August 25, 2020 • 19 mins
Hardworking, driven, and passionate are just a few adjectives that come to mind when connecting with Sami Fuhrmann.
Sami Fuhrmann is a registered dietitian, owner of EatWise, LLC, and the host/producer of EatWise podcast.
Sami graduated from Johnson & Wales with her Associates in Culinary Arts, then continued on to earn her Master’s degree in Science of Nutrition from North Dakota State University. Over the past five years, she has been a practicing dietitian specializing in sports nutrition.
By day, she is a dietitian but her heart loves to travel. Sami’s journey is all about taking risks, stepping out of comfort zones, and being authentically you. Her journey and career risks are impressive. And, visiting a local coffee shop doesn’t hurt either.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Growing up, you think you have this vision?
So mine was, I'm going to be asports dietician.
That's what I want to be.
And I've had so many detours androadblocks and I've had to
change my route of how to get tobeing a sports dietician.
People need to know that it'sokay to not have your end result
(00:21):
right away.
It's okay to not be okay becausepeople don't hear that enough.
I think, and people don't get tohear those hardships and the
hiccups and the detours.
So I think it's good for
Speaker 2 (00:32):
People.
Pleasing grip podcast wasfounded on the idea of
shattering success, perceptionsand showcasing authenticity
added.
I wanted to learn more about thereal story behind people's
journeys with a focus startingin my own community of Fargo,
(00:53):
North Dakota.
What emerges with these candidconversations is on the state's
strength and courage with theripple effect of connection and
community.
It all starts with theconversation and honest one.
I'm Jessie, winter, Robin, andthis is glazing grit
Speaker 1 (01:12):
On today's episode.
My guest is the owner of eatwise, LLC, and the host producer
of eat wise podcast for the lastfive years, she has been a
practicing dieticianspecializing in sports
nutrition, and the firstnutritionist with MDSU
athletics.
Her journey is all about takingrisks, stepping out of comfort
(01:32):
zones and being authenticallyyou here's Sammy Fermin.
Thanks so much for being on theshow.
I really appreciate it, Sammy.
Thanks for having me.
Uh, we got acquainted.
It was through Facebook.
So you had shared a post withlady boss, Midwest, and just
stated that you're going tostart a podcast and about
(01:53):
sharing one's journeys aroundfood.
And so that's why I definitelygravitated to your posts.
And so I was curious, why didyou decide to start eat wise
podcast?
And what is it about?
I started[inaudible] food andjourney's podcast to share
people's journeys around me.
And I basically just startedwith some friends of mine and
(02:14):
then I've branched out to kindof allow others to share their
stories.
So people that I've never metand I've gotten to meet some
really cool people when doingthat, I feel like people don't
get to share their stories asoften as we may think.
It's so easy to know the personnext to you.
And like, cause you've beenfriends for years, but not
really know their whole story.
(02:35):
And it's not often that you sitdown and you're like, Hey, like,
you know, where did you grow up?
And where'd you go to school andyou just don't those good juicy
details.
Cause I wanted to hear stories.
I love stories also to havepeople share their story because
I feel like today growing up,you think you have this vision.
(02:55):
So mine was, I'm going to be asports dietician.
That's what I want to be.
And I've had so many detours androadblocks and I've had to
change my route of how to get tobeing a sports dietician.
People need to know that it'sokay to not have your end result
right away.
It's okay to not be okay becausepeople don't hear that enough.
(03:19):
I think, and people don't get tohear those hardships and the
hiccups and the detours.
So I think it's good for peopleto hear.
I was listening to one of yourmost recent podcasts about
thunder coffee.
And I think going back to theconnection that podcasts and
what you're doing can make, youknow, it made me want to go to
thunder coffee and be like, Hey,I listen to you on eat wives
(03:40):
podcast and thanks for sharingyour journey.
And so you start building theseconnections and it's just really
like your own little community.
It's just really neat to see.
Yeah, no, and they're awesomeguys.
They were so fun to talk toSammy.
We're connecting from BozemanMontana.
Can you share a little bit moreabout your early years?
So I grew up in Montanabillings.
(04:02):
I went through high school thereand in high school I was always
doing stuff, whether it wasplaying sports or try new
things.
My friend and I tried dance whenwe were seniors in high school
and I just had always wanted todance.
And I was actually mad at my momfor not putting me in dance as a
(04:23):
child.
