Today we’d like to introduce you to Amy Gardner.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I grew up in Southern Maine. My interest in nutrition sparked in 7th grade when I did a science fair project on diabetes – inspired by my grandfather’s recent diagnosis. I was fascinated by how food works in the body. My interest grew as I saw the impact of nutrition on my athletic performance in high school and simultaneously became acutely aware of the pressures girls experience around body image and food. The nutrition field felt like a natural fit.
After completing an undergraduate degree in clinical nutrition at UNH, I went on to complete a dietetic internship at the Bronx VA Medical Center and receive a master’s degree in clinical nutrition from NYU. Throughout my training, counseling presented as a clear strength and passion. After finishing my internship, I was hired by the hospital as the outpatient dietitian for the Renal/Dialysis, Oncology and Hematology clinics. I found my work with HIV patients to be particularly fascinating because it was right after the new medication cocktails had come out. These new drugs led to the development of metabolic syndrome instead of the wasting we had seen prior to this. I thoroughly enjoyed diving into the research and exploring new options with my patients. I also enjoyed brainstorming ideas for nourishment with cancer patients who had no appetite. The work and patient population was constantly challenging and I found it rewarding.
I learned as much living in New York City as I did in my academic program. I learned that food deserts are a reality while working in a summer meals program that provided meals to kids in low income areas of the city. On the upper east side (where I was fortunate to be housed by my program), there was a bodega on every block showcasing beautiful produce but in East Harlem, Bushwick and the other areas where we served meals, there wasn’t a fruit or vegetable in sight. In fact, now that I think about it, I didn’t see a single grocery store. These experiences allowed me to gain valuable insight into my personal bias and helped me recognize what an important role socioeconomic factors play in nutrition.
After a couple years in the Big Apple, I missed New England. I had fallen in love with city life so Boston felt like a natural landing point. I arrived in Boston in 2000 and began working at Boston Medical Center. From here, I went on to work at McLean Hospital where I gained extensive experience with eating disorders and saw how mental illness intersects with eating behaviors. This was my calling. I loved learning about the psychology of eating behavior, the treatment models and working on a collaborative team. Working alongside psychology interns strengthened my clinical and counseling skills tremendously. Shortly after, I started a part-time private nutrition practice in 2002 in Newton, MA where I specialized in eating disorders. The practice grew into a full-time practice in 2005.
In 2010, I felt a natural impetus to grow. There clearly was a strong demand for the type of nutrition counseling I was providing and I felt isolated in solo private practice. I also missed the mentoring experienced at hospital. Throughout my career, I’ve enjoyed learning and hoped to continue expanding my skills and learning about new areas of the nutrition field. I thought “wouldn’t it be great to have a practice with dietitians who specialize in different areas so we could all learn from one another”. Plus, I really liked the idea of providing other dietitians with the opportunity to experience the financial benefits of being in private practice, which are often much greater than other settings.
At this point, my husband and I had moved from Boston to Framingham and I had recently had my first child. Most of my network was in the Newton/Boston area but my goal was to be closer to home down the road. I shared my vision with a couple dietitians I knew and soon after, Metrowest Nutrition, LLC was born.
It was just 3 of us at first. I rented an additional office in Framingham and we split our time between the two spaces. Between 2011 and 2016 we grew from a group of 3 to a group of 10 and in that time have seen 1691 patients, many who see us regularly and who have made amazing transformations in their relationship with food. In addition to our individual services, we have developed school programs, corporate programs and a home-based family program. We are excited to be thriving in our 6th year as a business.
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?
No, it has not been a smooth road. I’ve learned a lot through this process. During one of the more challenging periods, my sister reminded me of the 4 stages of group development: forming, storming, norming and performing. I’m happy to say we are definitely in the performing stage at this point but storming and norming were very hard. We lost some amazingly talented clinicians during this time. It’s natural to lose people as a company grows and culture changes but it’s still a hard loss. I’ve learned that relationships and communication are key to managing a business. I’ve also learned that I need to pace our growth in a way that allows us to maintain our cohesiveness.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Metrowest Nutrition, LLC – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
Metrowest Nutrition is a group nutrition practice that values empowering people on their health journey. Our goal is to help each and every one of our clients develop a positive relationship with food and their bodies. We work with people across the life span, from kids to older adults. We help parents develop the skills needed to raise competent eaters. In addition to individual counseling services, we offer meal support groups, cooking and eating activities. We also provide corporate wellness programs, seminars and school programs.
Feedback we’ve received from doctors and other referral sources indicates that our exceptional counseling skills and understanding of the psychology of eating set us apart from other nutrition practices. Our dietitians receive extensive training and supervision in behavioral counseling, the Health At Every Size (HAES) model, eating disorders, parenting dynamics and feeding issues. We provide a very nurturing, non-clinical environment for clients to explore their relationship with food and other areas of their life that impact it.
Our “outside the box” services (meal support, cooking, grocery store tours and home visits) set us apart from other companies. There is also a huge advantage to having a group of dietitians with different specialty areas. We benefit from the collective knowledge of the group and can collaborate on clinical cases.
I am most proud of how we are working together as a team around our shared vision. It’s wonderful to see the dietitians supporting each other and contributing generously to the group.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
We are in the process of expanding our home-based program for families. We have a group of students at a local university working on some ideas for us and I’m very excited to see what they come up with. I’m also excited to expand our corporate services.
Pricing:
- We take most major health insurances – BCBS, Harvard Pilgrim, Tufts, Cigna, Aetna, Fallon, United
- Private rates for individual services are $155 for the initial appointment at $127 for subsequent appointments
Contact Info:
- Address: Newton Centre: 1400 Centre Street, Ste 207
Framingham: 661 Franklin Street
Westborough: 125 Turnpike Road, Ste 2 - Website: www.metrowestnutrition.com
- Phone: 617-332-2282
- Email: info@metrowestnutrition.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mwnutr
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MetroWestNutr
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/mwnutrition
Image Credit:
Chelsea Bradway
Getting in touch: BostonVoyager is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
