Daily Inspiration: Meet Stephanie Espinoza

Today we’d like to introduce you to Stephanie Espinoza

Hi Stephanie, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
At 63 I think you intuitively look back on your life to see what truly brought you to where you are today. I am a native Arizonan and grew up in the mining towns of Globe and Clifton/Morenci. Life was traditional and as a young girl I felt my future to be predestined without much input from me. In retrospect I am so grateful to have entered high school in 1976. Title IX was passed on 6/8/1973, it took 3 years to implement, bringing it to 1976 and me. The law was to ensure equal opportunity for men and women in an educational setting. As a tall athletic girl this opened the door for me to gain access to a college education through athletic achievement. In 1980 I was given this opportunity and accepted a full ride scholarship to play volleyball at Northern Arizona University. We were the pioneers for all the women that have followed.
Participating in organized sports like this taught me about strength through practice and how to harness my personal power and use it to be a leader. It instilled in me the values of teamwork, camaraderie, hard work and integrity that I have used throughout my career. It also gave me the awareness of my physical self and that we have the power to impact our performance through a healthy lifestyle.

It was this awareness that led me to choose the field of nutrition and dietetics. As I sat through my first basic nutrition class at NAU I fell in love with biochemistry and biology and how what we ate informed our health through our physiology. It has been a fascinating journey of discovery throughout my career as research has taken us from a simplistic view of heart disease and cholesterol intake to the gut microbiome, chronic inflammation and disease progression. We have learned that what we eat is either feeding disease or preventing it. The career path I chose 43 years ago is more important now than ever.

My career path has not been linear as I had the goal of being a mother as well. Most of the positions I have taken have been with my children in mind. My career has taken me into most aspects of healthcare which has been exciting and eye opening. It has also given me great perspective. My initial dream was to go into wellness, that was in 1986 when the whole concept of “wellness” was just beginning to be discussed. This is when I first realized that our healthcare system is built on “illness” and that the jobs available within the system operated from that perspective. I have worked in acute care, long term care, dialysis care, and finally at the end of my career in wellness. Which has been the realization of that dream from 1986.

I did spend a good portion of my career outside of dietetics and nutrition in medical sales. In retrospect that was a great education for me on my path to realize my dream. In the early 2000’s the pharmaceutical industry was booming. It was the thought then that we could just control all of our chronic diseases with a pill. It was a great concept but the statistics have not played out to support that. Over 60% of Americans now have a chronic disease while 90% of us are deficient in at least one nutrient. This only supports the notion that nutrition is foundational to our health and that dietitians expertise is a necessary part of healthcare. However, it was through this valuable experience at sales that I learned how to be a better educator and communicator to my clients. I am able to breakdown a complex medical issue and educate them on how changing their eating and lifestyle habits gives them the power to control their health. There is nothing more rewarding than watching someone transform their health with your guidance.

My inspiration in life has always been my family. I have been blessed with a husband of 42 years, 2 sons and 5 grandchildren. It is my belief that the health and wellness of the family unit is the beginning of a healthy community and a healthy society.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It has definitely not been a smooth road. As a mother I was in the position that I had to choose a job based on how well it allowed me to be present for my children. I saw this more of a challenge than an obstacle and approached it with the attitude of gaining different work experiences that would enrich my skills. I have found that best approach in my career when an obstacle presented itself was to face it head on. The obstacle is always the way.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am a private practice dietitian and I specialize in an integrative approach to health and wellness. This approach considers the whole person including their physical, mental and emotional needs. I work one on one with clients to educate them on their body, their health and how nutrition plays a role in their health and longevity. Each client shows up with their own set of problems, habits and preconceived notions about nutrition. One of the most important aspects of this work is the ability to establish rapport and trust with a client so they are willing to show you their weaknesses in order to change them into strengths. Our habits are our coping skills and it is not easy to change a lifetime of using them in times of stress. By establishing a trusting client relationship while considering the “whole person”, together we build a new lifestyle plan and then work to make that sustainable in their life.

I am a nutrition educator at heart and one of the things I am most proud of is my regular TV segments on Channel 3’s “Good Morning Arizona” show. I have been doing this for the past 6 years and the opportunity has allowed me to bring nutrition education to my home state of Arizona. I am passionate about nutrition and feel grateful for the opportunity to regularly provide evidence based nutrition education to a mass audience.

What matters most to you? Why?
My family and their well being is what matters most to me. I believe that at the heart of a healthy society is a healthy family. They are our future. We are each charged with the responsibility of taking care of those who are closest to us. I also believe that this responsibility of “taking care of” is a central part of being a healthcare professional. I approach my work with the same sense of responsibility. The nutrition care and education I provide can change lives if I am able to communicate it well enough to motivate someone to change themselves.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.integralifeaz.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/integralifeaz
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/integralifeaz
• Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/integralifeaz