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Meet Our Nutrition Client Success Advocate

Registered Dietitian Saskatoon Alison Friesen Online Nutritionist

Carolyn Shepherd

Client Success Advocate

Specialty: Customer Service & Client Care

Carolyn brings more than 30 years of experience in customer service, sales and business development in a range of industries. She has a compassionate ear and a kind, generous heart. This combined with her natural, curious nature has always drawn her to diverse relational work.

Early in adulthood Carolyn focused her career in fitness and attended Mount Royal University where she completed The Personal Fitness Trainer Program certificate. Carolyn designed fitness programs for a variety of populations, with a personal passion for those who were a little shy to enter the gym or felt stigmatized if they lived in a larger body. Her natural ability to connect with empathy built trust, and she saw her clients confidence blossom. Her own journey to pursue better health and a desired body esthetic led her to learn more about the complexities of weight loss. It was through this experience and work in the weight management field, she realized the critical 
importance of a balanced (not extreme) approach to eating for sustainability and fun.

She is the mother of two awesome boys who each uniquely teach her so many life lessons and things about herself. When her boys were little she knew she wanted to be home with them and opened a home esthetics studio to accomplish that goal. She certified locally in programs for artificial nails and waxing and completed her Advanced Pedicure/ Level 2 Pedologist training at The North American School of Pedology.
She volunteered her advanced footcare services to seniors and those unable to manage their own foot care needs. Through continued training she became known for her mastery in the application of natural looking eyelash extensions. Her business offered lash and brow services exclusively as her established niche for 17 years. When Carolyn was seeking a change she licensed with the IFSE Institute Canada as an Accident Sickness Insurance agent where she specialises in protecting her former colleagues in the beauty and wellness industry with unique lifestyle coverage for them and their families.

Carolyn is focused on utilizing her talents and finding greater purpose. She is a moderator for a women’s support group and volunteers as an event coordinator to acquire donations from local businesses to ensure the inclusive programs remain available to everyone.

As a mother her favorite way to spend time with family is preparing tasty foods to enjoy together. Her love of trying out flavours from other cultures is not always appreciated by her family. Finding foods to satisfy her cravings for Indian or Thai flavours that her boys will also eat is a constant work in progress. Her favorite comfort food is cheesy tuna noodle casserole with ripple potato chips or panko crumbs toasted on top! While she also loves sour gummy candies, she also finds tart fruits such as pineapple and kiwi fruits are equally enjoyable.

Success stories

"I am a psychologist in private practice and it is very important to me that my clients have the best care with other health care professionals. For that reason Health Stand Nutrition is my only source for exceptional Dietitians. Andrea and her team provide highly knowledgeable, compassionate, and real world support to my clients who require assistance with food lifestyle. I trust my clients to them and you would be in excellent hands making them part of your health care team."
Adele Fox, Psychologist
“This is the first time I feel satisfied; my cravings have diminished dramatically and I have a whole new relationship with food. I am eating guilt-free for the first time in my life. My energy has also dramatically increased and I feel great!
Rhonda Jenkins, Nutrition Counseling Client
“The Dieticians at Health Stand Nutrition help you to take action on the science behind eating well by making it practical, understandable, and fun. Their office is cozy and not at all clinical or intimidating. I felt like I was sitting down with a really smart, caring friend who wanted to help me make the best choices for my lifestyle and food preferences. They really are the best in the business.”
Marty Avery, Nutrition Counseling Client
“I have come to think of the program as a one stop shopping excursion for everything one needs to know about creating a joyous relationship with food and our bodies. In a single word, the course has gifted me with freedom from the punishing rigidity of disordered eating, old stories that never were true, and body dysmorphia that did nothing but make me lose sight of a body that has done everything I've asked, despite my careless dismissal of her needs. Now when I look in the mirror I find myself shifting from harsh criticism to gentle gratitude.”
Lynn Haley, Pursuit of Healthiness Online Course Participant
“I spent 3 hours when first diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. I learned more from my Dietitian about food in those 3 hours than I had learned in all the years of my life. I also love the newsletter, there is always something to learn.”
Peter Whitehead, Nutrition Counseling Client
“I didn’t realize how strong my “diet mentality” was, and all the rules I had in my head about food. I was in a cycle of reward/punish/binge/cringe. I booked with your business very reluctantly, on the repeated advice of my doctor, to get my slowly rising cholesterol levels in check. I thought I knew everything about food, and my behaviour with food, but I was definitely re-schooled. My weight is creeping down, I feel good about my diet, exercise, body image, and lifestyle.”
Amy Floyd, Nutrition Counseling Client
“Thanks Andrea for an amazing presentation, I have heard all positive remarks from attendees and the evaluations show the same sentiment. It is really gratifying when a speaker does their “homework” and weaves in our profession’s day to day challenges within their content, you did an awesome job of this! You truly took the “die” out of Dietician! Your information on healthy eating and simplifying how we can work towards this as we are all so busy really hit the mark. Andrea connects very well with her audience; she is energetic, funny, and very approachable.”
Carole Ann LaGrange, Transfusion Medicine Safety Officer

