From Clinician to CEO: How This Dietitian Grew Her Group Practice from 1 to 6 Dietitians | Interview

From Clinician to CEO: How This Dietitian Grew Her Group Practice from 1 to 6 Dietitians | Interview

Most dietitians don't intentionally set out to build a group practice… They simply want more freedom. That's exactly why Erica Branz started her private practice. She wanted flexibility, autonomy, and the ability to build a career on her own terms. But over time, something unexpected happened…. And, as life changed, so did her business. In this episode of The Dietitian Business Podcast, Erica shares the behind-the-scenes story of how she naturally grew from a solo clinician into the CEO of a thriving group practice with two office locations and six dietitians. One of the biggest takeaways from this conversation is that growth didn't happen because Erica had the perfect plan. It happened because she continued making the next best decision. Whether it was stepping away for maternity leave, launching another business venture and wanting fewer client hours, or increasing access to care by accepting insurance, each season required her to evolve as both a clinician and a business owner. If you've ever wondered whether you're ready to grow your practice, hire your first dietitian, or become more of a CEO than a clinician, this episode is for you. One of my favorite quotes from Erica perfectly sums up entrepreneurship: "Want to grow? Don't wait for the perfect time. Growth is not linear- it's full of twists and turns." WHAT YOU'LL LEARN IN THIS EPISODE 1. WHY ERICA STARTED A PRIVATE PRACTICE IN THE FIRST PLACE Freedom, not building a large company, was the original goal. Erica shares why she left traditional employment and how that decision eventually opened doors she never expected. 2. HOW HER PRACTICE NATURALLY GREW INTO A GROUP Instead of aggressively chasing growth, Erica's business expanded alongside her life. We discuss how maternity leave, shifting priorities, and launching another business created opportunities to hire, delegate, and build a team. 3. WHY SHE SWITCHED FROM PRIVATE PAY TO INSURANCE Erica originally built a private-pay practice but later chose to credential with insurance to increase access to nutrition care. She shares what influenced that decision, what changed, and lessons for dietitians considering insurance. 4. THE HARDEST PART OF SCALING: BECOMING A LEADER Hiring isn't the hardest part. Leadership is. Erica candidly shares why learning to transition from clinician to leader became the most challenging…. and most rewarding part of growing her practice. 5. TRANSITIONING FROM 1099 CONTRACTORS TO W-2 EMPLOYEES Many practice owners struggle with deciding when to make this change. 6. BUILDING A COMPANY CULTURE ACROSS MULTIPLE OFFICES As your team grows, culture becomes intentional. Erica shares how she's worked to build connection, support her clinicians, and maintain a positive workplace- even while managing multiple office locations. 7. WHY GROWTH IS NEVER LINEAR One of the most powerful lessons from this episode is that successful businesses rarely grow in a straight line. Growth comes through seasons of uncertainty, pivots, setbacks, and opportunities. The goal isn't perfection. The goal is continuing to move forward. ABOUT THE GUEST Erica Branz, RD, is the founder and owner of Branz Nutrition Counseling [https://branznutritioncounseling.com/], an insurance-based group private practice with two office locations and a team of six dietitians. In this episode, Erica shares the honest story behind her growth- from starting a private practice for more freedom to building a thriving team while navigating leadership, insurance, hiring, and company culture.

Why Your Dietitian Group Practice Feels Stuck at $1 Million | Coaching

Running a successful group private practice sounds like the dream…until you're wearing every hat in the business. In this episode of The Dietitian Business Podcast, Maggy Doherty sits down with eating disorder dietitian and group practice owner Tianna Noelle for a real, behind-the-scenes business coaching session about what happens after you've built a successful practice- but before you've built the leadership team to support it. Tianna has grown her insurance-based group practice to more than $1 million in annual revenue, yet she finds herself working 60+ hour weeks, managing hiring, marketing, supervision, insurance issues, finances, and every fire that pops up throughout the day. Together, Maggy and Tianna unpack one of the most challenging phases of business ownership: the stage where your practice is too large to operate like a small business, but not yet large enough to easily afford leadership positions. If you're a dietitian who dreams of growing beyond solo practice or you're already managing a team, this episode offers an honest look at the systems, mindset shifts, and leadership decisions required to continue scaling. 🔥 WHAT YOU'LL LEARN IN THIS EPISODE 1. WHY SO MANY GROUP PRACTICES GET "STUCK" Maggy explains why practices between roughly $1–3 million in annual revenue often hit a plateau where owners become the biggest bottleneck inside their business. 2. HOW TO STOP WEARING EVERY HAT Learn practical strategies for identifying which responsibilities should stay on your plate- and which should be delegated, automated, or eliminated. 3. WHEN IT'S ACTUALLY TIME TO HIRE ANOTHER DIETITIAN Instead of relying on intuition, Maggy shares capacity metrics that help determine when your team is truly ready for another clinician. 4. WHY RECRUITING DIETITIANS HAS BECOME SO MUCH HARDER From venture-backed telehealth companies to changing workforce expectations, Maggy and Tianna discuss today's hiring landscape and creative ways to recruit local dietitians. 5. MARKETING STRATEGIES BEYOND PHYSICIAN REFERRALS Discover simple ideas for expanding referral sources, involving your clinicians in outreach, and creating sustainable marketing systems that don't depend entirely on the owner. 6. BUILDING LEADERSHIP BEFORE YOU'RE READY Maggy shares why waiting until you can "afford" leadership often keeps practices stuck- and how investing in systems and people creates long-term growth. 🧠 PRACTICAL TAKEAWAYS * Track clinician capacity before posting new positions. * Build redundancy so your business doesn't depend on one person. * Cross-train administrative staff whenever possible. * Recruit locally through alumni networks, Facebook communities, and professional relationships. * Give clinicians protected time for provider outreach and networking. * Delegate responsibilities gradually to build trust and reduce owner overwhelm. * Create leadership opportunities before burnout forces change. 💡 EPISODE INSIGHT Growing your practice isn't just about hiring more dietitians. Eventually, the biggest obstacle isn't finding more clients- it's building systems that allow your business to grow without depending on you for every decision. The practices that scale successfully aren't the ones with the hardest-working owners… they're the ones with the strongest systems.

