Our Registered Dietitian Calgary & Online Nutritionist Team

Andrea Holwegner, BSc, RD The Chocoholic Nutritionist^TM
CEO (Chief Energy Officer), Online Course Facilitator & Professional Speaker

Pronouns: She/Her

Andrea Holwegner is the energetic founder and CEO of Health Stand Nutrition Consulting Inc. established in 2000. Her mission is to empower people to create a healthy and joyous relationship with food and their body.

She has counseled thousands of individuals and groups, including Olympic athletes, CEOs and employees in all different types of industries. She is also known as the chocoholic nutritionist, believing anyone can achieve health without guilt or complexity, and that the secret to success is having fun.

She leads a team of experienced dietitians that help busy families with meal planning success, weight concerns, eating disorders, digestive issues, sports nutrition, heart health, diabetes and more.

Andrea is the creator of a one-of-a-kind online nutrition program The Pursuit of Healthiness^TM that focuses on helping busy people and time-strapped employees in companies achieve better health, meal planning success and move towards their personal best weight.

Andrea is one of a handful of Registered Dietitians in North America who are qualified professional speakers. She knows how to deliver relevant content mixed with humor and fun, capturing corporate, association and government audiences with a buzz that’s better than caffeine! Her simple ideas elevate productivity, work-life balance and health in a wide range of corporate, government and association audiences.

Andrea is a regular guest in the media and has been an on-air expert for Global Calgary Morning News, Breakfast Television, CTV Morning News, QR77 Radio and CBC News. She has written for the Calgary Herald newspaper and has been interviewed by CBC Radio in almost every province in Canada.

As a consultant on health trends and spokesperson for the food, grocery and restaurant industry, companies such as the healthy smoothie franchise Jugo Juice work and AG/Buy-Low Foods work with Andrea for her understanding of health-conscious consumers and to enhance credibility of marketing initiatives. Andrea is also the nutrition consultant for Brightpath Early Learning Inc., a publicly-traded company and leader in Canadian childcare.

Packed with knowledge, Andrea has/is:

• A Bachelor of Science degree in Nutrition & Food Sciences and Dietetic Internship from the University of Alberta.
• A certified Craving Change™ expert specializing in strategies for problematic and emotional eating
• A member of the Dietitians of Canada, the College of Dietitians of Alberta, the Canadian Association of Professional Speakers and the Global Speakers Federation
• A member of the Employee Health Insurance Advisory Committee and Private Practice Interest Group for the Dietitians of Canada
• Recipient of a regional award by the Dietitians of Canada: The Speaking of Food & Healthy Living Award for Excellence in Consumer Education.

In her spare time, Andrea enjoys skiing and mountain biking in the Canadian Rockies. As a foodie she also adores sipping wine with her husband over a delicious meal. Most of all, she loves being a mom and playing in the dirt in the vegetable garden she grows with her son.

Download Andrea Holwegner’s Bio:

• Full bio: PDF | Word Document
• Short bio:  PDF | Word Document
• Author box for articles: PDF | Word Document

Jana Spindler, BSc, RD Registered Dietitian & Online Nutritionist 
Specialty: Disordered Eating, Emotional Eating, Mental Health & Sports Nutrition

Pronouns: She/Her

Fitness enthusiast and lover of all things food, Jana is passionate about helping her clients improve their relationship with food and their body. She is a strong, motivational leader.  Jana also offers the balance of a warm, supportive coaching style to nudge her clients from their comfort zone while feeling safe and supported.

Originally from a small town in Nova Scotia, Jana grew up cooking hearty comfort food in the family kitchen and playing any sport she could. Jana moved to the Prairies to study Mechanical Engineering and to play competitive basketball for the University of Saskatchewan. After studying nutrition on the side for some time, she decided to make the switch from engineering and dive into the field of nutrition.

As a high-level athlete, Jana saw firsthand the impact that nutrition can have on sports performance. She tweaked her own nutrition and saw great benefits in her achievements, strength and recovery time. This further sparked her interest in nutrition and learning as much as she could about sports nutrition for athletes and recreational fitness enthusiasts in the gym.

She has experience working in a range of environments including general nutrition and heart health education as a clinical dietitian for neuro-rehab patients.  She has also provided nutrition counselling for clients of a personal training facility and worked as a family educator in a childhood obesity prevention program.

