Exploring Life & Business with Wendi Irlbeck of Nutrition with Wendi

Today we’d like to introduce you to Wendi Irlbeck, MS, RDN, LD, CISSN.

Hi Wendi, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My journey to becoming the God fearing woman and business owner I am today began at the age of 10. As a child I fell in love with nutrition, fitness, and learning how the body functioned. I began to connect some dots on how movement and food influenced how I felt in life. I used to run laps around my house as kid to manage my stress and found great comfort in the release exercise provided me. I then realized food played a role in influencing how I performed so I sought out any piece of literature on health and nutrition I could find . This lead to wanting to share my knowledge with fellow athletes and friends. Through out high-school sports and college I knew I wanted to help people be healthy. I studied dietetics, health, fitness, sports nutrition and knew my passion was to be a dietitian that help people be their best.

Little did I know, Jesus would take me on the ride of my life over the next decade that included failures, success, struggle, humbling and so much more. I became a certified personal training during my undergraduate work. I loved helping people make lifestyle changes and saw first hand that people’s struggles were not because of food but because of traumas. Much like myself in my younger years using exercise as a coping mechanism I knew how important it was to help people work through their struggles and use both exercise and nutrition as a tool to overcome their demons and become their best.

After graduating with my BS. in Health, Wellness and Fitness (the first to graduate from the newly rolled out program at the University of Wisconsin -Stout) I worked in corporate wellness in the greater Minneapolis St. Paul, Minnesota area only to realize I needed to truly pursue my passion of being a performance dietitian and attain the MS. degree as well as the unpaid dietetic internship. So, in 2015 I went back to UW-Stout and spent the next 2.5 years working with the athletes, doing my grad courses, working at a hospital that was an hour away to ensure I diversified my experience to match with a dietetic internship that was extremely competitive (50% match rate).

I also landed a unpaid sports nutrition internship program at the University of Florida to work with their athletes and dietitians. It was a great experience that helped set me up for success with my current role.

Upon graduating with my MS. degree in Human Nutrition and also getting matched with a dietetic internship I was moving around for the next 10 months between Minnesota and Wisconsin to complete each rotation of the program. After I graduated I accepted a performance dietitian role with the United Dairy Industry of Michigan which was amazing. I was able to do nutrition education presentations with coaches, young high school athletes, and speak to parents on the benefits of eating well for bone health and more. It was a dream come true for me to have this amazing opportunity to make such a big impact, but I was learning quickly it was not enough. I was also struggling to pass the difficult RD exam . Which many may know or not know took me several attempts to pass. It was not until I fully trusted God’s plans for me that I was able to pass the exam. As I had shared about this season of “failure and growth” on a podcast back in 2018 I expressed how it was not a “no” but a “not yet”. I had worked so hard and studied so much that I totally gave myself performance anxiety and God wanted me to stop being self-reliant and become Jesus Christ reliant. This is a very important part of my story and journey because that was the moment I realized that hard work can’t guarantee success. The moment I said, “okay, God you take control here I will no longer study but walk in and take this exam.” I did and I PASSED! Moving forward that year was challenging but helped me see that putting my trust in God will help me do great things using the talents, gifts, skills and abilities to grow His kingdom. My true purpose and passion are to empower people of all walks to live their healthiest best self! Specifically, working with kids and families became a real passion of mine. I knew I could not satisfy my true calling working for someone else nor could I share the gospel in my work. So, I created a business plan that I worked on for 6 months, and filled my LLC. in August 2019 right as I resigned my position with the dairy council. I was not afraid to fail because I trusted God, and I had already failed so much before that I truly had nothing to lose but only freedom to gain be working for myself doing the work I loved most, public speaking, counseling HS athletes and adults on proper eating. I want to help people out there not make the dieting mistakes that I made as a child or under fuel their bodies. After all, it’s about honoring the body and temple God gave you so that you can be the best at whatever He calls you to do in life. 

My story is not special by any means. I work hard, show up each day with an attitude to serve and help people but ultimately I know that heaven is our eternal home. Being kind is more important than being right sometimes and this is something that has helped me continue business! People first, and profit second mentality keeps me going. If you treat people right they will tell others about your services and want to work with you because of the kindness, grace, and support you offer them. This is all by God’s design.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
A quote I always tell my clients and peers that summarizes obstacles in life. “Difficult roads often lead to the most beautiful destinations.” Nothing about my journey has been easy. I have been told “no”, that I was “too young, and had to wait my turn”, that “I would fail”. that I was “not smart enough”.

I mean I failed my RDN exam for a full year before I passed, my family has faced several hardships, I was criticized and betrayed by many I thought I could trust and rely on, and I know I am not alone. The struggles make you great if you’re willing to embrace the suck. I knew at 10 YO that I wanted to change the narrative and do things differently when I was an adult. To help women feel empowered to be themselves and not fit some box that society desires for them. To love their skin and to love themselves enough to be healthy, strong, and truly empowered!

