BY: Sarah Leck
DATE: July 21, 2016
Explain your role at the Center of Excellence for Eating Disorders (CEED). What is a typical day like for you?
I serve as the outpatient dietitian for CEED. This means I meet with patients one-on-one to discuss their individual nutrition needs, and help problem solve around barriers to meeting these needs in the patient’s daily life. I aim to make each patient’s plan very individual to their needs and taste preferences, while challenging each patient to try steps that will work them toward whatever progress looks like for them.
What was your dream job when you were younger?
Going back to when I was very young, I thought being a princess would be a good fit (ha!)… Now I know this is still possible, so I am working on it… At some point I shifted my vision to becoming a doctor. I really like to help others, and I thought being a doctor was the way I could do so. Good thing it’s possible to help others in many ways, because I obviously did not make it to medical school! I love my job at CEED, and hope that I am helping people daily in this role.
What was your favorite class that you took in college?
I went to Auburn University, and my favorite class was biochemistry. Not an easy class for me, but so interesting.
What are your favorite ways to practice self-care?
Practicing mindfulness helps remind me to practice self-care for me all around. Specific ways I am intentional about self-care are yoga and breathing practice, eating a balanced diet to include foods I really like (from ice cream to kale), and sleeping enough. Now that I get more sleep, I realize that I took sleep for granted for too long!
Finish this sentence: “I bet you didn’t know I could…”
Make a pan of homemade brownies without the recipe in front of me (I love them that much!).
Not only is Kate a Registered Dietitian, but she is also a Registered Yoga Teacher with her own business, Yogaleate! To learn more about the services she offers as a yoga instructor, you can visit her website. To learn more about her professional background as a dietitian, you can visit her UNC Department of Psychiatry page.
Links:
https://www.med.unc.edu/psych/directories/faculty/kate-kirby
Exchanges 