As her career progressed, Jana has developed a niche in working with recovering yo-yo dieters, eating disorders and mental health clients. Jana’s philosophy focuses on working towards enjoyment of all foods (including her favorite treats of date squares and fresh baked cookies) and body confidence. Jana has a very rare background of being both a sports nutritionist and an eating disorder dietitian.  She has a special interest in helping athletes use nutrition as their competitive edge while maintaining a healthy relationship with food and their body image.

Jana has a Bachelor of Science in Nutrition from the University of Saskatchewan. She completed her accredited dietetic internship through the Regina Qu’Appelle Health Region. Jana is registered with the College of Dietitians of Alberta and Dietitians of Canada. She is a Certified Craving Change™ Facilitator and has experience working with clients who are engaged in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Emotion Focused Family Therapy, EMDR and Dialectical Behavior Therapy. She is currently working towards her Masters in Counselling Psychology through Yorkville University to fulfill her goal to practice as both a Dietitian and Psychologist.

Jana continues to be a fitness enthusiast today. She loves hiking, running, biking, basketball and “lifting heavy” things” for fun in the gym. She enjoys chasing her nieces and nephews around, coaching girls basketball and travel. Jana believes in living the healthiest life that you can honestly enjoy!

Download Jana Spindler’s Bio:  PDF

Kate Chury, BSc, RD Registered Dietitian & Online Nutritionist 
Specialty: Digestive Health, Kidney Disease, Medical Issues, Disordered Eating, Family Meal Planning

Kate has a passion for food and educating others about how to make achieving good health and nutrition not only simple, but delicious. She prides herself in creating a supportive environment to craft personalized solutions as your co-pilot on your health and wellness journey. She is an innovative, supportive coach with a calm confidence to help you tackle complex medical issues and practical everyday meal planning.

Kate has over 10 years of specialized experience as a Registered Dietitian. She started her career in Victoria, B.C. working for the Vancouver Island Health Authority, where she worked in various areas including kidney disease, diabetes education, and general medicine. Kate later moved to Vancouver, B.C. where she worked for St. Paul’s Hospital. There she gained more experience in renal nutrition – working with people diagnosed with chronic kidney disease, on dialysis and post-kidney transplant.

She also worked with St. Paul’s Hospital Provincial Adult Tertiary Eating Disorder Program. It was here she gained a strong interest and passion for working with individuals that are struggling with eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia. Kate wants to help everyone she meets develop a healthy relationship with food and their body while inspiring them in the kitchen. She believes that eating well doesn’t need to be complicated or restrictive. She follows an ‘all foods fit’ philosophy because she knows healthy eating involves enjoying your food, too (one of her favourite foods is hot, buttery popcorn).

Kate also has a keen interest in functional gut disorders, such as IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome), and has been trained by the prestigious Monash University in the Low FODMAP Diet. Using her nutritional, culinary and technical knowledge she troubleshoots strategies to help those struggling with digestion issues.

Kate completed her Bachelor of Science in Nutrition at the University of British Columbia and interned in Victoria, B.C. with the Vancouver Island Health Authority. She is registered with the College of Dietitians of Alberta, and Dietitians of Canada, and she is a Certified Craving Change™ Facilitator.

Outside of her nutrition career, Kate keeps herself busy with her husband and two young kids. She loves exploring local parks, biking, and hiking. Kate loves to travel and explore new places. She spent three years living abroad in Asuncion, Paraguay where she immersed herself in a new culture, language and, of course, food.

Download Kate Chury’s Bio:  PDF

Shauna Kime, BSc, RD Registered Dietitian & Online Nutritionist 
Specialty: Weight Concerns, Women’s Health, Type 1 / Type 2 Diabetes, PCOS & Meal Planning

The first thing you will notice about Shauna is her contagious optimism, energetic personality and zest.  Shauna loves teaching and has a heart full of compassion and empathy for helping clients work through health and weight concerns.  You can’t help to feel more confident and excited to take action to improve your health after spending time with her.

Shauna has a zeal for all things ‘food’ – from taste testing healthy, new products on the market, to experimenting with new recipes and feeding fellow foodies.  She is always eager to help others understand the countless ways to add flavor and fun with cooking to improve health for all ages and dietary needs.  Sharing her expertise in the kitchen has transformed into teaching cooking classes to kids and parents, helping them grow their love for food variety, kitchen skills and how to make healthy foods taste great. She believes all foods fit into healthy eating (including ice cream which she ranks as her top favorite even in the winter which is her favorite season).