And she's like, well, you didn'twant to, you kept telling me no.
And so I got this wild hair andI asked my friend, Jackie, if
she'd want to try dance with me.
And so we did it and we were twoseniors in high school.
And we were put in the classeswith the middle schoolers
because we weren't in the upperballet classes.
And we're like does basicknowledge.
And we tried it.
(04:44):
It was hard.
We realized how uncoordinated wewere and help starting dance at
a smaller age.
Definitely benefits you mysenior year.
I just had to fill credits.
And so I was in a culinaryclass, which led to me being on
a cooking competition team.
And then I ended up working forone of my mentors and I found
out I really liked working withfood.
(05:05):
So then from there I applied toJohnson and Wales in Denver,
they're known for culinary, butthey're also a hospitality
school.
And I ended up going to collegethere, which was the hardest
thing I've ever done.
Leaving them was really hard.
But growing up, we were alwaysactive doing things.
We would go four wheeling andboating and being in Bozeman.
(05:27):
It's awesome because there's somany trails around and you can
just go float the river for anhour or whatever don't know.
Sammy, you earned yourassociates in culinary arts
bachelor's degree in nutritionand a master's degree in
exercise science.
Did I get that right?
You did.
Okay, great.
Well, what made you decide topursue those fields and become a
(05:47):
registered dietician?
So when I applied to Johnson andWales, um, and went to culinary
school, I had worked at acatering company.
So I had some idea of what theculinary world was like going
through school.
It was an incredible experienceand I learned, and I grew as a
human and but one thing Ilearned was I don't think I
(06:07):
could be in a kitchen for a fullday on my friends that are chefs
in the field.
Like they are amazing humans,but I knew that it wasn't a
place for me every day, day inand day out.
My associates degree was inculinary arts, but it was also
an accredited school.
So I could continue to get mybachelor's degree versus some
culinary schools that you justget like a certificate.
(06:28):
And so did you, my bachelor's,we still had to continue to do
culinary classes, which wasawesome.
And one of them that I loved wassports nutrition.
And I was like, this is reallycool.
So we had to pack 1200 caloriesinto one 12 ounce shape, which
can be really hard.
Actually.
We ended up adding like blendingand rice and avocados and it
also had to taste good too.
(06:49):
So that was a challenge.
So I was like, this is reallyawesome.
I didn't really know and realizethe importance that nutrition
could play on your body.
And from there, I ended up goingto the university of Tennessee
and doing a sports nutritioninternship with their sports
dietician.
And she basically just told me,she's like the biggest thing
(07:10):
that matters right now isgetting your already
credentials.
And die-cast is how you apply toyour internship.
And it's super confusing.
It's an online portal that youhave to go through and you fill
out all this application stuff.
And then you look for yourindividual schools that you want
to apply to your dieteticinternship too.
So then you have requirementsfrom Dicus and then you also
(07:31):
have requirements from thoseindividual schools.
So I've found a veryoverwhelming, and I looked up
what schools were still allowingpaper submissions.
So there's two schools.
And I got an interview fromNorth Dakota state university
and my mom and I drove outthere.
It was probably in March and itwas like a blizzard.
So we drove to Fargo, NorthDakota.
(07:52):
So I could do an interview tosee if I could get accepted into
their dietetic internshipprogram and their program
coordinator.
She was amazing.
Great at communication.
So it was my mom and I aredriving there.
She sent me an email and goes,Hey Sammy, just so you know, we
might cancel interviews tomorrowbecause we're having a blizzard.
(08:13):
So we'd been driving, right.
So we're halfway to Fargo, NorthDakota.
And I just, I told her, I waslike, well, we're on our way.
I was like, is there any way Ican still have an interview in
person?
Yeah.
And if you guys cancel and theyended up not canceling, which
was awesome.
So I had been accepted into theMDSU dietetics program, which
was awesome and exciting.
So I have to spend two years inFargo, North Dakota.
(08:34):
And so I was like, I have to bethere for two years.
I might as well do grad school,exercise science and exercise.
Cause I wanted to work withathletes.
So I accepted the internshipposition and applied to grad
school and I got accepted and Ilove it.
Just so much hard work.
It's been hard.
It's been a learning curve.
How was your time in NorthDakota?
Then when I was there for gradschool, I had no idea what I was
(08:56):
in for, especially with the coldwinters.