Struggles suck but if you are willing to continue showing up each and every day without losing enthusiasm for what you do you’ll succeed. I can personally attest the day I passed my RDN exam, started my business, landed speaking engagements, and so much more made me appreciate it BECAUSE OF THE STRUGGLES!! Don’t ever quit on yourself or your goals. EVER

We’ve been impressed with Nutrition with Wendi LLC., but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Nutrition with Wendi LLC. is a Christian centered private practice that serves athletes, non-athletes, and the general consumer with their health and performance goals. We specialize in weight management, pediatrics, sports nutrition, lifestyle change, behavior modification, disease prevention, and so much more. GO check out our website for services :).

I am known for dispelling the misinformation and diet charlatans that are damaging both men and women’s perception of nutrition and health. I am heavily sought out by families of parents who have indicated how much our services have helped their teen athlete. Even the pickiest eaters are able to enjoy veggies and eat more food to support health and mood. The biggest compliment is a mother sharing her feedback on how excited her teen daughter is for our nutrition calls and that it has made a huge difference in her life. It’s just about food but helping young men and women be their healthiest best selves.

Most people seek me out after following me on Twitter. I have been building up my Twitter account relentlessly for years and many have said I am the “Emoji Queen” that is notorious for translating science into easy to understand terms using emojis. ” It is something I am often approached about at conferences and clinics. My social media and business is really known for being person-centered with a big emphasis on Christ and not being afraid to speak out against diet culture.

What sets me/Nutrition with Wendi apart from others is that WE CARE about you. In my mission statement it is a WE thing not a you or me thing. But a WE thing. Together we accomplish your goals. You are never alone and the plans we provide are customized to the individual whether you are a HS athlete or a mom that is just trying to being healthy. By the way, moms are special, they put everyone before themselves and it often leads to poor health outcomes. So if you’re a mama reading this, YOU ROCK and please be sure to take care of you because you cannot pour from an empty cup. SO, fill your cup so you can pour into others.

I want readers to know that we offer remote and virtual services. We provide telehealth and work with clients and athletes across the USA, Canada, and the UK. We provide nutrition education, team talks, health/fitness professional mentorship, weight loss coaching, healthy lifestyle education, family nutrition coaching, and help picky eaters of all ages find foods to fuel their body.

I provide a lot of virtual presentations on a variety of nutrition topics for both athletes and the general population. HS and College coaches will seek me out to do a presentation with their team or for a parent orientation. My philosophy is always to teach people how to eat for health first and fuel for performance second.

Geography is not a barrier for us to work together! Fueling athletes worldwide is our tag line but ultimately nutrition can make your life good or GREAT. The choice is up to you!

Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
Growing up I had a strong interest in competition, sports, health, and fell in love with understanding the connection our I grew up the youngest of my siblings of divorced parents. My father is a crop farmer, owns and operates a trucking business. My parents divorced when I was one. My sister took care of my brother and I in addition to my grandma and aunts. I feel blessed because of using a tough experience growing up turning those growing pains into power. The experience and adversity helped me, and my siblings become the successful people we are today. I ran HS cross country and played softball. I did not always do the best in school during my younger years. My dad had to teach me how to read because the small school we attended at the time did not. My father transitioned us to a bigger school 15 miles away from our rural home. I actually learned to LOVE READING. And did quite well in my English and writing classes. This is incredible because most assume I had an easy upbringing. I remember crying as a child feeling “stupid” because I learned how to read from my father using books that were beyond age appropriate to learn. Most kids learned how to read from little red school bus books, but I learned how to read via tractor, truck, and agriculture magazines and books that as you can imagine were quite difficult for a child to understand. My dad did the best he could and I thank him for that. He was just a father trying to teach his daughter how to read after a long day. I am a sought-out speaker today so it clearly worked. Talk about adversity. My father was strict on us children, but it made us demand our best each day. However, I would say I wish I would have given myself more grace as trying to be perfect can lead to paralysis and anxiety. One thing I would say is that I spent a lot of time with my grandmother. Words can’t articulate how amazing my Grandmother was. Her cookies and baked goods were known to all. She was more than just an expert baker. She made this world a better place by demonstrating what it means to be a follower of Christ. Her kindness, love, and loyalty to God always inspired me. My grandma taught me how to love when it is hardest to love and how to work extremely hard for things but trust God. She also paid us a wage for rock picking (which was my first job as a child) that helped me have the work ethic I have today. I pray my story empowers anyone out there to never fear failure and to trust God in all that they do. Afterall, it’s all for Him.

Pricing:

• $750 for a HS athlete coaching package
• $1500 for 3 months of nutrition coaching
• $550 for team talks and presentations recorded or pre-recorded available
• $450 for a health and fitness membership
• $350 4 follow up nutrition sessions

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: www.nutritionwithwendi.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nutrition_with_wendi/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NutritionwithWendi
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/Wendi_Irlbeck
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC175hiZ66wZCSKZe2itN95g

Image Credits
Nutrition with Wendi LLC.