Business Story: Olivia Cupido, Registered Dietitian
by Dawid Furman
What’s your business and who are your customers?
I am a Registered Dietitian and I run OG Nutrition which is a positive nutrition practice for those who are looking to improve and heal their relationship with food, no matter where in the journey to food peace they may be. I work with clients whose relationships with food have become fraught for several reasons from digestive health concerns, to disordered eating, and eating disorders. I can help you become friends with food.
Explain your experience and how you use it to help clients.
My personal relationship with food has ranged from extremely positive to much (much) less so. I grew up in a big Italian family where food and eating meant love, connection, and celebration. Like so many of us, this was lost along the way due to many factors from nutrition school itself (information overload!!), social pressures, perfectionistic tendencies, and my stress and inability to cope with it. Many of my clients can relate to this experience of losing touch of their own food intuition by trying to do things ‘right.’ Years later, I’ve come back to that original view of food as pleasure, enjoyment, family, and culture. My goal is to help my clients do the same.
What areas do you practice in?
Digestive Health, Eating Disorders & Disordered Eating, Emotional Eating, Intuitive Eating, Mental Health, Mindful Eating, PCOS, Pregnancy and Breastfeeding, Sports Nutrition, Vegan and Vegetarian, Weight Loss, Weight-Inclusive.
Tell us about yourself. For example, what first got you started working on your business, and what motivates you each day to do what you do?
While I have been working with clients for many years, I started OG Nutrition in 2019 as a way to connect with those clients who were having a difficult time with food, especially at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. My clients, their progress, their successes, their struggles, and their stories inspire me every day. While working for yourself has many challenges, I am reminded of why I do this every time a client has an ‘Aha!’ moment that helps them create a deeper connection with themselves and their intuitive needs. It is incredibly rewarding.
What’s your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
My biggest accomplishment is starting my business in the first place! Getting over that fear that I couldn’t do it was the hardest part. Now every day I continue to learn and grow thank you to my fantastic network of colleagues and of course my clients.
What’s one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?
Organizing my time and prioritizing.
What are the top 3 tips you’d give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Go for it!
- Don’t be afraid to ask for help and advice. There are so many networks of entrepreneurial dietitians today who are in a similar spot.
- Stick with what you know. You can’t be an expert in everything, so lean into what you feel most connected to. Working with those clients will feel more natural.
Company name: OG Nutrition
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Website: www.ognutrition.ca
Email: olivia.ognutrition@gmail.com