Like I didn't know that the windwould blow so hard that it would
make your eyes water and thenear peers of freeze your face.
And I was not ready for that,especially walking across
campus.
But the people that I met therewere incredible.
The program director of theirdietetics program was, she was
(09:17):
awesome.
And the secretary there, shewas, they were on top of it if I
had questions or if I neededanything.
So then I met my collegeroommate who is Michelle, who
I'm supposed to be travelingEurope with backpacking through
year.
So I met her.
So I built some really awesome,amazing relationships.
And then I graduated and movedback to Montana and waited two
(09:40):
years for the dietician positionwith athletics to open up.
And so then I moved back toFargo and the second time I kind
of knew what to expect becauseI'd been there before.
And that was also an incredibleexperience.
Fargo as a city has a lot tooffer and they also have really
good food places when I'm afoodie.
And so that Jasmine, right,what's that one of the things I
(10:01):
really enjoyed about listeningto your podcast is a number of
opportunities opened up for youwhen you were in a waiting
season.
I find waiting to be one of thehardest seasons.
And I was wondering if you canshare what you've learned and
are learning in the waitingseason and what doors opened for
you.
Yeah.
Waiting and being patient ishard, but the outcome is
(10:24):
incredible.
So when I first graduated fromSDSU and I had moved home for
the summer, hoping that thesports dietician position with
SDSU athletics would beavailable that August.
But when I got that call saying,Hey, it got cut from the budget.
I'll be available this year.
We'll try again next year andbudgets go for a year round.
(10:45):
Right.
So I actually was at a gym thatI worked at throughout college
and whatnot.
When I got the phone call andthe manager there, she just kind
of saw my facial expressionchange and she asked what was
going on.
And I had told her and she goes,okay, well, I guess it looks
like you're going to help out atthe gym a little bit for awhile.
And I was so grateful for her tojust jump in and I was getting
(11:09):
ready to take my dietetic examto get my credentials.
So I was like, well, focus onthat.
And um, maybe yeah, I work atthe hospital.
I'd never wanted to workclinical, but I was like, I
gotta do something to use mycredentials.
I just worked really hard for.
And so I ended up taking my examand I passed.
So then I applied to thehospital as a PRN dietician NPR,
(11:31):
and just basically means thatyou work when needed.
So if somebody needs vacation orthey're sick or maternity leave,
you fill in.
And, um, they're not guaranteedhours, but I was like, you know
what?
This is better than nothing.
And I'll at least learnsomething from it.
I think that's the biggest thingto note.
There's always a learningopportunity and every, every
window, whether it's where youyou're going to be, or it's a
(11:54):
detour, there's always alearning opportunity.
So I ended up at the hospital asa peer and dietician will, one
of the dieticians ended upleaving and her floors were up
for grabs.
And I got to take on eatingdisorders, which is an
incredible population to workwith.
And then the dietician who hadtaken the other floors of the
one that left, um, waspediatrics.
(12:16):
And she decided she didn't wantpediatrics anymore.
I had initially wanted eatingdisorders and pediatrics.
And so, but being a peer anddietician and being the most
recent hired, you know, thatyou're the lowest of the totem
pole.
So you have to wait foreverybody else to choose what
they want and you kind of getthe leftovers.
So when my other coworkerdecided she didn't want
pediatrics, I was like, Oh mygosh, I want it those two and a
(12:39):
half years.
And I was at the hospital, I gota specialized in eating
disorders, pediatrics, and thena NICU for neonates premature
babies.
And that wasn't incredible.
Cause I would have never gottenthat experience anywhere else.
And I had ended up applying forNICU fellowship down in Texas
with Texas children's hospital.
And I got accepted into that.
(12:59):
Um, so January to April, I wasin Houston, Texas working as a
fellow at Texas children'shospital.
And that was incredible.
The things that I saw andlearned was so cool.
So we got to see babies thatwere confined and that's not
something you see all the time.
So I was actually down inHouston and then I got a call
from NBSU saying, Hey, we putyour position back in the
(13:21):
budget, looking better thisyear, I'll keep you posted.
And I said, okay, I got it.
Call in July saying that MDSUhad approved having a sports
dietician in the budget.
Would you like it?
My dream is finally here.
And so I kind of had to make adecision.
