Glaze and Grit
Glaze and Grit
Sami Fuhrmann: Founder and Owner of Eatwise and Eatwise Food and Journeys Podcast (Episode 06)
Hardworking, driven, and passionate are just a few adjectives that come to mind when connecting with Sami Fuhrmann.
Sami Fuhrmann is a registered dietitian, owner of EatWise, LLC, and the host/producer of EatWise podcast.
Sami graduated from Johnson & Wales with her Associates in Culinary Arts, then continued on to earn her Master’s degree in Science of Nutrition from North Dakota State University. Over the past five years, she has been a practicing dietitian specializing in sports nutrition.
By day, she is a dietitian but her heart loves to travel. Sami’s journey is all about taking risks, stepping out of comfort zones, and being authentically you. Her journey and career risks are impressive. And, visiting a local coffee shop doesn’t hurt either.
Growing up, you think you have this vision? So mine was, I'm going to be a sports dietician. That's what I want to be. And I've had so many detours and roadblocks and I've had to change my route of how to get to being a sports dietician. People need to know that it's okay to not have your end result right away. It's okay to not be okay because people don't hear that enough. I think, and people don't get to hear those hardships and the hiccups and the detours. So I think it's good for
Speaker 2:People. Pleasing grip podcast was founded on the idea of shattering success, perceptions and showcasing authenticity added. I wanted to learn more about the real story behind people's journeys with a focus starting in my own community of Fargo, North Dakota. What emerges with these candid conversations is on the state's strength and courage with the ripple effect of connection and community. It all starts with the conversation and honest one. I'm Jessie, winter, Robin, and this is glazing grit
Speaker 1:On today's episode. My guest is the owner of eat wise, LLC, and the host producer of eat wise podcast for the last five years, she has been a practicing dietician specializing in sports nutrition, and the first nutritionist with MDSU athletics. Her journey is all about taking risks, stepping out of comfort zones and being authentically you here's Sammy Fermin. Thanks so much for being on the show. I really appreciate it, Sammy. Thanks for having me. Uh, we got acquainted. It was through Facebook. So you had shared a post with lady boss, Midwest, and just stated that you're going to start a podcast and about sharing one's journeys around food. And so that's why I definitely gravitated to your posts. And so I was curious, why did you decide to start eat wise podcast? And what is it about? I started[inaudible] food and journey's podcast to share people's journeys around me. And I basically just started with some friends of mine and then I've branched out to kind of allow others to share their stories. So people that I've never met and I've gotten to meet some really cool people when doing that, I feel like people don't get to share their stories as often as we may think. It's so easy to know the person next to you. And like, cause you've been friends for years, but not really know their whole story. And it's not often that you sit down and you're like, Hey, like, you know, where did you grow up? And where'd you go to school and you just don't those good juicy details. Cause I wanted to hear stories. I love stories also to have people share their story because I feel like today growing up, you think you have this vision. So mine was, I'm going to be a sports dietician. That's what I want to be. And I've had so many detours and roadblocks and I've had to change my route of how to get to being a sports dietician. People need to know that it's okay to not have your end result right away. It's okay to not be okay because people don't hear that enough. I think, and people don't get to hear those hardships and the hiccups and the detours. So I think it's good for people to hear. I was listening to one of your most recent podcasts about thunder coffee. And I think going back to the connection that podcasts and what you're doing can make, you know, it made me want to go to thunder coffee and be like, Hey, I listen to you on eat wives podcast and thanks for sharing your journey. And so you start building these connections and it's just really like your own little community. It's just really neat to see. Yeah, no, and they're awesome guys. They were so fun to talk to Sammy. We're connecting from Bozeman Montana. Can you share a little bit more about your early years? So I grew up in Montana billings. I went through high school there and in high school I was always doing stuff, whether it was playing sports or try new things. My friend and I tried dance when we were seniors in high school and I just had always wanted to dance. And I was actually mad at my mom for not putting me in dance as a child. And she's like, well, you didn't want to, you kept telling me no. And so I got this wild hair and I asked my friend, Jackie, if she'd want to try dance with me. And so we did it and we were two seniors in high school. And we were put in the classes with the middle schoolers because we weren't in the upper ballet classes. And we're like does basic knowledge. And we tried it. It was hard. We realized how uncoordinated we were and help starting dance at a smaller age. Definitely benefits you my senior year. I just had to fill credits. And so I was in a culinary class, which led to me being on a cooking competition team. And then I ended up working for one of my mentors and I found out I really liked working with food. So then from there I applied to Johnson and Wales in Denver, they're known for culinary, but they're also a hospitality school. And I ended up going to college there, which was the hardest thing I've ever done. Leaving them was really hard. But growing up, we were always active doing things. We would go four wheeling and boating and being in Bozeman. It's awesome because there's so many trails around and you can just go float the river for an hour or whatever don't know. Sammy, you earned your associates in culinary arts bachelor's degree in nutrition and a master's degree in exercise science. Did I get that right? You did. Okay, great. Well, what made you decide to pursue those fields and become a registered dietician? So when I applied to Johnson and