Why isn’t my private practice growing? | Coaching

When your private practice feels slow, unpredictable, or stuck at the same client load month after month, it’s easy to spiral into self-doubt. “Am I doing a terrible job? Is this as good as it’s going to get? What am I missing?” That’s exactly what Adina — a highly experienced dietitian with 20 years in the field — brought to this business coaching session. And in this raw, honest conversation, we dig into the real reasons her referrals, retention, and caseload haven’t matched the quality of her work. This episode pulls back the curtain on what actually drives a profitable, steady private practice — and spoiler: it’s usually not “more marketing.” What You’ll Learn in This Episode: 1. Retention Before Marketing Adina was seeing only 3–6 clients per week — and had never examined her retention data. We explored why client return rates matter more than any new referral source, how to calculate retention inside Simple Practice, and what counseling shifts can extend a client’s lifespan in care. 2. Why Referrals Aren’t Coming In Despite years of postcards, snail mail, coffees, handouts, and networking, every effort produced the same outcome: small trickles of referrals but nothing consistent. We dug into the foundational questions: * Is the messaging landing? * Are services clear? * Are conversations addressing true pain points? * Does the value come across to doctors and clients? When every tactic fails to move the needle, it’s not your effort — it’s the underlying message. 3. The Client Experience Drives Everything If current clients aren’t referring and aren’t completing many sessions, something inside the session needs refining. We discuss what makes a session feel valuable enough that: * Clients naturally return, * Clients tell their friends, * And doctors confidently refer. 4. The Power of Being Shadowed Most solo dietitians have never been observed during a session. We break down why shadowing is one of the most transformative tools for growth — offering perspective, counseling refinements, and clarity on blind spots that affect both retention and referrals. 5. Anonymous Surveys That Tell the Truth Adina had sent occasional feedback forms in the past, but nothing systematic. We outline exactly how to send a true anonymous client experience survey, incentivize responses, gather honest insights, and turn feedback into action. 6. Moving From “I Think…” to “I KNOW.” This is where the transformation begins. Adina often said: “I think clients like sessions,” “I think messaging is fine,” “I think I’m doing okay.” But CEOs don’t rely on guesses — they rely on KPIs. We explore how tracking retention, referrals, session averages, and patterns shifts you into confidently knowing what’s working and what’s not. 7. Why Business Coaching & Supervision Have ROI Supervision isn’t an expense — it’s an investment. $200 in shadowing can turn a one-time client into a $1,000+ long-term client. We break down exactly how that ROI works when done intentionally. Practical Actions You Can Take: * Audit your retention numbers * Shadow or be shadowed by a trusted dietitian or supervisor * Send a 2-minute anonymous survey to all current clients * Track weekly KPIs: referrals, retention, cancellations, new vs. returning clients * Rework your messaging so providers and clients instantly understand your value * Align your counseling flow with what supports long-term engagement