I have all this new knowledgeand was I going to stay in
billings and be a NICUdietician?
(13:43):
Or am I going to follow my dreamand take a risk and go start
this program at a school thatdoesn't have a sports dietician
and, um, take your risk beingpart-time.
I did that.
And I moved back to Fargo, NorthDakota, and I got to build the
sports nutrition program.
And then three years later I hada spontaneous opportunity to go
(14:08):
backpack Europe.
I'd always wanted to go to here,but I'd never thought of
backpacking.
And so one of my old collegeroommate sent me a text message
asking if I wanted to backpackEurope.
I said, yup.
Yes I do.
And so that was a hard decisionto choose, to leave the program
that I had built and that I had,like, I grew attached to it.
I felt like I was handing over achild and I knew it was going to
(14:30):
be hard.
But on that last day when I waswalking out, it was so hard.
And so now I'm just kind of I'min that waiting period you were
talking about.
And during that time I worked alot more on creating a website
and I started a podcast.
I feel like so often things thatjust don't make sense, make up
our journey in our courts.
(14:52):
Right.
You may not know how it's goingto turn out, but it goes back to
what you were saying with likethat patience and perseverance.
It is and change.
I don't like change, but moreyou, when you say you don't like
change, how do you do that?
When you are such an adventure,there's a lot of change that
comes with that.
Yeah, there is you're right.
(15:12):
I, I'm not good at it, but Iknow it's good for me.
And it's one of my weaknesses,so I need to continue to work on
it.
And so that's why I keep doingit.
I cry every time I leaveanywhere.
Me too.
Yeah.
And I don't know Sammy whoinspires you and why?
I would say my mom inspires me.
(15:33):
She's always been my biggestencourager.
She's always been my rock.
We talk every day, regardless ofif I'm at home or if I'm not at
home, she's the kindest,sweetest, human I've ever known.
And I hope to be like hersomeday.
And then I would say as much asI hate it, one of my friends, he
asks me the hard questions and Iadmire him for his hard
(15:55):
questions, but I also find themreally hard to answer.
So, so I admire him for thosehard questions.
For what in your life do youfeel most grateful?
This is very cliche, but for myparents and for my friends
pushing me and my mom, shealways humors everything.
And then my friends are awesomeand they're rock star.
And in those times that I kindof didn't notice I was working a
(16:19):
lot or not paying attention tomy own needs.
They would point it out and helpme do like a little self-check.
What is something you thinkeveryone should do at least once
in their life?
Oh, this is a good question.
Take your risk, do something.
Speaker 2 (16:34):
And that's scary.
And if you're not happy in theplace that you currently are,
take a risk and change it.
If you don't like where you'reat, but you are good at it.
And that's the only reason thatyou stay because it's a comfort
deal.
Do it, leave it, take a risk.
And if you're good at it, youcan always come back.
Speaker 1 (16:54):
I love that.
All right, Sammy, what are youlooking forward to in the coming
months or years?
And I think I know part of thisquestion.
Well, I am waiting to go toEurope and I am interested to
see where I end up career wisetoo.
Like I love sports andathletics, but it also comes
(17:16):
down to it.
Eventually.
I'd like to get married and havea family.
It's kind of an interestingwhirlwind, but I want to go to
Europe first backpack, Europe,see where that lands me.
I have, um, a lightning round ofquestions if you're willing.
Yeah.
And not the podcast.
Yeah.
So they are food themed.
(17:38):
Perfect.
So here we go.
Ready?
Okay.
Apples or oranges?
Apples sweet or salty?
Salty bagels or toast?
Toast.
Steak or vegetables?
Uh, vegetables, breakfast ordinner?
Dinner, pasta or pizza.
Oh, pizza.
Favorite birthday cake.
(18:00):
Oh, ice cream.
Favorite beverage.
Oh, um, lemonade.
Am I allowed to say that?
Of course I got my wine righthere.
All right.
Last one.
It's brunch.
What do you eat?
Oh, um, I really like eggsBenedict with the spin.
So like maybe the crab cake anda tomato with a poached egg and
(18:24):
hollandaise versus just seeoriginal.
Nice.
Yeah.
All right.
Now I'm hungry.
I am too.
Oh, Sammy.
Thank you so much for being onthe podcast.
I really appreciate it.
Yeah, thank you.
This is,
Speaker 2 (18:38):
But it was great.
