MAND December Member Spotlight: Samantha Osterhaus, MPH, RD, LD

Samantha Osterhaus, MPH, RD, LD

Provide us with a brief description of your job: I own a private practice, Mindfully Well, where I work one-on-one with people to help them heal from eating disorders, disordered eating, and chronic dieting. I specialize in Intuitive Eating and Health at Every Size/weight neutral approaches, and I bring this lens to my work with clients who are managing chronic conditions. I help my clients connect to their bodies’ needs and focus on behavior changes without shame, rigidity, and restriction.

What do you love about what you do? Private practice is a fun mix of client sessions, marketing, networking, and admin. In addition, I offer workplace wellness services to businesses who are looking to create a culture of health as well as consult for public health agencies. I love having the opportunity to connect with my clients and build strong therapeutic relationships. It’s rewarding to walk alongside them and help them rediscover the joy of food and feel more at home in their bodies.

What are the challenges? As an entrepreneur, I wear many more hats than just Registered Dietitian. I’ve had to step outside of my comfort zone and learn a lot about business, marketing, website development, social media, accounting, insurance billing… the list goes on! It’s challenging to bear sole responsibility for my business and income, but it’s been one I’ve greatly enjoyed.

How has your MAND membership benefited you? I’ve benefitted from the knowledge I’ve been able to gain from educational events and connections I’ve made with fellow members through networking. I’m also excited about the upcoming journal clubs to stay up to date on the research.

What do you think is the future of nutrition and dietetics? Telehealth is here to stay! I also see local food/food systems as well as the connections between nutrition and gut health and mental health continuing to be big topics for the future of nutrition and dietetics.

What are your favorite activities/hobbies? I love doing anything outside, but my favorite things are soccer, hiking, water skiing, and gardening. My partner (Colin) and I recently planted 12 fruit trees (apples, pears, peaches, and plums) as well as raised vegetable beds, so that’s keeping us very busy and I’m getting to learn a lot about canning/preservation. On the other hand, I’m also always up for cozying up with a good book or a Netflix marathon. I’ve recently been learning to embroider, which has been a fun way for me to be creative since I’m not naturally artistic.

What is your favorite restaurant in Minnesota? This is a hard question because I love so many! Right now my favorite is probably Josefina in Wayzata – their focaccia is AMAZING! A close second is ElMar’s NY Pizza in Plymouth – double pepperoni is my go-to 🙂

Please share your Instagram handle (and any other social media handles that you would like us to share):

Instagram: @sam_the_dietitian Twitter: @SamOsterhaus

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LiveMindfullyWell

Website: www.livemindfullywell.com