Today we’d like to introduce you to Merisa Martinez.
Hi Merisa, 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?
Growing up, I was surrounded by dieting culture and unhealthy relationships with food. Family members would call me “fat,” and at just 12 years old, my dad put me on a 500-calorie diet because he believed that was how I needed to lose weight. That mindset followed me through much of my childhood and early adulthood. I also watched both of my parents struggle with yo-yo dieting and binge eating. They would swing from extreme restriction to eating thousands of calories in one sitting. Even at a young age, I knew that couldn’t be the way we were meant to live. I remember thinking there had to be a healthier, more balanced way to care for our bodies without fear, guilt, or restriction.
In my early adult years, I worked as a waitress while taking classes at community college, trying to figure out what I wanted to do with my life. Being around food every day opened my eyes to how large portions had become and how nutrition was about much more than labeling foods as “good” or “bad.” I started realizing that health wasn’t about starving yourself — it was about balance, sustainability, and understanding our relationship with food.
My path definitely wasn’t easy. I was a young single mom raising my son while taking college classes and working long hours in restaurants, constantly wondering when life would finally feel easier. Around the time I was accepted into university, both of my teenage brothers tragically passed away by suicide. That period completely changed my life. I struggled deeply with grief and felt like the world was closing in on me, but I kept going. I studied whenever I could — on lunch breaks, late at night after restaurant shifts, before class started — and I leaned on incredible friends who helped me push through some of the hardest moments of my life.
After graduation, I worked a few entry-level jobs in nutrition and healthcare that barely covered my bills. Eventually, I found myself working in a small psychiatric private practice before COVID, where I learned so much about managing a busy office — patient communication, provider relationships, scheduling, administrative work, and the behind-the-scenes operations of healthcare. Looking back, that experience unknowingly prepared me to eventually run my own business.
During COVID, when life slowed down for a moment, I started asking myself hard questions: Am I truly happy? Is this the career I’ve worked so hard for? I realized I wanted to build something meaningful and become a registered dietitian. To make that happen, I completed the required dietetic internship — a full-time unpaid internship that cost around $12,000. During that time, I moved in with my sister and shared a small bedroom with my young son so I could make my dream possible.
While I was interning, I watched my sister build her own business from the ground up, and it inspired me to believe I could do the same with nutrition counseling. I started researching everything — how to legally start a business, create a website, market services, and grow something sustainable. I spent countless nights learning while balancing my internship, motherhood, and studying for my RD exam.
Toward the end of that journey, I met my now soon-to-be husband, who became a huge source of support during one of the hardest chapters of my life. Around that same time, my grandmother — the person I looked up to most — passed away. Once again, I had to learn how to persevere through grief while continuing to move forward.
A few years later, I passed my RD exam and began working in telehealth while continuing to grow my own practice, Live Nourished Today Nutrition
. What started as an idea slowly turned into a business. Today, I lead a growing team that includes additional dietitians, freelancers, and contractors helping with marketing and operations. I still work incredibly hard, and entrepreneurship has come with plenty of trial and error, but I genuinely love what I do.
As a business owner, I’m always thinking about how to grow, improve, and help more people heal their relationship with food. Some ideas succeed, some fail, but that excitement — the belief that anything is possible with enough determination — is what continues to drive me every single day.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It definitely has not been a smooth road. There were many moments where I questioned whether I would make it through the challenges life kept throwing at me. One of the biggest struggles was balancing motherhood, school, work, and finances all at the same time. I was raising my son as a young single mom while working long restaurant shifts and taking college classes, often running on very little sleep and constantly worrying about how I was going to pay bills or make ends meet.
Another major challenge was grief. Losing both of my teenage brothers to suicide completely changed my life and deeply impacted me emotionally. Later on, while I was completing my dietetic internship and studying for my RD exam, I also lost my grandmother, who was one of the most important people in my life. Learning how to keep moving forward while carrying that grief was incredibly difficult.
Financially, becoming a dietitian was also a huge sacrifice. Many people don’t realize that dietitians are required to have a Masters Degree and a full-time unpaid internship that can cost thousands of dollars. During that time, I had to move in with my sister and share a small bedroom with my son just to make my dream possible. There were many moments where I felt behind in life compared to others my age, but I kept reminding myself that I was building something bigger for my future and my family.
