The Importance of Self-Care for Clinicians with Anna Sweeney

The topic of self-care is more important than ever, and Jennifer welcomes Anna Sweeney to better understand and define what it means, on this inspiring episode of the Pursuing Private Practice Podcast. Anna shares her journey of discovering Intuitive Eating while working as an eating disorder dietitian, and how she regrets the way she had been previously working with clients, motivating her to learn more and expand her understanding of Health At Every Size®. She tells how she started out in private practice part-time while still working at a clinic, and with her chronic health condition becoming more challenging, her transition to open a solo practice, Whole Life Nutrition, to better accommodate her circumstances. Together, they shine a light on self-care and how Anna now balances her changing self-care needs with the challenges of clinical work and running a business. She explains how her condition forces her to be more thoughtful of boundaries and limitations, and work in alignment with her values and needs. They also discuss how demonstrating self-care for ourselves as a provider is a good role-model for clients. "It's really important for us as well to acknowledge and make space for our own stuff. I don't think it makes us less effective at our jobs; quite contrary, we learn more about ourselves and are able to provide more quality care because of our life experiences." – Anna Sweeney Some of the topics discussed include: How her vulnerability with a disability levels the field and deepens her connection with clients, by being a human first, practitioner second.  Her definition of self-care with her changing needs, and how she has to continually re-define what that looks like. Her reflection on the success of her Instagram account, and how she shares her writing skills to talk about things that really matter. "Self-care makes it possible for us to do this work, particularly from a running a business perspective. Making sure we are tending to ourselves in all the ways makes it possible to show up in the best of ways professionally." – Anna Sweeney   Visit https://pursuingprivatepractice.com/ to learn more about resources to start and grow your dietitian private practice!