Today we’d like to introduce you to Chelsea Goebler MS, RD, LD
Hi Chelsea, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I’m a born and raised Texan, I grew up in the Dallas/Fort Worth area in a small town (well not so small anymore!) called Mansfield. I grew up playing soccer and had a slight obsession with hippos and mini coopers 🙂 I went to Texas State University for both my undergrad and master’s program where I initially thought I was going to be a fashion major. However, that quickly changed after I took my first fashion class and realized I was in the wrong field. So, what drove me to get into the nutrition world? Well it was my own struggles. Growing up I was always active, I loved exercising but didn’t really treat my body well in terms of what I ate (or didn’t eat). I had body positivity issues and always found myself comparing my body to others- I wanted to be perfect, but there’s no such thing. I also had ZERO understanding on how to eat right to fuel my body and feel good in my own skin. So, since I knew I already had some obsession with food per se, I took a nutrition class and fell in love. It taught me how to love myself again and it gave me a real understanding of how to feed my body good food so that I could truly love myself! Also, I grew to accept my own struggles and wanted to be able help others heal in the same way — with food, not without it! After obtaining my bachelor’s degree in Nutrition and Foods – Dietetics Track (10 years ago!) I started working for My Fit Foods, all over Austin, TX. This is where my passion and drive to help others with their health really took off. I started out as a front of house worker, then moved into the role of Nutrition Consultant and lastly as the Assistant to the Corporate Wellness Director. In my 3 years with My Fit Foods, I was able to see firsthand how food can transform people’s lives. As my time with My Fit Foods ended, I knew that my passion to help others was growing stronger and that I wanted to go back to school to finish my initial goals. In 2014, I decided to stop working and go back to school full-time to obtain my Master’s Degree in Human Nutrition, with the intention to later become a Registered Dietitian. After my first year in grad school, I was accepted into Morrison Chartwells Dietetic Internship based out of Atlanta, GA. This would be a distance learning internship that allowed me to complete my rotations in and around the Austin, TX area. I completed my internship in May 2016 and sat for the Commission for Dietetics and Registration exam in June 2016…and passed! Soon after the completion of my internship I started working as the Nutrition Care Manager/Clinical Dietitian at a Long-Term Care facility in New Braunsfels. Here I learned how to manage a large staff (of all ages) and how to balance clinical work with food service work…this was a very challenging role being fresh out of school, but I’m so thankful for the experience. During my time as a Nutrition Care Manager I was also finishing up my Master’s Degree from Texas State University. Within about 6 months of this new career and starting school, my husband and I decided to have a baby! As time went on and my due date got closer, I knew that I had to make some changes to my workload so that I could be more present for my new baby. Once my daughter was born in 2017, I resigned from my Long-Term Care role and decided to be a stay at home mom and finish up my last few classes in grad school. By the end of 2017, I graduated with my Master’s Degree, had a 6 month old daughter and landed a part-time job at Central Texas Rehabilitation Hospital in Austin, TX as their Clinical Dietitian, I worked here for about 8-9 months until I decided that I was ready to take on a full-time job again. It was in 2018 that I accepted a position at Austin Regional Clinic as one of the Registered Dietitians of their new weight loss program, “Healthiness”. It was here that I was able to build the foundation for where I am today! Mid 2020, I was laid off from my clinic job at ARC due to COVID-19. I was sad and heart-broken as I truly loved this job and my patients. With this came feelings of disappointment, confusion, and quite frank…I didn’t know what I was going to do 🤷♀️…so I took a leap of faith and started my own private practice — ✨and I.COULD.NOT.BE.HAPPIER!!! Current day…I’m reminded daily that I’m in the right field…I’ve found my passion and I’m so grateful to be where I am today. I see patients/clients both in-person at Zoi Acupuncture in Buda, TX and virtually (from the comfort of my own home!). Being in private practice has provided me with a sense of pride…I’m my own boss, I make the rules and I make my own money…plus I get to help others live their best lives through food…what more could I ask for!? I also, now have 2 daughters and am able to juggle the work/life balance better and easier than ever before!
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?