Wales, um, and went to culinary school, I had worked at a catering company. So I had some idea of what the culinary world was like going through school. It was an incredible experience and I learned, and I grew as a human and but one thing I learned was I don't think I could be in a kitchen for a full day on my friends that are chefs in the field. Like they are amazing humans, but I knew that it wasn't a place for me every day, day in and day out. My associates degree was in culinary arts, but it was also an accredited school. So I could continue to get my bachelor's degree versus some culinary schools that you just get like a certificate. And so did you, my bachelor's, we still had to continue to do culinary classes, which was awesome. And one of them that I loved was sports nutrition. And I was like, this is really cool. So we had to pack 1200 calories into one 12 ounce shape, which can be really hard. Actually. We ended up adding like blending and rice and avocados and it also had to taste good too. So that was a challenge. So I was like, this is really awesome. I didn't really know and realize the importance that nutrition could play on your body. And from there, I ended up going to the university of Tennessee and doing a sports nutrition internship with their sports dietician. And she basically just told me, she's like the biggest thing that matters right now is getting your already credentials. And die-cast is how you apply to your internship. And it's super confusing. It's an online portal that you have to go through and you fill out all this application stuff. And then you look for your individual schools that you want to apply to your dietetic internship too. So then you have requirements from Dicus and then you also have requirements from those individual schools. So I've found a very overwhelming, and I looked up what schools were still allowing paper submissions. So there's two schools. And I got an interview from North Dakota state university and my mom and I drove out there. It was probably in March and it was like a blizzard. So we drove to Fargo, North Dakota. So I could do an interview to see if I could get accepted into their dietetic internship program and their program coordinator. She was amazing. Great at communication. So it was my mom and I are driving there. She sent me an email and goes, Hey Sammy, just so you know, we might cancel interviews tomorrow because we're having a blizzard. So we'd been driving, right. So we're halfway to Fargo, North Dakota. And I just, I told her, I was like, well, we're on our way. I was like, is there any way I can still have an interview in person? Yeah. And if you guys cancel and they ended up not canceling, which was awesome. So I had been accepted into the MDSU dietetics program, which was awesome and exciting. So I have to spend two years in Fargo, North Dakota. And so I was like, I have to be there for two years. I might as well do grad school, exercise science and exercise. Cause I wanted to work with athletes. So I accepted the internship position and applied to grad school and I got accepted and I love it. Just so much hard work. It's been hard. It's been a learning curve. How was your time in North Dakota? Then when I was there for grad school, I had no idea what I was in for, especially with the cold winters. Like I didn't know that the wind would blow so hard that it would make your eyes water and the near peers of freeze your face. And I was not ready for that, especially walking across campus. But the people that I met there were incredible. The program director of their dietetics program was, she was awesome. And the secretary there, she was, they were on top of it if I had questions or if I needed anything. So then I met my college roommate who is Michelle, who I'm supposed to be traveling Europe with backpacking through year. So I met her. So I built some really awesome, amazing relationships. And then I graduated and moved back to Montana and waited two years for the dietician position with athletics to open up. And so then I moved back to Fargo and the second time I kind of knew what to expect because I'd been there before. And that was also an incredible experience. Fargo as a city has a lot to offer and they also have really good food places when I'm a foodie. And so that Jasmine, right, what's that one of the things I really enjoyed about listening to your podcast is a number of opportunities opened up for you when you were in a waiting season. I find waiting to be one of the hardest seasons. And I was wondering if you can share what you've learned and are learning in the waiting season and what doors opened for you. Yeah. Waiting and being patient is hard, but the outcome is incredible. So when I first graduated from SDSU and I had moved home for the summer, hoping that the sports dietician position with SDSU athletics would be available that August. But when I got that call saying, Hey, it got cut from the budget. I'll be available this year. We'll try again next year and budgets go for a year round. Right. So I actually was at a gym that I worked at throughout college and whatnot. When I got the phone call and the manager there, she just kind of saw my facial expression change and she asked what was going on. And I had told her and she goes, okay, well, I guess it looks like you're going to help out at the gym a little bit for awhile. And I was so grateful for her to just jump in and I was getting ready to take my dietetic exam to get my credentials. So I was like, well, focus on that. And um, maybe yeah, I work at the hospital. I'd never wanted to work clinical, but I was like, I gotta do something to use my credentials. I just worked really hard for. And so I ended up taking my exam and I passed. So then I applied to the hospital as a PRN dietician NPR, and just basically means that you work when needed. So if somebody needs vacation or they're sick or maternity leave, you fill in. And, um, they're not guaranteed hours, but I was like, you know what? This is better than nothing. And I'll at least learn something from it. I think that's the biggest thing to note. There's always a learning opportunity and every, every window, whether it's where you you're going to be, or it's a detour, there's always a learning opportunity. So I ended up at the hospital as a peer and dietician will, one of the dieticians ended up leaving