What is your current role? Owner and Dietitian at Courtney D Toya Nutrition
What is your background? I specialize in providing compassionate nutrition therapy for individuals with eating disorders and those with a disordered or strained relationship with food and the body.
How would you describe yourself? I am someone who enjoys being in nature, connecting with others over food, cooking, baking, and reading. I thoroughly enjoy and cherish food-related experiences where I can understand the flavors and preparation of a dish.
What is your favorite thing about your career? My favorite part of my career is that I show up authentically as myself- as someone who genuinely loves the food experience and helps others reclaim their power and agency through nourishing their bodies. I enjoy digging in and understanding someone’s lived experiences to better meet them where they’re at and provide guidance to improve not only their physical well-being but mental, emotional, and relational through having freedom and peace with food.
How did you get involved with eating disorder recovery? I attended a Los Angeles Dietetics Association event in college where Carolyn Costin spoke and was very drawn to her candid and honest presentation about facilitating eating disorder recovery at various levels of care. As I sat with her story and work as a therapist in the field, I thought it could be a great fit- I could show up as myself and help people have a more joyful, positive relationship with food. I could share the positive experiences I’ve had with food with others and build relationships with people, which definitely caught my attention. Less than a year later, an opportunity to work in residential eating disorder treatment came up, and I’ve been in the field ever since.
What is your proudest accomplishment (personal or occupational)? I am most proud of having a career and practice that allows me to show up as my authentic self to help others heal their relationships with food. I don’t need to be someone different at work vs. at home. I can honestly say that I practice what I encourage and invite my clients to experience, which brings a level of peace and attunement for myself personally that I am very thankful for.
What is something people do not know about you? I make ice cream as a hobby and sold it to fundraise for a Charity Water campaign called “Ice Cream 4 Clean Water” where we raised money for the building of a water well in Mozambique which is currently still operating today!
If you could give one piece of advice to your younger self, what would it be? There is a time for everything. Even if your timeline looks different than what society asks of you, it doesn’t make it wrong. Stay true to what aligns best with you, and keep going.