Not so much! I’m not that A+ student…it was difficult for me to get into a dietetic internship from the start. After I finished my undergrad degree, I applied for 3 straight years and was denied EVERY.SINGLE.TIME due to my GPA not being high enough. This was very disappointing as there wasn’t much at the time that I could do to improve the GPA number. Luckily, I had a great mentor and previous professor that pushed me to go back to school and get my Master’s degree. It wasn’t until I took a few graduate classes and was able to boost my GPA up, that I finally landed a dietetic internship. Also, to more recently, juggling full-time work, part-time grad school, being pregnant/having a baby…all at the same time, was beyond stressful. However, I kept pushing through as I knew the end was near and that it would all be worth it in the end! To today, I’m beyond thankful for getting laid off last year (weird to say now!). Even though it caused a lot of challenges/disruptions in my personal life, it allowed me to soul search, to find myself and venture into entrepreneurship (something I always wanted to do, but didn’t have the “time” or push to do so…I was stable in my other jobs)…to do something that would bring me happiness in all aspects of life!
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Chelsea Goebler MS, RD, LD?
My practice is built with the strategy of using food-as-medicine, evidence- and practice-based protocols, intentional exercise, and integrative approaches to empower clients to heal and thrive from within. I focus on food as medicine-centered interventions. Food as medicine is the understanding that food can serve as a direct contributor to dysfunction/disease or driver for optimal organ function and overall wellness. I utilize a food-as-medicine approach, mind-body counseling, weight management interventions and supplementation (as needed) to address and correct underlying issues to promote optimal health and whole-body function. Working with a dietitian that uses a functional nutrition approach can help you to improve overall balance within your body! I’ve worked with an array of patients ranging from elderly/dementia, spinal cord injury to weight management/bariatric surgery, eating disorders, pre/gestational diabetes and diabetes. I’ve worked in long-term care facilities, acute care rehabilitation hospitals and primary care settings. My passion for teaching others how to use food-as-medicine and the mind-body connection stems from my experiences as a mom of two young girls, nutrition degrees and my own personal experience using functional nutrition throughout my pregnancies and postpartum, while nursing and feeding a baby with food sensitivities. My nutrition philosophy is built around YOU – YOU are in control of your own destiny and I’m here to help guide YOU in the right direction. I want to meet YOU where YOU are at today and empower YOU down the road to success. Whatever your healthy journey is, whatever you are struggling with, I want to help YOU be the best YOU that YOU can be. My goal is to cultivate your mind, body and soul NOW so that we can have a positive impact on our future generations to come….it all starts with YOU—-let me guide YOU! I LOVE what I do and I can’t wait to share my knowledge and passion with YOU. I work with the following conditions: Autoimmune diseases Bariatric surgery (pre/post op) Cancer prevention/treatment side-effects Chronic fatigue Detoxification Diabetes and Pre-Diabetes Digestive disorders (IBS/IBD) Elevated cholesterol Eating disorders Fibromyalgia Food allergies/intolerances GERD Healthy weight and metabolism Hormonal imbalance Hypertension Inflammation and joint pain Stress and Anxiety Sugar cravings I’m an insurance and self-pay based practice. I’m an in-network provider with BCBS of Texas, United Healthcare, Humana, Medicare and Oscar, and am working to become an in-network provider with Aetna, and Cigna. While I may not participate (in-network) with your insurance right now, I can still provide you with the official documentation you need to seek reimbursement.
Do you any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
At the time, I didn’t think of it as a fond childhood memory that would stick with me forever. However, it did! My dad used to force me to go to the grocery store with him, prep meals and cook with him (both inside and on the grill). It was never anything super fancy, I remember “our” meals together would be bread and butter and mashed bananas… these foods still make me think of him! I also used to fight with him about always having to tag along to the store or not wanting to help cook. Little did I know that I’d end up in a career that is 95% food driven…and I LOVE it!
Contact Info:
- Email: mindbodyfoodRD@gmail.com
- Website: www.mindbodyfoodRD.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mindbodyfood.nutrition/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MindBodyFood.Nutritionist
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/chelsea-goebler-ms-rd-ld-buda?osq=chelsea+goebler
Image Credits
Payton Morey Photography