and her floors were up for grabs. And I got to take on eating disorders, which is an incredible population to work with. And then the dietician who had taken the other floors of the one that left, um, was pediatrics. And she decided she didn't want pediatrics anymore. I had initially wanted eating disorders and pediatrics. And so, but being a peer and dietician and being the most recent hired, you know, that you're the lowest of the totem pole. So you have to wait for everybody else to choose what they want and you kind of get the leftovers. So when my other coworker decided she didn't want pediatrics, I was like, Oh my gosh, I want it those two and a half years. And I was at the hospital, I got a specialized in eating disorders, pediatrics, and then a NICU for neonates premature babies. And that wasn't incredible. Cause I would have never gotten that experience anywhere else. And I had ended up applying for NICU fellowship down in Texas with Texas children's hospital. And I got accepted into that. Um, so January to April, I was in Houston, Texas working as a fellow at Texas children's hospital. And that was incredible. The things that I saw and learned was so cool. So we got to see babies that were confined and that's not something you see all the time. So I was actually down in Houston and then I got a call from NBSU saying, Hey, we put your position back in the budget, looking better this year, I'll keep you posted. And I said, okay, I got it. Call in July saying that MDSU had approved having a sports dietician in the budget. Would you like it? My dream is finally here. And so I kind of had to make a decision. I have all this new knowledge and was I going to stay in billings and be a NICU dietician? Or am I going to follow my dream and take a risk and go start this program at a school that doesn't have a sports dietician and, um, take your risk being part-time. I did that. And I moved back to Fargo, North Dakota, and I got to build the sports nutrition program. And then three years later I had a spontaneous opportunity to go backpack Europe. I'd always wanted to go to here, but I'd never thought of backpacking. And so one of my old college roommate sent me a text message asking if I wanted to backpack Europe. I said, yup. Yes I do. And so that was a hard decision to choose, to leave the program that I had built and that I had, like, I grew attached to it. I felt like I was handing over a child and I knew it was going to be hard. But on that last day when I was walking out, it was so hard. And so now I'm just kind of I'm in that waiting period you were talking about. And during that time I worked a lot more on creating a website and I started a podcast. I feel like so often things that just don't make sense, make up our journey in our courts. Right. You may not know how it's going to turn out, but it goes back to what you were saying with like that patience and perseverance. It is and change. I don't like change, but more you, when you say you don't like change, how do you do that? When you are such an adventure, there's a lot of change that comes with that. Yeah, there is you're right. I, I'm not good at it, but I know it's good for me. And it's one of my weaknesses, so I need to continue to work on it. And so that's why I keep doing it. I cry every time I leave anywhere. Me too. Yeah. And I don't know Sammy who inspires you and why? I would say my mom inspires me. She's always been my biggest encourager. She's always been my rock. We talk every day, regardless of if I'm at home or if I'm not at home, she's the kindest, sweetest, human I've ever known. And I hope to be like her someday. And then I would say as much as I hate it, one of my friends, he asks me the hard questions and I admire him for his hard questions, but I also find them really hard to answer. So, so I admire him for those hard questions. For what in your life do you feel most grateful? This is very cliche, but for my parents and for my friends pushing me and my mom, she always humors everything. And then my friends are awesome and they're rock star. And in those times that I kind of didn't notice I was working a lot or not paying attention to my own needs. They would point it out and help me do like a little self-check. What is something you think everyone should do at least once in their life? Oh, this is a good question. Take your risk, do something.
Speaker 2:And that's scary. And if you're not happy in the place that you currently are, take a risk and change it. If you don't like where you're at, but you are good at it. And that's the only reason that you stay because it's a comfort deal. Do it, leave it, take a risk. And if you're good at it, you can always come back.
Speaker 1:I love that. All right, Sammy, what are you looking forward to in the coming months or years? And I think I know part of this question. Well, I am waiting to go to Europe and I am interested to see where I end up career wise too. Like I love sports and athletics, but it also comes down to it. Eventually. I'd like to get married and have a family. It's kind of an interesting whirlwind, but I want to go to Europe first backpack, Europe, see where that lands me. I have, um, a lightning round of questions if you're willing. Yeah. And not the podcast. Yeah. So they are food themed. Perfect. So here we go. Ready? Okay. Apples or oranges? Apples sweet or salty? Salty bagels or toast? Toast. Steak or vegetables? Uh, vegetables, breakfast or dinner? Dinner, pasta or pizza. Oh, pizza. Favorite birthday cake. Oh, ice cream. Favorite beverage. Oh, um, lemonade. Am I allowed to say that? Of course I got my wine right here. All right. Last one. It's brunch. What do you eat? Oh, um, I really like eggs Benedict with the spin. So like maybe the crab cake and a tomato with a poached egg and hollandaise versus just see original. Nice. Yeah. All right. Now I'm hungry. I am too. Oh, Sammy. Thank you so much for being on the podcast. I really appreciate it. Yeah, thank you. This is,
Speaker 2:But it was great. If you would like to learn more about glazing grit and the credible community leaders that are highlighted on the show, join the conversation where you listen to your podcasts and please subscribe, rate, and share. You can also follow the glazing grid journey on glazing grid, podcast.com. I'm Jesse[inaudible]. And thanks for listening to this episode. Talk to you soon.