Conversations with the Inspiring Katie Faber

Today we’d like to introduce you to Katie Faber.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
My interest in working with people with eating disorders began with my own in my early teens. I found I was far from alone with this struggle as I ventured into high school, during which time a peer mentioned she knew someone working with a dietitian and told me a bit about the role of a dietitian. I already knew I wanted to work with people one-on-one and that I was interested in nutrition and physiology. A career as an eating disorder dietitian made so much sense in that moment — one that I will remember forever — that I have rarely looked back nor considered otherwise.

Following completion of my bachelor’s degree and dietetic internship, I had the opportunity to travel and I worked odd jobs along the way for a year. My first job offer as a dietitian was tough to come by. It felt like I applied to over 100 jobs before I was offered my first interview. Ultimately, I worked as a server for about a year and a half in Boulder, CO until I was hired as a clinical dietitian… in another city and state! Hello Cheyenne, WY. I almost-simultaneously received a job offer as a part-time eating disorder dietitian at a treatment center in Fort Collins and worked both for about a year. After 2.5 years working in Cheyenne, I accepted my dream job at a treatment center in Denver and moved south. A few years into this position, the stars aligned so that I could open my own practice and I leapt at the opportunity to “give it a go” independently. At this point, I’ve owned my own practice for about a year and a half!

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Self-employment has been a challenging, awesome, and incredibly unpredictable adventure so far. My greatest challenge since opening Revival Nutrition has been to practice trust through the slow times. I experienced some of my first sleepless nights as I weathered the dips of my first year. This has been my greatest ‘transition pain’ to this point. Therefore, my advice for other women starting this journey would be to know that there will likely be seasons of abundance and seasons of “scarcity,” and to hang in there. You are SO not alone! I am already finding it less distressing when I am slower, primarily because I’ve experienced the ebbs and the flows directly.

What should we know about Revival Nutrition? What do you do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
It is rare that I ask a client about their relationship with food or their body and that the response does not start or end with tears. We live in a culture that is brutally unkind toward bodies and, as a result, our bodies are often sources of hurt and shame… and food is enemy number one. After years prescribing weight loss and landing entirely unconvinced of the efficacy of any diet or ‘lifestyle change’ and instead convicted of the propensity of diets and deprivation toward harm more than healing, I am now an anti-diet, Health At Every Size® (HAES) Registered Dietitian, meaning I help people interested in pursuing health to do so from a holistic, weight-neutral perspective. Translated: I believe it is possible to have health and an improved quality of life at any size and that the pursuit of weight loss often interferes with one’s ability to find and keep these things.

The statistics on the failure of diets over the long-term are alarming, yet we tend to blame ourselves for the faults of the diets, to underestimate the weight regulation and survival mechanisms our bodies have developed over time to protect us — that also ensure diets fail for the majority — and therefore to stay stuck in the yo-yo diet cycle for years.. until it’s finally enough. I am a huge advocate of self-compassion and self-care and use the principles of intuitive eating and joyful movement in my work. Ultimately, my hope is that food and body image take up less space in the lives of my clients so that they are able to invest more wholly and authentically in the relationships and activities that are meaningful to them, in the bodies in which they live today.

Looking back on your childhood, what experiences do you feel played an important role in shaping the person you grew up to be?
Throughout my career and social life, my co-workers and friends have been invaluable supporters and guides — kind and open, and not afraid to challenge my views of my work, the world, and my self. My parents created a loving home I always knew I could come back to and also started their own business when I was in grade school, inspiring my belief that I too could build something successful someday.

Contact Info:

• Address: 3801 E Florida Ave, Denver, CO 80210
• Website: www.revivalnutritioncounseling.com
• Phone: (720) 310-8674
• Email: katiefaberrd@gmail.com

Image Credit:
Jackie Cooper Photography

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