DEATS with Deanna: Discussions around Food & Entrepreneurship – Details, episodes & analysis

What does it take to turn hesitation into a six-figure success story? In today’s episode, I sit down with Hannah Eboagu, dietitian and founder of Equipped Wellness, to explore her journey from reluctant entrepreneur to powerhouse in adaptive and performance nutrition. From landing major contracts to building a relationship-focused practice, Hannah shares how authenticity, strategic systems, and a strong community have fueled her success. Whether you’re an aspiring entrepreneur or just need a dose of inspiration, this episode is packed with actionable insights to ignite your passion and drive!   Tune in to hear: 

• Why strong personal connections are the foundation of lasting success
• How streamlining systems can transform your business and banish overwhelm
• The game-changing impact of community and mentorship on your journey
• How chasing your passion can unlock both fulfillment and financial rewards

  Connect with Hannah: Instagram: @freeagent_nutrition   Connect with Deanna: Instagram: @dietitiandeanna and @online.entrepreneur.academy Want my help and strategies to have $30, $50 or $100K launches of your online program? Apply to OEA Scale

What if pivoting your business just weeks before a big launch could bring more balance to your life? In today’s episode, I am joined by Hannah Van Ark, a plant-forward nutritionist who did just that—transforming her business focus from weight loss to family-friendly, plant-based nutrition and increasing her monthly earnings from $3K to $7K. As she prepares for her second maternity leave, Hannah opens up about aligning her work with her life as a mom, leveraging mentorship, and building a quality audience for financial independence. Tune in for actionable insights on creating a business that supports your life goals.    Tune in to hear: 

• How Hannah’s pivot integrated her professional goals with motherhood, enabling her to maintain a part-time schedule while achieving a healthy work-life balance
• The importance of investing in mentorship to pivot confidently and work smarter 
• The value of focusing on consistent, meaningful content, to build a loyal and  engaged community
• The power of financial foresight during life transitions 

  Connect with Hannah: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/plant.forward.families/ Website: https://www.theplantforwardnutritionist.com   Connect with Deanna: Instagram: @dietitiandeanna and @online.entrepreneur.academy Want my help and strategies to have $30, $50 or $100K launches of your online program? Apply to OEA Scale

Today's episode features an inspiring and candid conversation with Kristine Ziffra, a dedicated mother, business owner, and postpartum coach. Kristine shares her journey of motherhood, managing her business, and overcoming a traumatic birth experience. Kristine reveils her physical and emotional recovery, emphasizing the significance of breath work, strength training, and the support of a community. We also explore her transition to online coaching and how she passionately helps women with prolapse. Don't miss her incredible story and tips for balancing motherhood and entrepreneurship, helping you always remember that you are stronger than you think and are capable of achieving greatness.   Tune in to hear:

• Kristine's traumatic birth experience and her journey to recovery in postpartum
• How she has found empowerment through sharing her journey on Instagram and starting a podcast
• Her support for other women with similar experiences and advocacy for women's ability to return to physical activities post-recovery
• Kristine's realization of her passion for helping women with prolapse, leading her to work in the online space

  Connect with Kristine: @birth.injury.coach   Connect with Deanna: Instagram: @dietitiandeanna and @online.entrepreneur.academy   Want my help and strategies to have $30, $50 or $100K launches of your online program? Apply to OEA Scale 

In today’s episode I talk to Alex Light, she's the body confidence influencer that you guys love and she's committed to helping women across the world feel better in their own skin. She shares all her ins and outs of her recovery and her weight gain and is the host of the number one podcast “Should I delete that?”   During our conversation, Alex talks about the unhappiness of posting online versus the reality of what her body image relationship is like,     In this episode, we cover:

• Alex talks about posting her body online [2:45]
• Learning and growing within the sphere of body acceptance [7:57]
• The reality of hitting rock bottom and reaching recovery [13:43]
• Larger bodies, just like all bodies, deserve recovery [19:49]
• Dealing with online comments and people projecting their own stigmas [28:11]
• Why numbers don’t matter anymore for Alex [34:38]
• Struggling with weight gain and body changes [38:01]
• Alex’s favorite content to create online [43:45]

 

Alex Light is a body confidence influencer you may know from @alexlight_ldn with over 475,000 followers who is committed to helping women across the world feel better in their own skin, author of “You are not a before picture” and #1 podcast ‘Should I Delete That?

 

Connect with Alex:

Book: You Are Not a Before Picture

IG: @alexlight_ldn

 

Connect with Deanna: IG: @dietitiandeanna

Website: https://dietitiandeanna.com 

This episode is sponsored by This episode is sponsored by Food Freedom Breakthrough, my three month transformative online group coaching program. Join the next group here.

