Meet Diane Kopelakis

We recently connected with Diane Kopelakis and have shared our conversation below.

Diane, so great to be with you and I think a lot of folks are going to benefit from hearing your story and lessons and wisdom. Imposter Syndrome is something that we know how words to describe, but it’s something that has held people back forever and so we’re really interested to hear about your story and how you overcame imposter syndrome.

Years ago I heard someone on the news speaking about “imposter syndrome.” I finally realized that that was it! That’s what I had! I just didn’t know how to describe it to anyone. Not that labeling something makes it okay or not but just realizing that I wasn’t crazy or alone was a huge relief.

Over the years my “impostering” feeling subsided. I didn’t do anything, on purpose to overcome it. However, I do believe that something I did helped me to relieve it greatly. It started with getting laid off. It was especially hard with this syndrome due to lingering feelings of inadequacy, not to mention the other life events that were occurring at the same time: loss of job and death of both parents and beloved dog. But, being laid off permitted me to take time to heal and to re-LEARN! As a professional, we often go from one appointment to the next.  We don’t have much time to stay on top of things. That’s the last thing you want to hear from your health practitioner! But it’s all too true. I dreamed of having time to read a book!  Well, I had the time now! So, I dove into books, research and into re-branding myself for next new chapter in my career… self-employment. I began giving more talks and seeing more clients with my newly acquired, updated information. Each time that I did, I felt more and more confident, especially since my clients’ health was improving more so than ever before. I began to realize that I just needed to improve the areas that I wasn’t so confident in. And, getting some exposure doing things that scared me helped, such as public speaking. The term, “exposure therapy” one may have heard of from the psychology world, really helps!  If I ever feel that imposter-like feeling again, I review my accomplishments, do some perceived hard things and continue to help others… in doing so, I help myself.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I am a dietitian in private practice at this time. I help others reach their health goals via nutrition whether it’s weight loss or autoimmunity, I meet the person where they are at, treat them as an individual, and educate them about how their body is “dealing” with their environment. I then help them change their environment (including their diet) to elicit improvements in their health.

I adore helping people reach a state of wellness that they never realized was possible. So many people feel “it’s just a matter of age.” It pains me that many suffer day to day and put up with, not only suboptimal living but, painful day-to-day surviving simply because they: #1 don’t realize that they have a choice; #2  they don’t know what to do to feel better; and, #3 they believe that medication is a substitute for healthy living. I’m not against medication. If one needs it, please feel free to use it. However, it’s the perception that the medication will fix the issue. In most cases, it doesn’t. Most of our ills are not improved with medication but suppressed. This stuff keeps me up at night!  One of my favorite quotes is by Dr. Robert Lustig regarding most diseases, “they are not druggable but rather foodable”. Needless to say, my goal is to get the root cause and fix the issue rather than suppress it and delay healing.

I do this via my nutrition counseling and corporate wellness business. I also love to write and present material (never thought that I’d say that!). I mess around with authoring a nutrition book (been “writing” it for years as it’s just a labor of love) and collaborating with others on podcasts to help get the message out that you CAN get healthier!

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
The skills that I believe impacted my journey (my evolution) the most include: having a thirst for appropriate knowledge, realizing that I don’t know it all, and listening, and I mean really listening, to my clients. This trifecta really helped me and continues to help me evolve in my career and on a personal level.

I wish I had been more open to listening to others when I was a young dietitian. I wish that I made sure to seek out unbiased information and research. I wish that I didn’t assume that my patients just weren’t following my recommendations when they weren’t improving. Some professionals never come to these realizations. I am so glad that I did.

How can folks who want to work with you connect?
I dream of collaborating with a team to help a greater number of people. I’d love to be a part of a team that helps others improve their entire being…all aspects of health: mind, body… I’m aware that it’s not just all about nutrition (it’s a lot of it!). If anyone desires to connect with me, I can be found on social media as “Evolved Dietitian” (or “EvolvedRD”) and via my website: TheEvolvedDietitian.com. Let’s evolve together!

Contact Info:

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