Milso Owned Small Business: Defy Nutrition by Mary-Catherine

Hi friends! Am I the only one who got hit so hard in December that they basically woke up in January? That's how I felt, at least. We had company for 10 days and I was sick for over half the month which really, really sucked. Coupled with the holiday stress, kids out from schools, and holiday eating, it's been a little chaotic here.

Speaking of holiday eating, today we are featuring Mary-Catherine from Defy Nutrition on the blog! What better time than now to tackle some nutrition based goals or get back on track after savoring all the holiday treats?

Photo credit: Mad Faith Photography

Mary-Catherine and her husband actually met in high school, but she says "before I steal that much deserved high school sweetheart thunder - we weren’t together back then!" Mary-Catherine and her husband played on the tennis team together, and she was actually good friends with his sister who was in her gym class. Fast forward a few years, and they actually reconnected after he graduated Airborne School. However, the timing just didn't work out. He was moving to Italy, she was going back to college in Texas so yet again, romance was thwarted. Finally, Mary-Catherine revealed that serendipity was determined to match them. "Fast forward againnnnn, and we finally reconnected for good when he reached out about going to a Red Sox game together during his PCS leave. The rest, as they say, is history." I think Mary-Catherine and her husband truly are meant to be together, and the universe was very adamant about making that happen!

Photo Credit: Sara Grace Photography

Mary-Catherine has grown up with relative veterans: her grandfather served in the Air Force, her uncle served in the Army, and several of her great uncles served in the Air Force and Army. However, she admits, the military wasn’t really part of her daily life until connecting with her husband.

Mary-Catherine searched for jobs for 7 months before taking the leap of faith and moving to join her husband jobless. She has always been financially independent and passionate about being self-sufficient. Moving without a job -- and leaving her 9-5 Boston job -- was not easy. While she did get a couple of offers, they weren’t doing what she was really passionate about. Eventually, Mary-Catherine took some time to reflect on what she wanted to do and realized she didn’t want a job, she wanted to continue with her career.

"I realized that the lack of jobs wasn’t just affecting me but was affecting individuals who wanted help from a registered dietitian. Sure, there were some nutritionists in the area but not dietitians (a VERY oversimplified summary of the difference is that dietitians can provide medical nutrition therapy aka nutrition specific for different diseases; longer description here). I saw the lack of dietitian positions as an opportunity to both serve my community and provide myself job security. As a military spouse, I am committed to moving with my husband, but I don’t believe that needs to mean sacrificing career ambitions."

Enter Defy Nutrition.

At Defy Nutrition, their slogan is “Defy the rules. Defy yesterday’s you.” Mary-Catherine and her team focus on helping individuals repair their relationship with food and create sustainable nutrition habits. They don’t support diet culture or emphasize products and supplements; they focus on whole food nutrition and getting you out of the yoyo dieting! They also specialize in emotional eating and strategies to feed your soul without sabotaging your nutrition. (Am I the only one emotionally eating as I wait for my next PCS orders...no? Just me?)

Their services include: nutrition counseling, fully customized meal planning, and workshops and presentations. The best part is that they can help from anywhere! While they don’t sell physical products, they did recently develop an apparel line to inspire you to be better than you were yesterday - even if that means eating 1 more vegetable or taking 10 more steps. They come in a variety of options, including a hoodie, t shirt, unisex tank and racerback.

Interested in learning more? You can find Mary-Catherine on Facebook, Instagram, or at her website. Additionally, she has a Facebook Community Group that you can join for interactions with like minded individuals and Mary-Catherine herself!

As always, feel free to reach out to us at SpouseSERVE@gmail.com if you're interested in the being featured on our blog!