In today’s episode I talk to Johanna Kandel, founder and CEO of the National Alliance for Eating Disorders. The organization was founded after her own decade long battle with eating disorders, and prides itself on supporting thousands of people dealing with eating disorders with weekly support groups and resources.    During our conversation Johanna shares her own experience with an eating disorder and how this sparked her own desire to start the National Alliance for Eating Disorders. She shares why full recovery is possible, how to advocate for treatment and how she managed to get the support of the White House for ED awareness and advocacy.     In this episode, we cover:

• Johanna shares how ballet played a role in her own disordered eating [1:38]
• Making a difference for those who struggle with ED [8:13]
• Is a full recovery possible? [12:12]
• Support exists and you deserve treatment and care [19:25]
• How long does recovery take? [22:34] 
• Getting the White House involved with ED [24:24]
• How do you know you have an ED? [27:48]
• Overcoming a relapse [30:47]
• Working in the field while having an ED [32:56]

 

Johanna Kandel is the founder and CEO of the National Alliance for Eating Disorders and the author of Life Beyond Your Eating Disorder (Harlequin). She founded The Alliance after a decade-long battle with various eating disorders. Since founding The Alliance in October 2000, Johanna has brought information and awareness about eating disorders to hundreds of thousands of individuals nationally and internationally. In addition, she facilitates weekly support groups, mentors individuals with eating disorders and their families through their treatment and recovery, and helps thousands of people to gain information and find the help they need. As a passionate advocate for mental health and eating disorders legislation, Johanna has spent a lot of time meeting with numerous members of Congress and was part of the first-ever Eating Disorder Roundtable at the White House.

 

 

Connect with Deanna: IG: @dietitiandeanna

Website: https://dietitiandeanna.com 

This episode is sponsored by the Online Entrepreneur Academy. Are you a dietitian or female wellness expert that's feeling undervalued in your job? Not passionate about what you're doing, or are you working one to one with clients now and want to scale your private practice to group an online coach courses and programs, then OEA is perfect for you. This is a three month high touch coaching program and we are currently enrolling for our next cohort. Go here to apply. 

In today’s episode, I talk to Dr. Danielle, a licensed naturopathic doctor helping women heal the root cause of their PCOS so they can have regular periods and get pregnant naturally. She is passionate about educating women to understand their bodies and realize they have the power to take control of their health.   During our conversation, Danielle shares her own experience with an eating disorder as a young dancer and how that impacted her own menstrual cycle. She shares how she was able to pivot and scale her own business, the impact PCOS has had on her clients' fertility, and why nutrition matters no matter what for all women.     In this episode, we cover:

• Dr. Danielle shares her own experience with an ED and how she got into nutrition [0:53]
• Life before the Online Entrepreneur Academy [5:59] 
• Working with women, fertility, and PCOS [7:48]
• Disordered eating, nutrition, and PCOS [10:52]
• Gluten and dairy-free diets [13:54]
• The importance of physical movement in your life [17:00]
• Support with PCOS [19:13]
• PCOS and pregnacy program [23:53]

  Connect with Danielle: Instagram/TikTok: @drdanielle.nd Email: info@drdanielle.nd Podcast: Heal Your Hormones with Dr. Danielle     Connect with Deanna: IG: @dietitiandeanna

Website: https://dietitiandeanna.com 

This episode is sponsored by the Online Entrepreneur Academy. Are you a dietitian or female wellness expert that's feeling undervalued in your job? Not passionate about what you're doing, or are you working one to one with clients now and want to scale your private practice to group an online coach courses and programs, then OEA is perfect for you. This is a three month high touch coaching program and we are currently enrolling for our next cohort. Go here to apply. 

In today’s episode, I talk to Madalin Giorgetta, a former fitness influencer on Instagram, who had a million followers. One day, she realized the spotlight was affecting her and she decided she really wanted to figure out who she is. From that point out Madalin has been sharing her journey to becoming a more authentic version of herself online.    During our conversation, Madalin shares why the “that girl” aesthetic was not authentic at all. She shares what truly makes her happy,  what she truly learned about diet culture and     In this episode, we cover:

• Madalin shares how she got into fitness and feeling like she was never enough [1:13]
• Editing photos and practicing the “that girl” lifestyle [8:10]
• Detoxing from social media and diet culture: learning and unlearning [14:25]
• Supportive family and genuinely connecting with people  [22:49]
• Setting boundaries on social media [28:34]
• The delicate subject of diets and people’s identity [33:38]
• Handling weight changes once you quit dieting [36:59]
• Why meditation helps [40:31]

  Connect with Madalin: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/madalingiorgetta     Connect with Deanna: IG: @dietitiandeanna

Website: https://dietitiandeanna.com 

This episode is sponsored by the Online Entrepreneur Academy. Are you a dietitian or female wellness expert that's feeling undervalued in your job? Not passionate about what you're doing, or are you working one to one with clients now and want to scale your private practice to group an online coach courses and programs, then OEA is perfect for you. This is a three month high touch coaching program and we are currently enrolling for our next cohort. Go here to apply. 

