Today we’d like to introduce you to Maggie Stenson.
Hi Maggie, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I first realized I wanted to study nutrition during my junior year of college. At the time, I was majoring in business, but I quickly realized that I had no real interest in working in that field. What I was interested in and genuinely excited about was nutrition. I started digging into what a career in this field could look like, and soon, I put together a plan to complete the prerequisites, pursue a Master’s degree, and eventually become a registered dietitian.
I went on to attend graduate school at UT Southwestern, but I wasn’t completely sure what area I wanted to specialize in. Our program included a variety of internship rotations across different specialties, and while I learned a lot from each one, nothing really clicked. One day, an eating disorder dietitian came to speak to our class and I immediately felt a deep connection to the work she described. I was really excited about the nutrition philosophy of intuitive eating, and I loved that this was such a relational role that felt so impactful. I walked away from that talk knowing that this was what I wanted to do.
From there, I pursued every opportunity I could to learn more about eating disorder treatment, including completing specialized internship rotations. My first job out of graduate school was at a treatment center, and I went on to spend the next four and a half years working in higher levels of care, from intensive outpatient (IOP) to inpatient/residential. Working in treatment centers was such an amazing opportunity, I learned so much and had the privilege of working alongside some truly amazing clinicians.
In 2020, I decided to shift into outpatient level of care, which allowed for a different kind of connection and continuity with clients. In 2023, I moved to Austin and shortly after, opened ATX Nutritional Counseling. It’s been so incredibly rewarding to create a space where I can support clients in a meaningful, personalized way and provide a safe space for them to heal.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I’d say that overall, it’s been a pretty smooth road, but as with any career path, it has had its challenges. The biggest ones have come from the learning curves, both from a clinical and business perspective. I care deeply about providing quality care to the people who trust me to walk alongside them in their recovery journey, and that passion has really fueled me through the years.
When I first started working in eating disorders, I quickly realized that so much of what I needed to know wasn’t covered in graduate school. That education gave me a great foundation, but most of my clinical skills were built through real-life experience and on the job training. Even now, it is so important that I’m continuing to learn and improve as a clinician. Those early years were hard, because I wanted to absorb everything and become a confident, competent clinician as quickly as I could. It required a lot of humility and patience with myself as I grew. Now, almost 10 years later, I feel so much more grounded and confident in who I am as a clinician.
Opening my own practice added a whole new layer of learning. Figuring out how to actually run a business well has been its own adventure. But honestly, I’ve found a lot of joy in those challenges. They’ve pushed me to think in new ways, get creative, and step outside my comfort zone which has been really rewarding. It’s nice to have different facets of my job that allow me to use my brain in different ways.
As you know, we’re big fans of ATX Nutritional Counseling. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
I founded ATX Nutritional Counseling in January 2024 with the goal of offering personalized, compassionate dietitian services from an intuitive eating and non-diet approach. We work with individuals of all ages, including children as young as 8 years old and specialize in eating disorders and disordered eating, intuitive eating, and general nutrition. We work with all eating disorder diagnoses with a special interest in working with Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID). We offer one-on-one nutrition counseling designed to explore and improve the client’s relationship with food and their body, provide education, and create personalized nutrition goals. We also provide professional supervision for clinicians, public speaking and education opportunities, family nutrition counseling, meal support services, and support groups related to topics such as ARFID and body image.
My goal in starting this practice was to provide high-quality, compassionate care to those in Austin, Georgetown, and throughout Texas. The practice currently provides in-person sessions in Austin and Georgetown and virtual sessions across Texas and in other select states. I understand how challenging it can be to seek support and work towards healing your relationship with food, and I am truly honored to walk alongside each client on their journey to recovery. With every person I work with, I am committed to offering individualized, client-centered care that supports their unique needs and goals.
We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
To me, success is multifaceted. While traditional markers such as financial stability or the growth of my practice are important, I believe true success is rooted in running a business that reflects my passion and aligns with my values. Although every job has its challenging moments and can sometimes feel mundane or routine, I constantly remind myself why I entered this field which was to help individuals find freedom and recovery. Keeping that purpose at the forefront of my mind makes the work so fulfilling. In addition to this, I believe that real success is found in cultivating purpose outside of work. While I am committed to the success of my business, I find the deepest fulfillment in investing my time and energy into the other essential aspects of my life like my faith, my marriage, and my friendships. These are the pillars that bring me true joy and fulfillment, so I am very intentional about investing in them!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.ATXNutritionalCounseling.com
- Instagram: @ATXNutritionalCounseling
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61555852582481
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maggie-stenson-mcn-rd-ld-ceds-c-a97a311b2/
