In terms of mental health in general, what would you say to anyone who is nervous about seeking help or not sure if they need help? What advice would you have for that person?
I think I would say … just go for it. People who go into working in mental health or people who go into working in nutrition counseling are here to support and are here to provide a safe space. No one is going to judge you for anything you could say, so I think it can only help.
Contact Us
Courage to Nourish is a group of eating disorder specialized dietitians. We have in person locations in Alexandria, Virginia, Columbia, Maryland. and College Park, Maryland. We offer virtual services across the state of Virginia, Washington DC, Pennsylvania, and Colorado. We offer individual nutrition therapy. As well as support groups. We would love to guide you in building a better relationship with food.
Contact us for more information. And to schedule a discovery call. Also, sign up for our client or clinician newsletter!
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Leslie Bredehoeft, Student Intern
Hi! I’m Leslie Bredehoeft and I’m an intern at Courage to Nourish. I am currently an undergraduate student at the College of William & Mary, majoring in Kinesiology with a concentration in Human Nutrition and minoring in English. After receiving my B.S. I plan to go to grad school to pursue an M.S. degree and become a registered dietitian. As a registered dietitian, I hope to educate my clients on the science of nutrition and help better their relationship with food.