We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Mallory Choate a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Mallory, thrilled to have you on the platform as I think our readers can really benefit from your insights and experiences. In particular, we’d love to hear about how you think about burnout, avoiding or overcoming burnout, etc.
I have dealt with burnout multiple times in my life. As a type-A, super hard working gal, I have a tendency to overload my plate, say “yes” to everything, and take on way more than I can. For almost the entirety of my 20’s I was either working multiple jobs, in school full-time and working full-time, interning and working – you name it, I was doing it! I would find myself working to the very brink of what I could handle, having a solid cry after a long work day, say I’d never take on so much again, and then do it all again in another 6 months to a year. It wasn’t until the last few years, after working in healthcare throughout the pandemic and continuing my old ways of working myself to the bone, that I finally realized, this was NOT how I wanted to spend my life – constantly stress, overworked by my own doing, dreading social outings, and quite honestly feeling miserable in my day to day. It’s taken an override of my normal “go go go” kind of lifestyle to heal from the burnout cycles I was experiencing, and learn to recognize when it started creeping up again. I did this by doing less (not more), giving myself rest and breaks, finding joy in hobbies again, and stopped making my entire existence about my productivity, I think so many other millennials can relate to the grid of productivity, feeling overworked and like you’re not living fully, so I love to share about my journey and help others thrive in their day to day, instead of just survive.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
Hi! I’m Mallory and I’m a Registered Dietitian and Nutrition Coach in the Denver metro area, working virtually with clients to help them reach their health and wellness goals. I am currently working with clients one-on-one, as well we teach nutrition workshops locally in Denver. I have worked with some incredible people and organization such as the Denver Broncos, the Denver Broncos Cheerleaders, Pure Barre, and multiple local dance studios. I also develop nutritionally educational content and recipes for brands such as Tone It Up and WeNatal. My mission is to help other women build balanced eating habits to support their busy lives to enable them to thrive through what life brings, rather than just hoping to survive. When I’m not working with my clients and nerding out on nutrition, I am incredibly active in the Denver dance scene as well as the Colorado trails. I am a 10 time marathon finisher, 4 time Pikes Peak Marathon finisher, and have been a finalist for the Denver Broncos Cheerleaders 3 times as well. I believe in making “being busy” work for you, not against you and embracing a multi-passionate life.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
I think three qualities that have been my biggest strengths over the course of my journey so far are my work ethic (almost to a fault), my resilience, and my love of science and nutrition. Becoming a Registered Dietitian (RD) is not the easiest path – especially when there are so many who are working in the nutrition space that don’t have the same education. It can make the RD route seems really bleak when you look at the undergrad degree, year long internship, board exam, graduate program, and continuing education needed to maintain the credentialing. For me, there was not really anything else I wanted to do, so even when I was told “no,” didn’t get into an internship program right away, had to wait tables and in the kitchens in hospitals to gain the experience I needed and pay the bills on the in between. – there was no other option. I’m an incredibly hard worker and I knew nutrition was the path for me, and I wanted to be as educated and credible as possible in my work. It’s challenging, of course, to not have every step go perfectly, or the way you hoped, but I truly feel that every obstacle I have faced thus far in my career has only made me better as an RD, a professional, and a person. I would say to those who are looking down the RD road and thinking it looks long and arduous – it can be, but it is worth every step. Start small, take the jobs you don’t think fully fit on your resume, and let your own path guide you.
What do you do when you feel overwhelmed? Any advice or strategies?
When I feel overwhelmed, I simplify. I shorten my to do lists, push back things that aren’t urgent, and create the space I need to complete what needs to get done! This is something I work on all the time with my clients, especially when making lifestyle changes for fitness or diet. It can feel overwhelming to need to do everything all at once, so breaking it down into simpler, smaller steps tends to be helpful. For example, I will only put 5 things on my entire day’s to do list, instead of my sometimes seemingly endless list that no matter how much I accomplish in the day, the list is never complete, so I feel like a failure and constantly behind. If I keep the list to 5 things, and that includes things like work or a workout, then checking those items off and completing the list gives me the motivation to do it again the next day, and the next – rather than feeling consumed by the 100s of things I think I need to get one in one day. My favorite saying about this is, “I can do anything, just not everything.” Take it one step at a time.
Contact Info:
- Website: nutritionbymallory.com
- Instagram: @nutritionbymallory
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mallory.choate.rd
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mallory-choate-20766211b/
- Other: TikTok: @nutritionbymallory
Image Credits
Kira Whitney Photography