If you would like to learn moreabout glazing grit and the
credible community leaders thatare highlighted on the show,
join the conversation where youlisten to your podcasts and
please subscribe, rate, andshare.
You can also follow the glazinggrid journey on glazing grid,
podcast.com.
(18:58):
I'm Jesse[inaudible].
And thanks for listening to thisepisode.
Talk to you soon.
Growing up, you think you have this vision?
So mine was, I'm going to be asports dietician.
That's what I want to be.
And I've had so many detours androadblocks and I've had to
change my route of how to get tobeing a sports dietician.
People need to know that it'sokay to not have your end result
(00:21):
right away.
It's okay to not be okay becausepeople don't hear that enough.
I think, and people don't get tohear those hardships and the
hiccups and the detours.
So I think it's good for
Speaker 2 (00:32):
People.
Pleasing grip podcast wasfounded on the idea of
shattering success, perceptionsand showcasing authenticity
added.
I wanted to learn more about thereal story behind people's
journeys with a focus startingin my own community of Fargo,
(00:53):
North Dakota.
What emerges with these candidconversations is on the state's
strength and courage with theripple effect of connection and
community.
It all starts with theconversation and honest one.
I'm Jessie, winter, Robin, andthis is glazing grit
Speaker 1 (01:12):
On today's episode.
My guest is the owner of eatwise, LLC, and the host producer
of eat wise podcast for the lastfive years, she has been a
practicing dieticianspecializing in sports
nutrition, and the firstnutritionist with MDSU
athletics.
Her journey is all about takingrisks, stepping out of comfort
(01:32):
zones and being authenticallyyou here's Sammy Fermin.
Thanks so much for being on theshow.
I really appreciate it, Sammy.
Thanks for having me.
Uh, we got acquainted.
It was through Facebook.
So you had shared a post withlady boss, Midwest, and just
stated that you're going tostart a podcast and about
(01:53):
sharing one's journeys aroundfood.
And so that's why I definitelygravitated to your posts.
And so I was curious, why didyou decide to start eat wise
podcast?
And what is it about?
I started[inaudible] food andjourney's podcast to share
people's journeys around me.
And I basically just startedwith some friends of mine and
(02:14):
then I've branched out to kindof allow others to share their
stories.
So people that I've never metand I've gotten to meet some
really cool people when doingthat, I feel like people don't
get to share their stories asoften as we may think.
It's so easy to know the personnext to you.
And like, cause you've beenfriends for years, but not
really know their whole story.
(02:35):
And it's not often that you sitdown and you're like, Hey, like,
you know, where did you grow up?
And where'd you go to school andyou just don't those good juicy
details.
Cause I wanted to hear stories.
I love stories also to havepeople share their story because
I feel like today growing up,you think you have this vision.
(02:55):
So mine was, I'm going to be asports dietician.
That's what I want to be.
And I've had so many detours androadblocks and I've had to
change my route of how to get tobeing a sports dietician.
People need to know that it'sokay to not have your end result
right away.
It's okay to not be okay becausepeople don't hear that enough.
(03:19):
I think, and people don't get tohear those hardships and the
hiccups and the detours.
So I think it's good for peopleto hear.
I was listening to one of yourmost recent podcasts about
thunder coffee.
And I think going back to theconnection that podcasts and
what you're doing can make, youknow, it made me want to go to
thunder coffee and be like, Hey,I listen to you on eat wives
(03:40):
podcast and thanks for sharingyour journey.
And so you start building theseconnections and it's just really
like your own little community.
It's just really neat to see.
Yeah, no, and they're awesomeguys.
They were so fun to talk toSammy.
We're connecting from BozemanMontana.
Can you share a little bit moreabout your early years?
So I grew up in Montanabillings.
(04:02):
I went through high school thereand in high school I was always
doing stuff, whether it wasplaying sports or try new
things.
My friend and I tried dance whenwe were seniors in high school
and I just had always wanted todance.
And I was actually mad at my momfor not putting me in dance as a
(04:23):
child.
And she's like, well, you didn'twant to, you kept telling me no.
And so I got this wild hair andI asked my friend, Jackie, if
she'd want to try dance with me.
And so we did it and we were twoseniors in high school.
And we were put in the classeswith the middle schoolers
because we weren't in the upperballet classes.
And we're like does basicknowledge.
And we tried it.
