Meet Marisa Landetta

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Marisa Landetta. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Marisa , thank you so much for joining us. You are such a positive person and it’s something we really admire and so we wanted to start by asking you where you think your optimism comes from?

Growing up everyone would tell me I was so happy all the time and that I have such a positive outlook on life. It wasn’t until I was older and faced some hardships of life – failing courses, struggling with my mental and physical health, difficult relationships – that I really had to dig deep and reflect on my view of the world. It was in these moments of struggle I felt my optimism for life was born. I often think back to my middle school theatre teacher, David, who was the first person that taught me that the way I act, or the way I react, was always my choice and nobody could ever “make” me do something or feel something if I chose not to. Learning this principle was life-changing, nobody could make me mad anymore – I decided it. From that point on, I chose to be happy. Making this choice is a daily effort and easier to make on some days more than others. I cannot speak to my happy outlook on life without mentioning my faith. I’m a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and there is a scripture in the Book of Mormon that says “men are that they might have joy” meaning mankind was created to have joy. The joy we are to have as humans isn’t just a brief feeling, it’s more of a peace and a promise we are blessed with by our Heavenly Father. Knowing this is my purpose as a human helps me to choose joy each day.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

I’m a Registered Dietitian, currently working with people who are taking GLP-1 medications for weight loss. I really enjoy helping people build healthier relationships with food and develop healthier eating habits that help with weight management. I was initially afraid to get into this specialty because of my relationship with food, I knew that I would have to face some of my struggles and be vulnerable myself in order to help others. I’ve been in my current position for close to a year now and I feel really fulfilled by the work I do, but it wasn’t easy getting here. Growing up I always struggled with my weight and with my relationship with food. I often eat out of stress, or any other emotion for that matter. It’s a continual effort of mine to honor my hunger and fullness cues, as well as my bodies stress cues so that I can cope in a more productive manner. On top of struggling with overeating for most of my life, I also dealt with a lot of health issues growing up. These health issues eventually led to me being diagnosed as Celiac. With this diagnosis, my whole life was changed. I was able to meet with a dietitian, who later became my mentor, and she helped guide me through my new diagnosis. After eating gluten free for just 2 weeks, I felt like a completely different person. It took much longer for my body to completely heal after that, but I was amazed at how much of an impact the food I was eating had on my health. After this experience, I switched my major from pre-nursing to dietetics. My great-grandmother was a dietitian and I serendipitously found out that I had been accepted to my university’s dietetics program on her birthday, so I took it as a sign that I was doing the right thing for my life. After several years of schooling, I passed my credential exam and became a Registered Dietitian. During this time , the COVID-19 pandemic hit and I found myself spending a lot more time cooking, but I needed a challenge. I decided to try out some plant-based recipes to expand my cooking repertoire and I started to realize I felt really good eating minimal animal products. Since then, I’ve eaten a primarily plant-based diet and I couldn’t believe that I felt even better than I did after I had gone gluten free years before. Since then, I’ve done a lot of research on plant-based diets and their health benefits and have become extremely passionate about helping people eat more plants.
So right now, alongside my counseling for weight loss, I’m developing my personal brand as a celiac and plant-based registered dietitian. I’ve just gotten started with sharing recipes online, on my instagram page (@marisalandetta) and my website (marisalandetta.com). Last year, I also started baking gluten free and allergen friendly bread and selling at local farmers markets. You can find my bakery page on Instagram (@landettasglutenfreegoods). I’m excited for what’s to come with sharing more of my recipes, nutrition tips, and growing my bakery business.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

The three qualities that were most impactful in my journey was endurance, connecting with others authentically, and open-mindedness.

For those who are early in their journey, to develop these qualities I’d advise to be your authentic self as this will help you to connect with people on a relatable level. To build endurance, I recommend having a mantra you say to yourself each day to remind you of why you are doing what you are doing. When you’re in the thick of it, it’s hard to remember why you started, so having a mantra is a great way to remember your why and that will help you to keep going. To be more open-minded, I recommend doing things that are out of your comfort zone more often. For a time, I set a goal to do one new thing each Thursday, so I would plan an activity once a week I had never done before, whether it was trying a new exercise, talking to someone new, or pottery, I forced myself out of my comfort zone and it really helped me be develop more confidence as well as open-mindedness on what I was capable of doing.

Is there a particular challenge you are currently facing?

The biggest challenge I’m currently facing is imposter syndrome. Even with this wonderful opportunity to be featured in this article, I keep feeling like I’m a fraud or not interesting enough, but as I have been able to reflect on the things I’ve done and what I’m doing right now, it makes me see how much work I have put in to be where I am. It’s hard to accept that I am someone worth listening to, but I’m doing my best to recognize these feelings of doubt and fear for what they are. Talking to people who support me like my mentors, husband, and loved ones really help me to have power over my self-doubt and overcome this.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://marisalandetta.com
• Instagram: @marisalandetta and @landettasglutenfreegoods
• Facebook: Marisa Landetta
• Linkedin: Marisa Landetta -> www.linkedin.com/in/marisa-landetta-5b1174204