Name:

Katie Schmitt

When did you join Cornerstone Nutrition? 

September…maybe?

What is your occupation?

Preschool Intervention Specialist

What is something about yourself that we might not know? 

I have a Bachelor’s Degree in Vocal Performance.

What have you learned through nutrition coaching?

The tiny changes, the baby steps, the things that feel like they shouldn’t matter – that’s where success is. 

When I first started, I came in expecting to track food, and count macros, and have someone yelling at me every time I looked at a donut, but actually, Beth asked,  “do you think you could drink 20oz of water a day?” I’m not going to lie, I was a little disappointed because this meant that I would be seeing those dramatic results that I had seen in all my diet trials. But this was not a diet, this was (and continues to be) the construction of a brand new Katie. Week after week, Beth and I discuss what I am successfully doing – planning, buying, cooking, and eating healthy foods – that “old Katie” could never have done. I vividly remember the day that I woke up and decided I was going to go to the grocery (for the first time in months). That was probably a solid month, if not two, into this journey. Up to that point, I had been telling Beth – to her face- for approximately 6 sessions in a row that I had eaten Taco Bell almost every day since the last time we had spoken. She didn’t give up on me though, so I didn’t give up on myself. I also have a vivid memory of the second day I added an LMNT packet into my water and drank it. It was like the lights turned back on in my brain – my headache disappeared, my mood changed… This tiny addition of electrolytes changed my world.

What I really want to say by all this is, “old Katie” would have tried to go from 0% nutrition to 100% nutrition overnight, and she would have held on for a while, but it would have been a daily struggle that she quit after it wasn’t sustainable. “New Katie” doesn’t even bat an eyelash at planning, and shopping for, and cooking nutritious foods. This is not to say my nutrition is at 100%, of course there’s opportunity to grow, but I am doing things, without thinking, that I didn’t know would even be possible for Katie to do.

 

What is the biggest thing you’ve changed that has led most to your success?

I learned how to quiet my negative self-talk and replace it with positivity. This is a big one. In my opinion, it is what makes any success possible. 

I’ll never forget the conversation Beth and I had when she asked me “and how do you feel when you get done working out?” I thought for a long time, and I really couldn’t come up with anything; tired didn’t feel like the right word, but energized was wrong too. She said, “you can say it,” but I actually didn’t know what word I was looking for to describe the feeling, and then she asked, “Do you feel proud?” I cried. That was the feeling, and I couldn’t even put a word to it, and I definitely couldn’t say it out loud, about myself? No. Fast forward through many sessions and tons of work with myself in the mirror, I don’t get lost in those negative thoughts anymore. Beth and I discussed at the beginning of my journey that I was drowning myself in work, that I was always making sure that I was busy, and had no time for myself. “Old Katie” thought this was noble, because I was giving away my time and energy to people who needed it. But I know now, that I was trying to make sure I never had any alone time with the negative Katie that lived in my brain. I can tell you – as I write this – that I am sitting in silence, something that I couldn’t do just 6 months ago. I couldn’t allow myself to be alone with just my thoughts, but now, when I’m alone with my thoughts, I can enjoy reminiscing about something funny, or plan a new adventure, or even create space for productive things like budgeting, meal planning, etc. 

New Katie lives in a space that she didn’t know existed, and if this space exists, then what else might be in store?

What advice do you have for someone considering nutrition coaching? 

Do it. Whatever reason you are giving yourself as to why you shouldn’t do it, or you can’t do it, or maybe it’s not for you… YOU ARE WORTH IT! You are worth giving yourself this gift. Don’t let your inner negativity tell you that you’re not worthy of being a healthier and happier you. 

What goals do you have for the rest of 2023 (nutrition related or not)?

My goals are to keep creating small habits that make me healthier and happier, to say yes to some things that scare me, and to show up for myself like I show up for others.