(04:44):
It was hard.
We realized how uncoordinated wewere and help starting dance at
a smaller age.
Definitely benefits you mysenior year.
I just had to fill credits.
And so I was in a culinaryclass, which led to me being on
a cooking competition team.
And then I ended up working forone of my mentors and I found
out I really liked working withfood.
(05:05):
So then from there I applied toJohnson and Wales in Denver,
they're known for culinary, butthey're also a hospitality
school.
And I ended up going to collegethere, which was the hardest
thing I've ever done.
Leaving them was really hard.
But growing up, we were alwaysactive doing things.
We would go four wheeling andboating and being in Bozeman.
(05:27):
It's awesome because there's somany trails around and you can
just go float the river for anhour or whatever don't know.
Sammy, you earned yourassociates in culinary arts
bachelor's degree in nutritionand a master's degree in
exercise science.
Did I get that right?
You did.
Okay, great.
Well, what made you decide topursue those fields and become a
(05:47):
registered dietician?
So when I applied to Johnson andWales, um, and went to culinary
school, I had worked at acatering company.
So I had some idea of what theculinary world was like going
through school.
It was an incredible experienceand I learned, and I grew as a
human and but one thing Ilearned was I don't think I
(06:07):
could be in a kitchen for a fullday on my friends that are chefs
in the field.
Like they are amazing humans,but I knew that it wasn't a
place for me every day, day inand day out.
My associates degree was inculinary arts, but it was also
an accredited school.
So I could continue to get mybachelor's degree versus some
culinary schools that you justget like a certificate.
(06:28):
And so did you, my bachelor's,we still had to continue to do
culinary classes, which wasawesome.
And one of them that I loved wassports nutrition.
And I was like, this is reallycool.
So we had to pack 1200 caloriesinto one 12 ounce shape, which
can be really hard.
Actually.
We ended up adding like blendingand rice and avocados and it
also had to taste good too.
(06:49):
So that was a challenge.
So I was like, this is reallyawesome.
I didn't really know and realizethe importance that nutrition
could play on your body.
And from there, I ended up goingto the university of Tennessee
and doing a sports nutritioninternship with their sports
dietician.
And she basically just told me,she's like the biggest thing
(07:10):
that matters right now isgetting your already
credentials.
And die-cast is how you apply toyour internship.
And it's super confusing.
It's an online portal that youhave to go through and you fill
out all this application stuff.
And then you look for yourindividual schools that you want
to apply to your dieteticinternship too.
So then you have requirementsfrom Dicus and then you also
(07:31):
have requirements from thoseindividual schools.
So I've found a veryoverwhelming, and I looked up
what schools were still allowingpaper submissions.
So there's two schools.
And I got an interview fromNorth Dakota state university
and my mom and I drove outthere.
It was probably in March and itwas like a blizzard.
So we drove to Fargo, NorthDakota.
(07:52):
So I could do an interview tosee if I could get accepted into
their dietetic internshipprogram and their program
coordinator.
She was amazing.
Great at communication.
So it was my mom and I aredriving there.
She sent me an email and goes,Hey Sammy, just so you know, we
might cancel interviews tomorrowbecause we're having a blizzard.
(08:13):
So we'd been driving, right.
So we're halfway to Fargo, NorthDakota.
And I just, I told her, I waslike, well, we're on our way.
I was like, is there any way Ican still have an interview in
person?
Yeah.
And if you guys cancel and theyended up not canceling, which
was awesome.
So I had been accepted into theMDSU dietetics program, which
was awesome and exciting.
So I have to spend two years inFargo, North Dakota.
(08:34):
And so I was like, I have to bethere for two years.
I might as well do grad school,exercise science and exercise.
Cause I wanted to work withathletes.
So I accepted the internshipposition and applied to grad
school and I got accepted and Ilove it.
Just so much hard work.
It's been hard.
It's been a learning curve.
How was your time in NorthDakota?
Then when I was there for gradschool, I had no idea what I was
(08:56):
in for, especially with the coldwinters.
Like I didn't know that the windwould blow so hard that it would
make your eyes water and thenear peers of freeze your face.
And I was not ready for that,especially walking across
campus.
But the people that I met therewere incredible.
The program director of theirdietetics program was, she was
(09:17):
awesome.
And the secretary there, shewas, they were on top of it if I
had questions or if I neededanything.