How a Dietitian Built a Values Based Private Practice | Coaching

In this week’s private coaching session, Maggy sits down with Jonathan Yuhas of Yuhas Nutrition, a dietitian in Syracuse, NY, who is navigating a challenge many early-stage private practice owners face: balancing a part-time job, growing a caseload, managing administrative work, and trying to honor the values that matter most, especially family and flexibility. Jonathan specializes in CKD and diabetes care, receives strong referrals from nephrology groups, and is building a lean, insurance-based practice. But with growth comes new questions: How do you work on your business instead of constantly working in it? How do you organize your time without burning out? How do you maintain a meaningful personal life while still growing? This coaching session explores how to build a practice that supports your life instead of taking it over. What We Cover: Working On vs. In Your Business We discuss how easy it is for solo dietitians to get stuck in task mode—charting, billing, scheduling, and emailing—and how to carve out intentional weekly time to think strategically and move the business forward. Deep Work That Drives Growth Using Cal Newport’s deep work principles, Maggy helps Jonathan identify how even one protected hour each week can improve systems, efficiency, marketing, organization, and long-term planning. Values-Based Decision Making Jonathan shares that family and flexibility are core values. Maggy walks through how identifying your values (using Brene Brown’s values framework) can guide your schedule, working hours, telehealth days, and overall structure of your private practice. A More Effective To-Do List Jonathan’s to-do list feels scattered and overwhelming. Together, we restructure it using a high, medium, and low priority system: • High priority: needs to be done within 24–48 hours • Medium priority: should be completed within a week • Low priority: no deadline, low consequence Maggy also explains how integrating Google Tasks with your calendar can reduce mental load and prevent constant task-switching. Time Blocking and Weekly Reflection We emphasize the importance of setting aside a weekly reflection block to review goals, evaluate workflow, examine systems, and determine what needs improvement. Jonathan realizes he has been so busy working that he has not had time to think about the bigger picture. Considering Hiring and Delegation Jonathan wonders whether bringing on administrative help makes sense. Maggy explains when hiring is beneficial, how to evaluate return on investment, which tasks are appropriate to delegate, and why staying lean or scaling up are both valid paths depending on your goals. Long-Term Vision for a CKD Specialty Jonathan shares his interest in building group programs, cooking demos, structured telehealth days, and more efficient systems. This episode breaks down how to move toward that future without sacrificing boundaries or personal wellbeing. Key Takeaways • Your values should shape your schedule and workflow. • Deep work is essential for meaningful business growth. • Time blocking reduces overwhelm and increases efficiency. • A structured to-do list helps conserve energy and focus. • Delegation can increase profitability and decrease frustration. • Private practice should support your real life, not compete with it. Connect With Jonathan YuhasNutrition.com [http://YuhasNutrition.com] Listen to the Full Episode Stream this episode on YouTube, Spotify, or Apple Podcasts.

How to Grow Your Dietitian Practice with Confidence | Guest Interview

In this episode of The Dietitian Business Podcast, host Maggy Doherty, registered dietitian and business coach, sits down with Dr. Joyce Faraj-Ardura, PhD, RDN, founder of Nutrition Counseling Academy, to explore how dietitians can bridge the gap between nutrition education and behavior change. If you’ve ever wondered why some clients “know what to do but don’t do it,” this conversation will change the way you think about counseling forever. Joyce shares her journey from tenure-track professor and clinical nutrition manager to successful entrepreneur and educator. After years in academia, she realized that dietitians needed something missing from their formal education — the art of communication, connection, and motivational interviewing. That realization led her to create Nutrition Counseling Academy, a space for dietitians and health professionals to master behavior-change psychology and grow their impact in private practice. Maggy and Joyce discuss the mindset shifts that come with leaving the safety of academia to build a business that aligns with purpose and family. Joyce opens up about the burnout that pushed her to ask, “If I had five years left to live, would I still be doing this?” That single question sparked a reinvention: from professor to business owner, from educator to coach. Together, they unpack the skills every dietitian entrepreneur needs — empathy, motivational interviewing, reflective listening, and the ability to create a client-centered session that leads to real, lasting change. Joyce reveals how her programs help dietitians move from educator to coach, teaching them to prioritize connection over content and empowerment over handouts. You’ll learn: * The difference between nutrition education and nutrition counseling — and why confusing the two stalls progress * How to avoid overwhelming clients with too much information or too many goals * Simple strategies to shift sessions toward collaboration and confidence-building * How to market and grow your practice authentically through storytelling and connection * Why feedback, reflection, and mentorship are essential to professional growth Joyce also pulls back the curtain on the AI-based software she uses to help dietitians review their counseling sessions for tone, open-ended questioning, and motivational interviewing skill development — a powerful tool that turns self-reflection into measurable growth. Maggy and Joyce dig into the business side of being a dietitian, from building a program that sells to understanding demand before you create. They discuss why “trial and error” is really “trial and correction,” how to find your niche, and why marketing for dietitians is less about selling and more about storytelling. If you’re a private practice dietitian looking to scale, refine your counseling approach, or reignite your passion for helping clients, this episode will inspire you to look beyond the meal plan and into the mindset of behavior change. Key Takeaways: * Build a client-centered practice through behavior change coaching * Combine science + soul for deeper impact Use storytelling and connection as your strongest marketing tools * Evolve your counseling skills to stand out in the saturated wellness space * Continue learning to create a sustainable, scalable business model 🎧 Listen in as Maggy Doherty and Dr. Joyce Faraj-Ardura redefine what it means to be a dietitian in private practice — not just a provider of information, but a true partner in transformation.