And so the path changes again…back to school!

I was all in on Health Coaching - and it’s absolutely still something I am excited about - but ambition kicked in and I decided to do even more. It’s funny how life changes so suddenly…and we can either fight it or allow the path to unwind as we follow it willingly.

The funny part is: I always hated school. I remember when I committed to grad school the first time and I couldn’t believe I was back to a life of homework, studying, and taking tests…but it was an accelerated program…it would only take one year and then I could be really done with school, once and for all. And so I was. With my MBA in hand, I declared that I was done!

I truly never considered going back to school until I had time, during my sabbatical from Whole Foods, to really put things in perspective and evaluate my life and my goals.

I wasn’t even sure how it happened…but suddenly I realized that the idea of going back to school didn’t sound so bad anymore. How could that be? Where did this reversal of emotion come from? It caught me by surprise…

…but there was my amazing wife, encouraging me to be openminded and not limit myself. She truly gave me the space I needed to make this decision. She knew I had great passion, but she also knew that I was capable of doing more. Health Coaching is a wonderful thing to do - but it’s not a well-respected profession because the credentials are simply not that consistent nor vigorous. The program I took to get my certification was great in many ways, probably better than most, but it was nothing like getting a degree and a license in an established profession.

Next, there were my goals to not only help individuals, but to help push for change at a greater scale. Once again, I knew that I could do more if I had more training and credentials.

Finally, there was the obvious reality: to grow a Health Coaching business from the ground up and turn it into a career that would support my family was going to be a monumental task…perhaps even harder than…going back to school?

And so it suddenly dawned on me that the unthinkable might actually be the best course of action.

So here I am - already a year into it. I have completed 35 credits of prerequisite work over the last year and have been accepted into FIU’s Master’s of Science in Dietetics & Nutrition program, starting in the Fall. I have two years of grad school ahead of me, and another year to complete an internship and pass the licensing exam to become a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist.

As it turns out, school isn’t so bad when you both love to learn and are learning something you’re passionate about. For the first time in my life, I actually love school. I really love science. Most of all, I love following my heart rather than just trying to make money. I have a lot of work ahead of me, but I’m focused on the process, and focused on my newly adopted mantra: “the joy is in the doing”.