Today we’d like to introduce you to Kelly Shaughnessy and Tammy Harper.
Kelly and Tammy, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
(Tammy) I grew up in the small but beautiful town of St. Ignatius, MT. During my younger years, I saw a toxic relationship with my parents and didn’t have much support in pursuing any of my interests. For example, my parents wouldn’t let me join any type of sport until 10th grade and by that time, most kids were already good at sports. Once I joined a sport, I was responsible for finding my own rides to and from practices and etc. When I played games, no one came to watch me. I never heard any praise or kind words about my achievements.
My childhood was a difficult and confusing time. I always felt like my parents should get a divorce, but that my mother wasn’t able to support the family. This made me realize that no matter what, I would get my education so that if I were ever in a situation that wasn’t healthy for myself or my children, I could leave and support my family. In high school, I signed up for the ACT prep class and attended that class because I was determined to go to college.
I’ve worked in several areas of dietetics, and more recently, felt like I wanted to have a more creative outlet, so I came up with the idea to start a podcast. I asked a fellow dietitian and friend of mine, Kelly Shaughnessy, if she would be interested in working on a nutrition podcast with me and luckily she was very excited about the opportunity. That’s how our Lettuce Explain podcast originated and now we’ve been producing bi-monthly podcasts for the past two and a half years.
(Kelly) We were raised in an environment where my mom encouraged healthy eating without obsessing over it. We were encouraged to play outside and eat mostly whole foods. During my first year of community college in my hometown of Santa Clarita, CA while taking a nutrition course, I was also working at a daycare for a local school district. I noticed what the children brought to eat from home and the types of foods served by the school and knew I had to do something to make a positive influence on others’ lives through nutrition.
After the challenging road to becoming a Registered Dietitian, I have worked in skilled nursing and earned my certificate in Personal Training. Skipping forward several years, Tammy reached out to me from a sister facility and gave me all the gossip about the company. We hit it off instantly. I have always had this drive to do more, to make a difference, so when Tammy asked me to join her in producing a nutrition and wellness podcast, I was all for it!
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Getting to where we are, and still want to go, has definitely been, and is a difficult road. Not only was becoming Registered Dietitians many years of schooling and internships and exams and continuing education, but not a thing we have done since we decided to start this podcast has been smooth. With each task came a challenge. Most of the first two years, we were doing this for free.
Our advice for other women is to keep moving forward no matter what. If you hit a snag, find a way around it. You will definitely feel like giving up and throwing in the towel on more than one occasion. And that’s okay. Each day is a new day. Review your goals and hop right back on track. (We) think being very aware you are going to run into obstacles ahead of time will prepare you for what is to come. The end result is fun and challenging, and definitely worth the hardships.
Please tell us about Lettuce Explain Podcast – what should we know?
Both of us produce the Lettuce Explain Podcast, a nutrition and wellness podcast aimed at individuals who want to live a healthier life. Our mission is simple, to entertain and educate you on all things nutrition and wellness. We’re here to help you understand the wildly curious world of nutrition and wellness one podcast episode at a time. Unlike most other nutrition podcasts, Lettuce Explain is produced by nutrition experts.
Tammy is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist with many years of experience in pediatric and adult nutrition and fitness, currently working in skilled nursing. She has participated in the Certificate of Training in Adult Weight Management and the Certificate of Training in Childhood and Adolescent Weight Management along with obtaining a Specialized Certificate in Clinical Trials Administration.
Kelly is also a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and Certified Personal Trainer, certified in Weight Management, with experience in adult nutrition, fitness. She owns her own nutrition counseling and personal training consulting business in North County, San Diego and also works in skilled nursing.
Not only do our podcast episodes educate the general public on nutrition and wellness, but the episodes offer continuing education units for other Registered Dietitian Nutritionists and Diet Technicians.
Do you recommend any apps, books or podcasts that have been helpful to you?
(Kelly) I really enjoy reading books about productivity that help organize my life to run a little smoother and easier. One I loved is called Productivity Ninja by Graham Allcott. An idea I loved in particular about this book that has stuck with me is if something can be done in two minutes, do it right away. Will reading an email takes two minutes? Do it now and file/delete it. Will clearing the kitchen island takes two minutes? Do it now and you won’t have to deal with it later and possibly stress about the mess. A podcast I have recently started listening to is How I Built This. You hear about entrepreneurs’ stories and struggles, and how they pushed through and have been successful.
(Tammy) I love any biographies and just finished the Jeff Bezos biography The Everything Store. I also enjoy business books-The Millionaire Next Door, Rich Dad Poor Dad, The E-Myth, The One Thing, just to name a few. As for podcasts, I enjoy Bigger Pockets and anything real estate related. Then for apps, I love the LesMills app, an exercise-based app that has workout routines.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.lettuceexplain.com
- Email: lettuceexplain@gmail.com
- Instagram: @lettuceexplain
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/lettuceexplain
- Twitter: @lettuceexplain
Image Credit:
Ali Harper, Kelly Shaughnessy
Suggest a story: SDVoyager is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
