Our Practitioner Spotlights celebrate the many ways that our practitioners are using Practice Better to help support their business goals and improve clients’ lives. This month, we had the opportunity to connect with Katie, a Holistic Nutritionist with specializations in women’s health and hormones and autoimmune disorders. Over 12 years ago, Katie began working with professional endurance athletes, but her niche shifted after giving birth to her first child five years ago, and her clientele did too! Katie's home base is in Reno, Nevada, where she works with people locally, throughout the US, and globally!

What is your signature package, program, or offering?

My signature package is my one-on-one coaching; it has been my core offering for my practice. I only recently started offering more group programs and am working on creating more self-paced programs with the new capabilities in Practice Better. 

My one-on-one coaching includes: 

• Initial assessment with analysis
• Check-ins every 7-10 days via a 30-minute phone call
• Unlimited texts, emails, or Practice Better messages per month
• Sports exercise customization for pre- and post-exercise as well as during exercise based on your training plan
• Blood test analysis with optimal ranges and check of vitamins and minerals
• Food sensitivity testing analysis 
• Daily accountability with food journaling using Practice Better
• Habit-based coaching, no meal plans
• Smaller goals and focuses made during check-ins to help you reach your big goals
• Macro-nutrient and micro-nutrient recommendations
• Custom nutrition recommendations based on your lifestyle

The main structure is all about accountability. Regular check-ins are very frequent until the client gets a good hold of their goals and the process, and then we decrease check-ins to every two-three weeks. I always say I have a horrible business plan because my overall goal is to have clients graduate from my program and be able to take everything they learned and use it in life moving forward (I guess kind of like that whole “Teach a man to fish” quote). 

This package also includes food journaling accountability, which helps clients make changes on the spot rather than wait until our sessions to discuss things that they probably already forgot about. If you point out the thing that needs to change right as it happens, clients are more likely to make the change as soon as possible. 

I often describe my services as concierge as I am always available to my clients via chat—I'm very hands-on. I only take a limited number of clients due to this style of service offering.

Which Practice Better features do you use in the promotion/selling/marketing stage?

I always offer every potential new client a free 15-minute discovery call. This step allows me to let people know how my program works and determine whether I can help them and that what they need is within my scope of practice. 

Which Practice Better features do you use in the onboarding stage with clients? 

I use a variety of features here. For example, I add each new client to an “Onboarding Welcome Guide” program that includes a variety of modules that guide them on how to use the food journals, book sessions, pay invoices, etc. 

Which Practice Better features do you use in the working together stage?

• Journals
• Chat and comment feature
• Invoicing
• Booking feature
• Task reminders
• Protocols

Which Practice Better features do you use to help maintain client progress or communication after you've finished working together?

All of my clients have access to use the journal and chat to keep them accountable. I have some clients who go this route. They book check-in calls every few months to ensure they are still committed to what we worked on and to share whether they have anything new to work on. 

What makes Practice Better a great fit for you and your business?

The thing I love about Practice Better is the ability to stay in touch with my clients regularly. Whether via chat or leaving comments in journals, it is so integral to my program to have the opportunity to maintain that contact.

The journals are essential because clients can note symptoms that develop after eating, bowel movements, etc. Autoimmune diseases are reactive to a variety of foods, and it is very important to be able to stay on top of all reactions.

A lot of work I do involves food sensitivities, and being able to help clients make sure that they aren’t eating the foods we are testing for sensitivity is very important to the process.

How has using Practice Better allowed you to build a successful business?

When I first started using Practice Better, I had a small number of clients and a very informal intake process. Practice Better allowed me to formalize my process and make it significantly more professional. 

Over the past five or more years, I have gone from just a few clients to upwards of 20 clients at a time, which at the current time is my cap number of clients. I can keep track of so many more clients at once than I could previously. 

I have tripled my income in the last year with the help of Practice Better. I still have a lot more that I want to do with my practice, including offering more group programs and webinars, and I hope to continue to be able to grow. 

What advice would you share with other practitioners looking to build a successful business and run their practices using Practice Better?

Take your time learning the system. There are so many tools available to help you create, manage, and run your business; you just have to put the work in up front. After that, it can practically run itself. 

Thank you so much for sharing your story with us, Katie!

To connect with Katie, visit her website, or Instagram.

Practice Better is the complete practice management platform for nutritionists, dietitians, and wellness professionals. Streamline your practice and begin your free trial today.