Shauna has diverse experience travelling and working abroad as well as in Canada. She graduated from the University of Wollongong, Australia, with a Bachelor of Nutrition and Dietetics degree.  She completed her accredited dietetic internship through Campbelltown Hospital, Liverpool Hospital, Sydney Children’s Hospital, and Nutrition Australia. She then travelled throughout Europe where she further gained an appreciation for the important connection between traditions and cultural foods.

She has worked in a private clinic setting focusing on weight management, healthy eating behaviors and disordered eating. Shauna has also worked with Alberta Health Services, specializing in the area of disease management, cardiovascular disease, weight concerns and diabetes. She specializes in Type 1 Diabetes, Type 2 Diabetes, PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome), weight concerns and has a special interest in women’s health from adolescents to menopause and beyond.

She is a member of the College of Dietitians of Alberta, The Dietitians of Canada and is a Certified Craving Change^TM Facilitator specializing in strategies for problematic and emotional eating..

In her free time you can find her with her husband and dog Koda, spending time outdoors whether it is exploring the mountains or training for a 10K, half-marathon or sprint triathlon. She is also an active member of her church community and empowers adolescent girls as a youth leader. As a cookbook addict you can also naturally find her trying new recipes and hosting friends and family around the dinner table.

Download Shauna Kime’s Bio:  PDF

Alison Friesen, BSc, RD Registered Dietitian & Online Nutritionist 
Specialty: Disordered Eating, Mental Health, Sports Nutrition & Fertility

Empathy and kindness are two things you will notice about Alison, oh, and her love of good food and sport! Alison is known for her client-centered approach that looks at a person as a whole in all aspects of physical, mental and spiritual health.  She uses a blend of nutrition research and behavior change principles to help individuals create meaningful and lasting change. While she has diverse experience in a wide range of areas, she specializes in eating disorders (such as anorexia, bulimia and binge eating disorder) as well as sports nutrition and fertility. She is compassionate and certainly won’t expect you to be perfect in your journey to achieve a healthy pregnancy, recover from an eating disorder or improve sports performance. She is passionate about helping you find peace with food (including soulful foods chosen for taste such as her favorites like a bowl of buttery popcorn or a burger with fries).

Alison grew up in Cochrane Alberta playing sports competitively starting from a young age.  This background allowed her to understand the importance of fueling her body to improve energy and performance. After attending the University of Saskatchewan she worked full-time for the Sport Medicine and Science Council of Saskatchewan. This allowed her to work with a large range of competitive athletes including national level teams, Paralympic athletes, the NHL/WHL as well as University, provincial and club sport teams. This gave Alison a wealth of experience and sparked her to start her own private practice in Saskatoon.

As Alison continued to work in the area of women’s health and sport nutrition, she saw some of the great challenge’s athletes face, specifically in the area of mental health. This pushed her to work with more clients struggling with their relationships with food and body while still understanding the desire to compete as an athlete. She even started a podcast, The Warrior, with hopes to inspire and educate individuals with stories from those who have overcome significant challenges.

Alison has a Bachelor of Science in Nutrition from the University of Saskatchewan and completed her accredited dietetic internship through the Saskatoon Health Region. She is registered with the Saskatchewan Dietitians Association (SDA) and College of Dietitians of Alberta. She is also a member of the Professionals in Nutrition for Exercise and Sport (PINES), Dietitians of Canada Sports Nutrition Network, Saskatoon Weight Attitudes and Disordered Eating Committee and the International Federation of Eating Disorder Dietitians (IFEDD).

Alison is currently working towards her certification as a Certified Craving Change^TM Facilitator specializing in strategies for problematic and emotional eating.  She is also currently taking her Master’s of Counseling Psychology through Providence Seminary to fulfill her goal of working as both a Dietitian and Psychologist to better support her clients.

When Alison is not working, she is a mom to a vibrant and strong little girl. She has stayed a sport enthusiast enjoying swimming, volleyball or snowboarding (or really any new sport introduced to her). She now gets to introduce all these sports to her daughter too.

Download Alison Friesen’s Bio:  PDF