Precision Nutrition Level 1 Certification

I am SO EXCITED to announce that I passed the Precision Nutrition Level 1 Certification today!!!

This milestone is really special to me, and not because it’s another nutrition certification to hang on my wall, but because it was a test of checking my ego, approaching learning with a beginners mindset, and working hard to complete one of the few things I’ve actually quit in my life. It took me 563 days to get here.

Here’s the timeline:

• November 16, 2015: Register for PN Level 1 Certification with great enthusiasm.
• November-December 2015: Read a few chapters, decide its all “review”, get busy with life, and let it fall to the wayside. My ego fed me the BS story that because I’m a Registered Dietitian (with an undergrad & Masters degree in Foods & Nutrition + extensive training in Motivational Interviewing), a well-established nutrition coach in my city, and a university instructor at a major Canadian university who has been teaching Foods & Nutrition courses on this exact material for the past 6 years, what could I possibly learn from this beginner’s certification?! Ughhhh I cringe with embarrassment as I recall my smug close-mindedness that lead me to abandon something that I’m beyond passionate about and see the value in always learning more so I can improve my skills and better serve my clients. Talk about a giant FAIL on behalf of my ego.
• December 2016: Start working with a business coach, fill out an honest questionnaire that got me thinking about my strengths, weaknesses, and “unfinished business”, and list the PN Level 1 Certification as something that still haunts me that I’ve neglected and left unfinished.
• Early March 2017: Join the awesome Precision Nutrition Certification Students & Grads Facebook group. Watch on the sidelines and see the power of social support from a collective group of caring and dedicated professionals.
• March 23, 2017: Message Brian St. Pierre and privately admit all of this to him. Get great coaching feedback (thanks friend!), encouragement, and a push to put all of this out there publicly and jump back into the course.
• May 11, 2017: Carve out space in my life, decide to fully commit to the course, and email the PN onboarding team. Get reactivated and jump right back into the course with renewed enthusiasm and a much better mindset (starting right from the beginning of course).
• May 2017: Dedicate the past few weeks to immersion study. Read every chapter. Do the workbook exercises. Follow the Facebook group. Read the FAQs. Enjoy taking the exams. Celebrate the small and big steps forward.
• May 31, 2017: Graduate with the PN Level 1 Certification!!!

So, although it took me 563 days to get here, I’m here! “Here” isn’t about the PN1 certificate, or the high exam score, or the “yeah I passed the course” exclamation point.

Here is:

✅ The celebration of learning.

✅ Enriching my mind.

✅ Better serving my clients.

✅ Challenging my ego.

✅ Getting off my high horse.

✅ Asking for help.

✅ Admitting defeat.

✅ Showing resiliency.

✅ Not giving up.

✅ Working hard on my evenings and weekends.

✅ Cheering on my community of fellow learners.

✅ Changing my attitude and mindset.

✅ Having fun with the process.

✅ Admitting my flaws.

✅ Being vulnerable.

Today is a special day indeed, and I can’t thank Dr. John Berardi, Brain St. Pierre, and the entire Precision Nutrition Team for an amazing experience and help with this important transformation as a health coach.