So then I met my collegeroommate who is Michelle, who
I'm supposed to be travelingEurope with backpacking through
year.
So I met her.
So I built some really awesome,amazing relationships.
And then I graduated and movedback to Montana and waited two
(09:40):
years for the dietician positionwith athletics to open up.
And so then I moved back toFargo and the second time I kind
of knew what to expect becauseI'd been there before.
And that was also an incredibleexperience.
Fargo as a city has a lot tooffer and they also have really
good food places when I'm afoodie.
And so that Jasmine, right,what's that one of the things I
(10:01):
really enjoyed about listeningto your podcast is a number of
opportunities opened up for youwhen you were in a waiting
season.
I find waiting to be one of thehardest seasons.
And I was wondering if you canshare what you've learned and
are learning in the waitingseason and what doors opened for
you.
Yeah.
Waiting and being patient ishard, but the outcome is
(10:24):
incredible.
So when I first graduated fromSDSU and I had moved home for
the summer, hoping that thesports dietician position with
SDSU athletics would beavailable that August.
But when I got that call saying,Hey, it got cut from the budget.
I'll be available this year.
We'll try again next year andbudgets go for a year round.
(10:45):
Right.
So I actually was at a gym thatI worked at throughout college
and whatnot.
When I got the phone call andthe manager there, she just kind
of saw my facial expressionchange and she asked what was
going on.
And I had told her and she goes,okay, well, I guess it looks
like you're going to help out atthe gym a little bit for awhile.
And I was so grateful for her tojust jump in and I was getting
(11:09):
ready to take my dietetic examto get my credentials.
So I was like, well, focus onthat.
And um, maybe yeah, I work atthe hospital.
I'd never wanted to workclinical, but I was like, I
gotta do something to use mycredentials.
I just worked really hard for.
And so I ended up taking my examand I passed.
So then I applied to thehospital as a PRN dietician NPR,
(11:31):
and just basically means thatyou work when needed.
So if somebody needs vacation orthey're sick or maternity leave,
you fill in.
And, um, they're not guaranteedhours, but I was like, you know
what?
This is better than nothing.
And I'll at least learnsomething from it.
I think that's the biggest thingto note.
There's always a learningopportunity and every, every
window, whether it's where youyou're going to be, or it's a
(11:54):
detour, there's always alearning opportunity.
So I ended up at the hospital asa peer and dietician will, one
of the dieticians ended upleaving and her floors were up
for grabs.
And I got to take on eatingdisorders, which is an
incredible population to workwith.
And then the dietician who hadtaken the other floors of the
one that left, um, waspediatrics.
(12:16):
And she decided she didn't wantpediatrics anymore.
I had initially wanted eatingdisorders and pediatrics.
And so, but being a peer anddietician and being the most
recent hired, you know, thatyou're the lowest of the totem
pole.
So you have to wait foreverybody else to choose what
they want and you kind of getthe leftovers.
So when my other coworkerdecided she didn't want
pediatrics, I was like, Oh mygosh, I want it those two and a
(12:39):
half years.
And I was at the hospital, I gota specialized in eating
disorders, pediatrics, and thena NICU for neonates premature
babies.
And that wasn't incredible.
Cause I would have never gottenthat experience anywhere else.
And I had ended up applying forNICU fellowship down in Texas
with Texas children's hospital.
And I got accepted into that.
(12:59):
Um, so January to April, I wasin Houston, Texas working as a
fellow at Texas children'shospital.
And that was incredible.
The things that I saw andlearned was so cool.
So we got to see babies thatwere confined and that's not
something you see all the time.
So I was actually down inHouston and then I got a call
from NBSU saying, Hey, we putyour position back in the
(13:21):
budget, looking better thisyear, I'll keep you posted.
And I said, okay, I got it.
Call in July saying that MDSUhad approved having a sports
dietician in the budget.
Would you like it?
My dream is finally here.
And so I kind of had to make adecision.
I have all this new knowledgeand was I going to stay in
billings and be a NICUdietician?
(13:43):
Or am I going to follow my dreamand take a risk and go start
this program at a school thatdoesn't have a sports dietician
and, um, take your risk beingpart-time.
I did that.
And I moved back to Fargo, NorthDakota, and I got to build the
sports nutrition program.
And then three years later I hada spontaneous opportunity to go
(14:08):
backpack Europe.
