Conversations with the Inspiring Brianna Towne

Today we’d like to introduce you to Brianna Towne.

Brianna, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
As someone who grew up on pizza rolls and tater tots it’s still strange to me how I became a nutritionist. Never touching vegetables when I was younger and now happily gobbling up plates of green food my 10 yr old self would have turned up her nose at.

At eight months pregnant with my eldest daughter, Charlotte, my doctor recommended I begin a routine of candy bars and chocolate protein shakes twice daily in order to gain weight. Baby was measuring small, and I was to stuff myself in hopes of fattening her up before she made her way into the world. Thankful for mother’s intuition, I began to research healthy ways to gain weight and prenatal nutrition and health and nowhere in the research did I find Snickers bars and protein shakes as a healthy solution. Then it occured to me that physicians aren’t trained in nutrition (they receive about 19hrs total in all of medical school and it’s incredibly basic biochemistry and food science) and that if I was receiving this misinformation, how many other pregnant women were as well?

From there, I started applying to graduate schools (because “health coach” certifications aren’t federally regulated and anyone can make up a course and call it legitimate — and I was already drowning in false health information from those who were supposed to be legitimate anyway) and ended up, with three very young children, enrolling in a Masters of Science in Nutrition Education from American University. Primarily focused on maternal health – fertility, pregnancy and postpartum while also paying close attention to sports nutrition since I was already a yoga instructor and certified postpartum and pregnant corrective exercise specialist.

Starting my private practice came naturally, it seems. Friends knew what I was studying and started to come to me for support and advice. They referred their friends and quickly I had strangers applying to work with me in all seasons of motherhood. Despite moving from Los Angeles to Colorado, the work hasn’t slowed. Women are desperate for credible information when it comes to maternal health and I’m beyond grateful I now have the skills and education to provide that and hold space.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
The biggest struggle has been timing. When I applied to graduate school I had a two months old, a three years old and a four years old at home. My husband, a Marine Corps Major, was about to be deployed and I thought I must be insane to go back to school and start building my own business. But then I read a book called The Crossroads of Should and Must and every timing question faded away. I “should” stay home and care for my family, I “should” be the perfect housewife and keep the laundry from overflowing and the dishes from smelling but it wasn’t the “should” that was going to help me help all these women who didn’t know how to eat for lifelong – generations-long – health. So I shut out the “shoulds” and started school and began to build my business.

The secret is, you have to really know what you’re getting in to and know why you’re doing it. Giving up a quiet life, finding childcare, waking at 5am to study and prepare for clients isn’t sexy. But because I knew my work was changing lives and could change the face of maternal health in this country, I stick with it and kept going. And when that motivation and excitement wanes (which it will – it’ll come back, but you’ll experience lulls and wonder where it went), it’s all about discipline. Make a plan, have a routine, carve out the time for yourself to build the thing so that when those lulls come, you can still turn off the alarm at 5am, roll out of bed, turn on the kettle and sit down for work.

We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
On paper, I am a nutritionist and corrective exercise specialist for women in seasons of motherhood. But mostly, I hold space for women to heal from decades of poor eating, repair broken relationships with food, understand how to change, adapt, and break habits, and nourish themselves for generations.

I don’t offer quick fixes, weight loss programs, trendy diets or fads. I’ll never ask you to give up chocolate or whatever your favorite food is. There’s no such thing as a “guilty pleasure” in my book. I’m trained in Intuitive Eating and use the principles with all of my clients. You have to love and respect your body before trying to make any changes — otherwise, you’re working from a place of lack, guilt, shame – and that will never create lasting health.

I’m most proud of my clients. The women who tried for years to get pregnant and finally welcome a baby after just a few months with me. The women who hate their bodies when they walk through my doors and leave — at the same size — feeling empowered and healthy. The women who begin so confused and scared and ashamed of their eating habits, horrified they’ll do something “wrong” while pregnant, who walk out of just one session excited and relieved that they now have a solid plan.

That’s what I do it for. These incredible women who make huge changes and gain so much confidence.

Do you have any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general? What has worked well for you?
My biggest advice is to just find people in business who you groove with. Someone you can sit with for hours talking shop and not feeling any yucky feelings. Then make it a regular thing. Meet up for coffee every week. Invite another friend who pops up and is in alignment. Suddenly you have a room full of women who are all cheering each other on and doing amazing things in the world.

Going to “networking events” and groups like that never worked for me. But noticing women doing cool things around me, getting the courage to strike up a conversation, slide into their DMs, send that email – that’s how I’ve been able to build an amazing network of women around me.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.briannatowne.com
• Email: hello@briannatowne.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/briannatowne

Image Credit:
Mariana Ziegler

Suggest a story: VoyageDenver is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.