How many kids do you have and what are their ages?
I have one son and he just turned 4 in February!
How long have you lived in Columbus and what made you decide to live here?
I have lived in Columbus since 2009. I moved here from a little town called East Palestine right after I graduated high school, I was an aspiring hairdresser ready to conquer the world! In 2015 I decided to go to college for the first time and get a degree in nutrition!
What are your favorite family activities in the Columbus area?
We love anything and everything outside! We love sports and riding bikes, scooters, kicking the ball outside. We enjoy gardening all year round. Snowboarding in the winter as well as sledding of course! We are members of COSI and the Columbus zoo as well and you will see us there quite often as well!
What do you love about living in Columbus?
I love that there is so much to offer! There is always something to do rain or shine and that’s a must when you have a 4 year old! I also love the diversity of food and how no matter what I’m craving I’m going to find it somewhere.
Tell us more about your business, BetaCarrotTeen and how you got started?
BetaCarrotTeen was started in 2020 during the pandemic. It started as a nutrition blog and progressed into a health and wellness site. I chose the name because my son loves carrots and beta carotene is the phytochemical that comes from carrots. When I went to use beta carotene it was already in use, so I decided to call my business “BetaCarrotTeen”
Who is your typical client and how do you work together?
My typical client is a busy mom who is ready to allow herself time to take care of herself and her needs. Busy moms are always busy taking care of everyone else but never themselves. I’m there to help them achieve their health and wellness goals with evidence based nutrition education. We get together for an initial visit and discuss food and medical history, as well as learn everything there is to know about you and your goals! Then we meet weekly and set weekly goals and protocols to your individual needs. Some clients just want one visit or some want multiple months of coaching. There is a lot of versatility with my coaching! I understand what it’s like being a busy mom so I have a flexible schedule to help work with anyone’s needs!
What is some advice you can provide to families about how to make meals healthy, but ones that their kids will eat?
Make meal time fun, and add color to each meal! Try introducing new fruits or vegetables or try a new yummy recipe each week that the whole family chooses!
What do you love about your business?
I love creating content for social media, blog and website as well as sharing my nutrition expertise with my clients!
What does a typical day look like for you?
Oh boy, do you want the long or the short version? It depends on if I’m working my main job or if I am off. BetaCarrotTeen is my side hustle, but I work at Ohio State in Nutrition Services. I work out 4-5 days a week at 6:30am with a group of girls on zoom. Then I’ll either do client check ins, respond to emails, and social media content until 8ish. If I have to work then I have to get myself and the little guy ready for the day and do drop off at childcare. If I don’t have to work then little man and I will go do something like go to the playground, zoo, COSI etc. When he goes to school that’s when I work, meal prep, clean etc… Evenings always look different depending on the day and weather. After little man’s bedtime routine, we wind down and Netflix and chill. I try to do 15 mins of no cell phone right before bedtime but that’s not always doable. Client check ins vary day to day.
How do you juggle work and being a mom?
With my husband and in-laws/parents. I work 4 days out of the week, and the other days I have my little guy. But I’m so thankful for my family and all that they do!
What is the best piece of advice you have received from another mom?
A mom once told me to take all the photos I can, and make sure I print them out. And I don’t know why, but that stuck with me. Especially since we are one and done, I thought it was so important to keep all these memories. So I have a chatbooks series for every month since he was born. (Yes that is a lot of photo books!)