I'd always wanted to go to here,but I'd never thought of
backpacking.
And so one of my old collegeroommate sent me a text message
asking if I wanted to backpackEurope.
I said, yup.
Yes I do.
And so that was a hard decisionto choose, to leave the program
that I had built and that I had,like, I grew attached to it.
I felt like I was handing over achild and I knew it was going to
(14:30):
be hard.
But on that last day when I waswalking out, it was so hard.
And so now I'm just kind of I'min that waiting period you were
talking about.
And during that time I worked alot more on creating a website
and I started a podcast.
I feel like so often things thatjust don't make sense, make up
our journey in our courts.
(14:52):
Right.
You may not know how it's goingto turn out, but it goes back to
what you were saying with likethat patience and perseverance.
It is and change.
I don't like change, but moreyou, when you say you don't like
change, how do you do that?
When you are such an adventure,there's a lot of change that
comes with that.
Yeah, there is you're right.
(15:12):
I, I'm not good at it, but Iknow it's good for me.
And it's one of my weaknesses,so I need to continue to work on
it.
And so that's why I keep doingit.
I cry every time I leaveanywhere.
Me too.
Yeah.
And I don't know Sammy whoinspires you and why?
I would say my mom inspires me.
(15:33):
She's always been my biggestencourager.
She's always been my rock.
We talk every day, regardless ofif I'm at home or if I'm not at
home, she's the kindest,sweetest, human I've ever known.
And I hope to be like hersomeday.
And then I would say as much asI hate it, one of my friends, he
asks me the hard questions and Iadmire him for his hard
(15:55):
questions, but I also find themreally hard to answer.
So, so I admire him for thosehard questions.
For what in your life do youfeel most grateful?
This is very cliche, but for myparents and for my friends
pushing me and my mom, shealways humors everything.
And then my friends are awesomeand they're rock star.
And in those times that I kindof didn't notice I was working a
(16:19):
lot or not paying attention tomy own needs.
They would point it out and helpme do like a little self-check.
What is something you thinkeveryone should do at least once
in their life?
Oh, this is a good question.
Take your risk, do something.
Speaker 2 (16:34):
And that's scary.
And if you're not happy in theplace that you currently are,
take a risk and change it.
If you don't like where you'reat, but you are good at it.
And that's the only reason thatyou stay because it's a comfort
deal.
Do it, leave it, take a risk.
And if you're good at it, youcan always come back.
Speaker 1 (16:54):
I love that.
All right, Sammy, what are youlooking forward to in the coming
months or years?
And I think I know part of thisquestion.
Well, I am waiting to go toEurope and I am interested to
see where I end up career wisetoo.
Like I love sports andathletics, but it also comes
(17:16):
down to it.
Eventually.
I'd like to get married and havea family.
It's kind of an interestingwhirlwind, but I want to go to
Europe first backpack, Europe,see where that lands me.
I have, um, a lightning round ofquestions if you're willing.
Yeah.
And not the podcast.
Yeah.
So they are food themed.
(17:38):
Perfect.
So here we go.
Ready?
Okay.
Apples or oranges?
Apples sweet or salty?
Salty bagels or toast?
Toast.
Steak or vegetables?
Uh, vegetables, breakfast ordinner?
Dinner, pasta or pizza.
Oh, pizza.
Favorite birthday cake.
(18:00):
Oh, ice cream.
Favorite beverage.
Oh, um, lemonade.
Am I allowed to say that?
Of course I got my wine righthere.
All right.
Last one.
It's brunch.
What do you eat?
Oh, um, I really like eggsBenedict with the spin.
So like maybe the crab cake anda tomato with a poached egg and
(18:24):
hollandaise versus just seeoriginal.
Nice.
Yeah.
All right.
Now I'm hungry.
I am too.
Oh, Sammy.
Thank you so much for being onthe podcast.
I really appreciate it.
Yeah, thank you.
This is,
Speaker 2 (18:38):
But it was great.
If you would like to learn moreabout glazing grit and the
credible community leaders thatare highlighted on the show,
join the conversation where youlisten to your podcasts and
please subscribe, rate, andshare.
You can also follow the glazinggrid journey on glazing grid,
podcast.com.
(18:58):
I'm Jesse[inaudible].
And thanks for listening to thisepisode.
Talk to you soon.
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