Starting a business came with its own set of struggles too. I had no background in entrepreneurship, marketing, or business operations. I had to teach myself everything from building a website to networking, advertising, insurance credentialing, and learning how to lead a team. There were definitely failures and moments where ideas didn’t work out the way I hoped, but every setback taught me something valuable.
I think one of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is that success usually doesn’t happen in a straight line. Most of the time, it comes from continuing to show up even when things are hard, uncertain, or uncomfortable. Every challenge I’ve faced has shaped the way I connect with my clients today and has given me a much deeper level of compassion and resilience.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Live Nourished Today Nutrition?
I’m the founder of Live Nourished Today Nutrition, a virtual nutrition counseling practice focused on helping people build a healthier relationship with food in a realistic and sustainable way. We work with clients across Texas and specialize in areas such as weight management, GLP-1 nutrition support, emotional eating, mindful eating, diabetes, heart health, pediatric nutrition, and chronic disease management.
What really sets our practice apart is our approach. We believe nutrition should feel supportive — not restrictive, shame-based, or overwhelming. Many of our clients come to us after years of dieting, guilt around food, or feeling like they’ve “failed” at their health goals. We focus on helping people create habits they can actually maintain long term instead of promoting extreme diets or quick fixes.
I think our team’s compassion and relatability are what make us different. Many of us have personally experienced struggles with food, body image, weight fluctuations, or burnout, so we truly understand the emotional side of nutrition counseling. We meet people where they are without judgment and work together to create realistic goals that fit their lifestyle, culture, schedule, and budget.
One thing I’m especially proud of is building a team of dietitians who all genuinely care about helping people feel better — physically and mentally. When I first started, it was just me seeing clients virtually. Over time, it has grown into a team-based practice with multiple dietitians and support staff, and seeing that growth has been incredibly rewarding.
I’m also proud that we’ve created a practice that makes nutrition counseling more accessible. Many people assume working with a dietitian is expensive or out of reach, but we accept several insurance plans and help verify benefits for clients ahead of time to make the process easier and less stressful.
Above all, I want readers to know that our brand is about more than just food or weight. It’s about helping people feel empowered, supported, and confident in taking care of themselves without fear, guilt, or perfectionism. We want people to know that healthy living doesn’t have to feel miserable — it can feel balanced, realistic, and enjoyable.
Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
There are definitely several people who deserve credit for helping me get to where I am today. I truly don’t believe success happens alone, and I’ve been fortunate to have people in my life who supported me during some of my hardest seasons.
One of the most meaningful people in my journey was my college friend, Chelsea. During one of the darkest periods of my life after losing my brothers, she saw the grief I was carrying and chose to step into my life with kindness and support. She became a true friend during a time when I felt very lost. She invited me to church, helped me reconnect with my faith, and ultimately helped me find God during a season where I desperately needed hope and healing. That friendship changed my life in many ways and gave me strength during a time when I was struggling deeply.
One person who also had a major impact on me professionally was Dr. Seroussi, a psychiatrist and former employer of mine. She became more than just a boss — she was a mentor. During a time when I was still figuring out my path and questioning myself often, she gave me perspective, encouragement, and confidence. Watching how she cared for patients and managed her practice also taught me a lot about professionalism, leadership, and healthcare behind the scenes.
My family also played a huge role in my journey, especially during periods of grief and loss. There were many moments where I leaned on them emotionally while trying to continue school, raise my son, and pursue my career goals. Their support helped me keep moving forward during times that felt overwhelming.
My soon-to-be husband deserves so much credit as well. He has supported my dreams from day one and stood by me through the stressful seasons of interning, studying, building a business, and balancing motherhood and work. Having someone who truly believes in you during moments when you doubt yourself makes a huge difference.
And honestly, my son has been one of my greatest motivations throughout all of this. Becoming a mother at a young age changed me in so many ways. He taught me patience, resilience, kindness, and what it truly means to work hard for something bigger than yourself. So much of what I’ve built has been driven by wanting to create a better future for him and show him that difficult circumstances don’t have to define your future.
Pricing:
- We work with several major insurance plans, and many of our clients pay little to no out-of-pocket cost for nutrition counseling services depending on their coverage.
- For clients without insurance coverage or who prefer self-pay, our private pay rate is typically $120 per session.
- We also understand that affordability matters, which is why limited sliding scale options may be available for clients experiencing financial hardship.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.livenourishedtoday.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/livenourishedtodayco/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/merisa-martinez-ms-rdn-67845076/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@LiveNourishedToday
- Other: https://linktr.ee/livenourishedtodayco