Event Planner for Laboratory Diagnostic Imaging Annual Event

I am a family physician who sees patients with a myriad of eating concerns – from wanting to know how to plan healthy meals for active families, to weight loss, to eating disorders, and so on. I cannot recommend the Health Stand team highly enough. I have worked with (and been to!) other Dieticians in the past and too often find that they just ask for food logs and make suggestions that are easily obtained online or in books. The Dieticians at Health Stand offer much more than just telling clients what they “should be eating.” In contrast, the team really does more of a counselling practice, and they work hard to help their clients learn more about why their eating habits may be off track and not optimal for them, as well as helping people to effect change at a deep level that, most importantly, is sustainable for lifetime health.”
Dr. Deb Putnam, Family Physician

Nutrition Counseling Client & Referring Physician

“I am a busy mom, with kids in high level sports, working full-time downtown, and running our home acreage outside the City. I now have the knowledge and tools I need to plan for and manage the chaos of meal planning.”
Gillian Gray, Pursuit of Healthiness Online Course Participant
“As a construction company, we select speakers who can relate to our industry and its employees. Andrea’s message was delivered with humor and empathy. She makes people feel as though they can make changes without leaving behind every favorite food. Andrea focused her presentation on healthy eating as a way to keep energy high throughout the day. This message and the way it was delivered resonated with our predominantly male, blue collar culture. I would highly recommend Andrea as a speaker for groups such as ours. She will get your message across without alienating anyone in your audience – which is a huge hurdle when trying to introduce a wellness program in the workplace!”
Stephanie Wood, HR and Safety Manager

Fisher Construction Group, Burlington, WA

I found my Dietitian warm, funny, and skilled at teaching nutrition concepts without the overwhelm. The general approach of each session was to mix science with emotion, which was exceedingly effective in helping me shift my perspective on food from one of anxiety to one of joy and curiosity.”
Erin Kronstedt, Nutrition Counseling Client
“Excellent presentation! What a refreshing change to have a speaker inspire rather than “lecture” about nutrition. Your captivating stories, tips and overall approach to healthy eating uplifts and puts people at ease. It was great to hear we don’t need to strive to be perfect eaters, and that small changes really can make a difference in how we feel and in our health. Thanks to Andrea, we have solutions to our everyday nutrition challenges that can actually work in real life!”
Tina Tamagi, Human Resources

ARC Resources Ltd.

“Had I not joined this course I would have struggled with no focus, low energy, and mindless eating. Excellent teaching and motivation. This is not just a course, it is a nutrition club with mentorship, support, and connections with other people with similar situations.”
Lorri Lawrence, Pursuit of Healthiness online course participant
 

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