Today we’d like to introduce you to Sally Bowman.
Hi Sally, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I am a native Austinite and grew up in Westlake Hills in the 60’s and 70’s when you could still ride a bike to school and cross Bee Cave Rd without risking your life. My parents were pioneers in the Westlake Hills area when they built our family home in 1956. I was given lots of opportunities to explore the outdoors at home and also at our ranch in Dripping Springs. In addition, I loved every sport played with a ball-tennis, golf, basketball, volleyball but in the end tennis and golf were the winners. In junior high, I was the only girl on the golf team and unfortunately Westlake High School didn’t start a girl’s golf team until two years after I graduated so I focused on tennis, winning the state championship in 1980.
Following in family footsteps, I attended UT and luckily landed in the Nutrition/Dietetics program which enabled me to combine my love for science with my desire to help people become healthier. After working as the dietitian at Lake Austin Resort for a couple of years, I returned to UT to get a Master’s degree in Health Promotion and Fitness. This led to an internship and a job at a wellness center in Georgia as the education program coordinator where I was able to teach weight and stress management programs, CPR, smoking cessation and cooking classes. All of these experiences served to broaden my focus and inform me that wellness is a much broader concept than I initially thought- involving spiritual, emotional and physical areas.
I moved back to Austin in 1995 because I was sick with what would be diagnosed as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. In my case, it was related to a reoccurance of Ebstein-Barr virus (having had mono in high school). The irony of being a “wellness person who was sick” was not lost on me. After several years of pursuing a more functional, integrative path, I was able to again work near full time as a consultant dietitian in private practice. For 18 years I worked for Central Texas Nutrition Consultants, one of the first private practice nutrition businesses in Austin. This is where I honed my skills as a dietitian specializing in eating disorders and a non-diet approach. I also had the opportunity to be a consultant sports dietitian at the University of Texas for women’s and men’s athletics. During this time, I studied to gain my board certification as a sports dietitian.
In 2016, I started my own private practice with a focus on eating disorders, weight issues, sports nutrition and a functional/integrative approach to cardio-metabolic and gastrointestinal health. I had noticed so many people including myself suffering from food sensitivities and IBS like symptoms. I knew I was on the right path helping these individuals when one of my patients told me that she no longer needed to have her portable toilet in her car! One of my passions is to help folks separate fact from myth. An example of that might be how long it has taken mainstream medicine to recognize issues like non-gluten food sensitivity, leaky gut, and the role of therapeutic supplements.
More recently, i joined forces with Lilli Correll, a therapist, and Terri Hoffman, a financial advisor, to provide presentations on Enhancing Longevity to a variety of audiences-trade associations, corporations and other organizations. Our presentation highlights tools to achieve high level emotional and physical health which then allows for optimal enjoyment of wealth. Individuals leave the program with a roadmap to pursue all three areas with focus and motivation.
If you are interested in scheduling a nutrition consultation with Sally or booking a one hour Enhancing Longevity presentation, call or email Sally at: 512-607-4210 or sally@sallybowmannutrition.com
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
By far, the hardest struggle was when my own health was challenged by chronic fatigue syndrome or CFIDS (Chronic Fatigue immune Deficiency Syndrome). After going to 10 doctors in the first year of being sick and finding no relief, I was afraid that I might never regain my health, play sports again or be able to work. It took about 5 years to start feeling a moderate level of energy and ability to work about 25 hrs/week. This chapter helped me understand that healing can take time and that our medical system does not have the answers to many health problems. This has helped me come alongside many of my patients who have/are suffering from various health issues.
Sexuality-it took me years of therapy, study and prayer to come to grips with my own sexuality as a gay woman. My Christian faith was an integral part of my life as a young adult and I was afraid that I would not be able to maintain that piece of my life if I was fully out as a gay woman. Honestly, I believe sitting across from many of my patients who were gay and struggling with an eating disorder served as a significant lesson for the importance of acceptance.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Professional Life-I consider myself a unique dietitian because of my life experience and my desire to help each client feel welcome/accepted and cared for. My approach involves helping people look at their “relationship with food” which I consider the X factor for successful change. I really work on finding out what a person’s motivation to change is and also what their obstacles to change are. Most of my patients see me as a dietitian but some might refer to me as a nutrition therapist since it is my goal to have my clients talk at least as much as I do in a session.
I am most proud of the individuals I help along the way. This might be a 15 year old teen or a 21 year old young woman/man that has been caught in the grips of an eating disorder. Through the hard work with their therapist and me (dietitian), they are most often able to put the eating disorder out of a job and become free to live their lives. My greatest joy is when a former patient contacts me to tell me they are enjoying a new job, or a relationship and even food!
We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up?
Spending a weekend at Horseshoe Bay with my family when I was 12 years old. I vividly remember that I was able to go waterskiing, play golf and tennis in one day. Nirvana for this outdoor girl!
Pricing:
- $200 initial, 80 min nutrition consultation
- $140 follow up, 50 min
- $289 for CardiometaboliQ testing includes 1 hr consultation
Contact Info:
- Website: https://SallyBowmanNutrition.Com
- Instagram: BowmanPracticalFueling
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bowmansally/
Image Credits
Professional photos by Jessica Martin
