Sep 17, 2019
This week on 5.6.7.EIGHT, Aleksandra interviews Emily Harrison, a registered dietitian nutritionist, public speaker, and experienced writer, who has worked alongside hundreds of dancers to encourage healthy eating and positive body image. Emily, who is an elite-level ballet dancer, has garnered both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in nutrition from Georgia State University. She now resides in Atlanta, Georgia and spearheads her own private practice — Nutrition for Great Performances — where she counsels dancers and athletes on healthy living.
On the podcast, Emily spends some time describing her experience as a dancer and, currently, as an entrepreneur and elaborates on what drew her towards nutrition in the first place. Emily spends some time walking through the importance of nutrition for dancers and walks through the diet that she considers integral for active performers. Emily also speaks on the nature of success and how we can achieve our goals, as long as we’re being driven by a singular focus.
Moving Quotes:
“If you’re going to be a dancer, your body is literally your instrument."
“[Nutrition is] more than just pounds on a scale."
“My message to dancers is always, number one, that you have to eat. But, number two, you have to be strategic and smart about what you eat."
“In athletics, you see many more people understanding the value and impact of nutrition, but in the dance world, we’re slow to come to that. And I think we’re experiencing a Renaissance in that thinking now."
“So many times, my clients will say, 'I just a want to be a dancer.' Well, what does that mean? What company? Who are your favorite choreographers? Who are your idols? Where is your body type a right fit? … It’s a tough field. You have to have such single-minded focus. You have to give everything you’ve got to this career."
“Having a private practice has been a real blessing in my life because I can be there for my kids when they need me, but I can also have a career as well. I think the flexibility of the nutrition field has been a real benefit in my life."
“The kinds of diets I put my clients on are not only performance enhancing and injury preventing, but they also help dancers, frankly, look better in tights."
“One of the most challenging things about being an entrepreneur is that I have to do it all."
Bullet Points (w/ timestamps) - Highlighting key topics discussed:
3:25: Emily discusses the point in her life when nutrition became a field of interest for her and the importance of nutrition to dancers’ lives.
7:26: Emily shares some information about her own business — Nutrition for Great Performances — and the different ways her business helps clients.
10:34: Emily explains the diet that she believes has most to offer for active dancers — smaller, more frequent meals.
15:20: Harrison describes what drew her towards the field of nutrition and what she loves most about being an entrepreneur.
19:02: Harrison explains the most rewarding and most challenging aspects of entrepreneurship.
21:41: Emily gives some advice for aspiring dancers or entrepreneurs in dance-related fields, largely centered around having a singular focus and pushing towards that goal.
25:17: Emily discusses what’s next for her in the field of nutrition and how our own personal nutrition choices could help save the planet.
Bullet List of Resources –
Emily Harrison
Nutrition for Great Performances