We were lucky to catch up with Mascha Davis recently and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, so we’re so thrilled to have Mascha with us today – welcome and maybe we can jump right into it with a question about one of your qualities that we most admire. How did you develop your work ethic? Where do you think you get it from?
When I was seven years old, my family came to the US as political refugees from Ukraine. My parents arrived with $500 and a few suitcases, and I watched them re-do their degrees while working multiple jobs and moving around a lot. While it was difficult to grow up with so much instability, it made me really resilient, compassionate, and hard working.
My immigrant parents definitely instilled my work ethic in me! I started working when I was 14 at Pizza Hut and had multiple jobs even in high school and then all through college and graduate school (which I put myself through). Having those experiences served to make me grateful for everything that I have – I don’t take anything for granted.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I run a boutique nutrition practice – Nomadista Nutrition. I work with individuals, families, companies and brands. When working with individuals and families, I focus on optimizing their nutrition and addressing any chronic health conditions. I offer cutting edge nutrigenomics testing, which identifies areas of potential deficiencies and health conditions based on genetic variants. I also do omega-3 testing so we can optimize levels of this essential nutrient. With companies, I oversee new product launches or identify areas for improvement (such as menu revisions). And then there’s the social media piece and brand collaborations, which is really fun because I get to be creative and come up with photo / video shoot ideas for products and brand I personally use and love. I’m so grateful I get to do what I’m passionate about daily.
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?
I would say – good communication skills, tenacity, and the willingness to grow, pivot and adapt
In terms of advice, I think that honing communication skills is essential. Being able to write well, synthesize information and communicate it clearly is so valuable, no matter which field you are in or what job you’re doing. It is the foundation of a successful career. So especially while studying and soon after I would suggest to read, write and present as much as possible to hone your skills in this area.
Tenacity is the quality of staying determined and not giving up. If you really want something, you might have to get creative and try many times before you get it. I had the goal of working in international development after finishing my RDN (Registered Dietitian Nutritionist certification) and MPH (Master of Public Health degree), and I was rejected from all of the jobs I applied to, because I didn’t have the right international experience yet. I didn’t give up and kept trying, and eventually got into a fellowship program that was unpaid but gave me the connections and experience that then launched my international career. It took years but it was worth it, because I achieved my dream.
Being willing to grow, pivot and adapt is also always useful in any field. It’s really the ability to see the silver lining in any situation and flexibility to change course and embrace that change. I think building a good support system and having mentors is super helpful with this, as is keeping an open mind about the opportunities available (they truly are endless if you are willing to stay open and positive).
One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?
I’d love to collaborate with other wellness professionals, dietitians and content creators in LA! We’re so much more powerful together and I love collaborating with others. Right now I’m interested in collaborating on content creation, blog writing and organizing wellness events.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://nomadistanutrition.com/
- Instagram: @nomadista_nutrition
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maschadavis/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/nomadista-nutrition-culver-city?osq=Nomadista+Nutrition
Image Credits
photog: Nicole Freitag MUA: Suzanne Dobrijevich
