Today we’d like to introduce you to Tyler Rolling.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
How it started… I grew up in Tallahassee, FL, living with my mom, dad and younger brother. Since a young age, I loved performing, whether that was putting on shows for my family or stealing my mom’s camcorder to record my own home video commercials. This girl was NOT camera shy! At the age of 7, I began competing in synchronized swimming, and at the age of 12 I started taking dance classes – both of which would become a huge part of my life and follow me into adulthood.
Growing up, there was always a lot of love and affection, but around the time I was ten years old, my mother’s addiction to alcohol became apparent. This is when I remember my family life really starting to change. I wasn’t just a kid anymore, I also had to be a parent to a mom who was struggling with addiction.
Another big turning point was when my parents divorced. I was 18 years old, I had just graduated high school and felt completely disconnected from my family. My Dad wasn’t really in the picture at the time and my mom’s addiction made her emotionally absent from my life. I had no idea what I wanted to do with my future.
I was a competitive synchronized swimmer and thought I was going to college for it (believe it or not they do have NCAA synchronized swimming!) But those plans changed when the divorce happened and my mom’s addiction worsened.
I started taking classes at a local community college to see which topics interested me the most. Meanwhile, my body was also going through some major changes. For me, the “freshman 15” turned into the “freshman 40”, so I started using food and exercise as a way to gain some sense of control in my life… a life that felt very chaotic and confusing.
This unhealthy obsession with food and my body was the driving force behind me choosing to study Nutrition and Dietetics. I thought to myself… “I’d be good at telling people what to eat and what not to eat! This is gonna be great…”
Then, once I started taking classes at Florida State University, I began to work under a dietitian who specialized in Intuitive Eating and Eating Disorders. This is when my relationship to food and my body really began to heal and transform. I realized that my passion wasn’t in prescribing diets, but in helping others develop a healthy relationship with food. If it wasn’t for the guidance of this dietitian, I most likely would’ve developed a more serious eating disorder.
Fast forward two years. I moved out to San Diego to become a Registered Dietitian and pursue my Master’s degree in Nutrition Science. One month before graduating, I got an interview to work at SDSU’s Well-being & Health Promotion Department… and got the job!
Life really came full circle here. I’d go on to implement Intuitive Eating and a non-diet approach to food within the nutrition programming and curriculum throughout campus… just like the RD who mentored me at FSU.
Remember when I said synchronized swimming and dance would follow me into adulthood?
During my first year of living in San Diego, I heard of an LA-based casting company exclusively for synchronized swimmers… The Aqualillies. I auditioned, was casted and continue to work with them to this day. It’s been such a fun experience to bring this art and performance to my everyday life (who knew??) Some of my favorite projects I’ve been in include being casted in Season 2, Chapter 35 of Jane The Virgin on the CW network and the music video for the artist, Absofacto and his song “Dissolve.”
I also started taking dance classes around San Diego and auditioned for a local burlesque dance company, Ooh La La, where we performed live shows.
Near the end of 2019, I’d been working at SDSU and my skills as a Non-diet Dietitian and Certified Intuitive Eating Counselor were improving, so I decided to extend my work outside of the university and start my own coaching practice – FOOD, BODY & SOUL.
Through my own struggles with disordered eating alongside my training as a non-diet RD and Certified Intuitive Eating Counselor, I wanted to help women heal their relationship to food and their body.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I don’t think any road worth traveling is smooth. There’ve been plenty of bumps and detours along the way.
The biggest struggle has been getting past my own fears and allowing myself to be fully seen. Giving myself permission to step into my leadership.
Deciding to move across the country by myself at 23 years old, not knowing anyone in San Diego, was a bold move for me. It completely changed the trajectory of my life.
There was a lot more Soul searching that needed to happen…
Getting out here was quite the adventure. I barely had any money. I packed my 96’ Geo Prizm with as many of my belongings as I could and drove cross-country in the middle of August without any AC… she was ready to get out of Florida! 😉
In order to become a Registered Dietitian, you have to do an internship. I ended up getting matched to Patton State Hospital in San Bernardino, which is a forensic psychiatric hospital. I had to take self-defense classes and wear two alarms on me at all times in case a patient tried to assault me. It was a huge learning experience for me. This is when I furthered my interest in behavioral nutrition. Not just prescribing someone to a diet, but actually examining their motivation for change.
Then, in 2020, our lives completely changed. I loved the work I was doing at SDSU (and still do!), but as we transitioned to work from home, it became even more apparent that it was time for me to start my own coaching practice.
The past couple of years have been a series of mini deaths and rebirths… like a phoenix rising from the ashes kinda energy.
No one told me that starting a coaching practice would catapult me into a lifelong journey of growth and transformation… and to be honest… I’m here for it.
I like to think that we’re all students at the University of Life.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
FOOD, BODY & SOUL is a coaching program that values a holistic approach to healing your relationship with food and your body.
When I first started, I was strictly focused on Intuitive Eating. Intuitive eating is a philosophy of eating that makes you the expert of your body and its hunger signals. Essentially, it’s the opposite of a traditional diet. It doesn’t impose guidelines about what to avoid and what or when to eat. Instead, you listen to your body and eat what feels right for you while keeping your health values in mind.
However, in my first year of coaching, I began to notice a theme.
It wasn’t just about the food.
It was much more dynamic than that. Underneath the chronic dieting and using exercise as punishment was a complete disconnection from one’s true Self. These women were completely out of tune with their body’s wisdom. There was no self-trust and they were afraid of being fully seen.
With my dance background, I decided to incorporate somatic dance and movement into the FOOD, BODY & SOUL program as a way to help women tap into their intuition and trust their body. Somatics are the internal sensations you experience while moving your body. Somatic dance takes the focus off of performative technique and instead focuses on your inner experience as you move and expand your internal awareness. I like to say it’s like learning your body’s language.
Meanwhile, I begin deepening my spiritual practice through meditation, mindfulness and breathwork. I saw the benefits it had in relieving anxiety, so I started to integrate these practices into my coaching to help women overcome fears around food and their body.
These women aren’t just overcoming emotional eating and compulsive exercise. They’re returning home to themselves. They’re remembering who they were before diet culture and disordered eating habits grabbed ahold. The transformations I’ve seen have been absolutely incredible.
I have clients who started their own business because they finally felt confident enough in themselves. Other clients have deepened their romantic relationships because they finally felt good in their body. One client opened up about her sexuality, stopped dating men and started dating women. She’s now in a happy relationship, where she feels fully seen. Another client of mine inspired her mom to finally start healing her relationship to food and her body (disordered eating and negative body image are often passed down from generation to generation.)
It’s been such an honor to guide women on this path. It truly feels like my Soul’s calling.
As for the future of FOOD, BODY & SOUL, I see myself creating online programs so that thousands can access these modalities and heal their relationship to food and their body. I also see myself doing more in-person workshops at different events and spaces.
Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
When you make the choice to start a coaching business, just know that you’ll constantly be evolving.
Give yourself permission to evolve. We’re not here to remain stagnant and anytime we place ourselves in a box, our Soul suffocates.
Contact Info:
- Email: tylerrolling@tylerrollingrd.com
- Website: tylerrollingrd.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tyler.rolling.rd/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/foodbodysoul
Image Credits
Jessica Winans