In today’s episode I talk to Dylan Murphy,  a registered dietician who really believes in empowering women and helping women through intuitive eating practices. In addition to her RD practice, Dylan is a new mom who shares the realness of motherhood and everything related to life and intuitive eating over on her podcast Food Freedom.    During our conversation, Dylan talks about her journey into private practice and the merits of running her own business. She shares her own experience being a mother and a business owner, her journey to helping those with an eating disorder, the impact of diet culture and extreme eating habits, and the journey of motherhood postpartum.     In this episode, we cover:

• How 2022 has been for Dylan so far [2:31]
• Why Dylan started a private practice and focused on eating disorders [7:55]
• Diet culture vs extreme diet habits [16:07]
• What you need to know as an RD before starting your own practice  [24:06]
• The least favorite parts of motherhood [31:33]
• Dealing with breast milk [38:48]
• Hair loss postpartum [45:39]

    Connect with Dylan: Website: www.freemethodnutrition.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dylanmurphy.rd/    

Connect with Deanna:

IG: @dietitiandeanna

Website: https://dietitiandeanna.com 

This episode is sponsored by the Online Entrepreneur Academy. Are you a dietitian or female wellness expert that's feeling undervalued in your job? Not passionate about what you're doing, or are you working one to one with clients now and want to scale your private practice to group an online coach courses and programs, then OEA is perfect for you. This is a three month high touch coaching program and we are currently enrolling for our next cohort. Go here to apply. 

Eating disorders have a lot of backstory, including things like an unstable household, codependent parents or emotionally unavailable parents and even things like one off-hand comment at 10. All of these things build up and eventually can spiral into unhealthy eating habits that plague a person's life. However, as our guests knows first hand, recover is possible.    In today’s episode, I talk to Kelly U, a celebrated mental health advocate best known for her fearless approach when it comes to stigmatized topics like therapy, digestion, her binge eating, and overcoming her eating disorder. She's even coined the term therapy Thursday where she talks a lot about the vulnerable parts of yourself.   During our conversation, Kelly talks about her road to recovery with her eating disorder. She speaks on healing her relationship with her parents, the power of therapy, and the physical impact binge eating has had on her body.    In this episode, we cover:

• Normalizing therapy and feeling safe  [6:22]
• Kelly shares the role parents played in recovering from an ED  [10:44]
• The harsh reality of the LA life, dealing with recovery, and being on social media [17:21]
• The best tip to overcome binge eating and the physical impact it’s had on Kelly’s body [26:32]
• Gut issues, trusting your body, and being online [33:05]
• Kelly shares more about her brand partnerships  [42:50]
• Pregnancy and sexual health [49:09]

 

Connect with Kelly:

@KellyU on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube

Listen to her podcast Therapy Thursday

 

Connect with Deanna:

IG: @dietitiandeanna

Website: https://dietitiandeanna.com 

This episode is sponsored by the Online Entrepreneur Academy. Are you a dietitian or female wellness expert that's feeling undervalued in your job? Not passionate about what you're doing, or are you working one to one with clients now and want to scale your private practice to group an online coach courses and programs, then OEA is perfect for you. This is a three month high touch coaching program and we are currently enrolling for our next cohort. Go here to apply. 

In today’s solo episode I am covering everything you need to know about set point weight theory. I have gotten so many questions and interests about the set point weight theory, and while I talk about this in my online 12 week program, I wanted to cover it a little bit more for you in the podcast.

 

Personally, I don't love to talk about weight because I think weighing yourself on a scale isn't very helpful, and it’s just another superficial way to try and feel happy. In any case, our bodies do have a weight, but that number is going to look different from person to person, so I wanted to give you five key takeaways today about set point weight theory so that you can understand it a little better.

 

 In this episode, we cover:

• Stable set point weight is healthier than yo-yo-ing [2:10]
• Letting go of control over your weight actually keeps your weight more stable [3:40]
• It can take several months for your body to recover from extreme dieting [6:31]
• Set point weight is a range [8:23]
• Listen to your body and forget about the scale [11:47]

 

Connect with Deanna:

IG: @dietitiandeanna

Website: https://dietitiandeanna.com 

This episode is sponsored by the Online Entrepreneur Academy. Are you a dietitian or female wellness expert that's feeling undervalued in your job? Not passionate about what you're doing, or are you working one to one with clients now and want to scale your private practice to group an online coach courses and programs, then OEA is perfect for you. This is a three month high touch coaching program and we are currently enrolling for our next cohort. Go here to apply.