We were lucky to catch up with Sandra Marilyn Rodriguez recently and have shared our conversation below.
Sandra Marilyn , so great to have you with us and thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts with the community. So, let’s jump into something that stops so many people from going after their dreams – haters, nay-sayers, etc. We’d love to hear about how you dealt with that and persisted on your path.
People have looked at me like my ideas were ineffective and impossible. I’ve had teachers telling me that I should consider a career change. I have had family members tell me that my ideas were not great and directly tell me that I don’t know what I want. I’ve never been someone to follow the expectations of society and have always done my own thing and set my own goals. To tell you a bit about me, my love language is words of affirmation, therefore, words tend to get to me deeply; especially when they come from people I value and love. Pushing through the negative was something I had to learn, especially since words touch my heart so easily and deeply. I have been able to persist by reminding myself of who I truly am and what I truly want. People never know exactly what you are going through, thinking nor will they ever understand you. Many just speak to speak and their words do not carry any meaning. Some mean well but have a bad approach. It all starts with being nice to myself. Loving and understanding myself allowed me to understand others and allowed me to be true to myself and my intentions. I allow people to comment and give their opinion, especially if they are people I love and appreciate. But I listen, I take the good, leave the bad and choose what I take in. Being mindful of what you allow, and setting emotional boundaries, will bring quality results to your everyday life and helps to establish great habits in positivity.
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 am a wellness and performance nutrition consultant. I focus on holistically healing the body and helping reach health goals through the power of food. I’ve had the opportunity to work with college athletes in their performance and recovery. I’ve worked with individuals to “normalize” labwork levels, balance hormones and gain establish a healthy lifestyle. I build personalized one-time meal plans and give health talks in local areas and virtually.
I have always had a love for food! I have always seen food as a form of expression. You can learn so much about someone by how they cook. You can learn about family history and emotions through a meal. Food can connect you with cultures and people and allows you to build friendships! However, food has been categorized as ” bad and good” and has led to a society where our relationship with food is unhealthy and has led to health comorbidities, overeating, and the creation of yo-yo dieting.
I come from a first-generation Latino home. I grew up in a low-income home where food insecurity was seen greatly. Due to this, we have experienced health issues. I decided to get my Master’s in human nutrition to help my family and myself without having to give up our cultural foods and still have a healthy lifestyle and not be trapped in the dieting culture.
This year I have taken consultation international and have been able to help individuals in El Salvador, Puerto Rico, France, Pakistan, and Morroco! My goal is for each person to learn how to enjoy their life without having to give up their cultural foods and still, meet their goals and enjoy and eat food without dieting!
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Motivation, discipline, education, Having a goal and sticking to it, and aiming to break through procrastination are one of the hardest things to do and allow you to grow. Finding time daily to learn in your field, make a daily plan and an ultimate plan, and each day work towards it. There will be times that motivation will not be there, the discipline may slip and the desire of not wanting to learn and keep going may happen. But working one day at a time is the only way to succeed and do not view days of failure as the end of your goal, but see them as an opportunity to grow.
Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?
I am looking to collaborate with folks who own their own health and wellness businesses. I am looking to work with those who are personal trainers and want science-based nutrition guidance for their clients, collaborate with sports teams, or other nutritionists who are wanting to team up and reach out to communities and properly teach nutrition.
The nutrition career is competing with those who are influencers with self-taught education on social media and Google searches. It can be hard to debunk and reteach the true essence of health to our communities and work with what they have available without having t to sacrifice their culture, go hungry or have to constantly try new trending diets.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @del.oro_
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sandra-rodriguez-751603102/
Image Credits
@sabrinametzphotography
