Q: So, before we jump into specific questions, why don’t you give us some details about you and your company, Milestones Nutrition.
KJ: I am a Registered Dietitian passionate about helping growing families navigate life and achieve all of their milestones along the way. In my practice, Milestones Pediatric & Maternal Nutrition, I work with women who are trying to conceive, pregnant and breastfeeding women, and children to help manage medical conditions, tackle picky eating, and establish a good family relationship with food. With an overload of nutrition information available, I understand how difficult it can be for families to know which foods are best for them and their children. I work to be a trusted nutrition resource for growing families in the community by providing individualized, evidenced-based nutrition counseling.

Q: When did you know you would pursue a career as a Registered Dietitian?
KJ: I have always been a lover of food and science. However, I did not consider a career as a Registered Dietitian until I was in college. At the time, I was pre-med with the intention of becoming a pediatrician. During a required nutrition class, I had a lightbulb moment – “why would I want to treat diseases, when I could prevent it in the first place.” After that class, I signed up for every nutrition course I could to learn more the impact of healthy diets and preventative medicine and decided to switch from medicine to nutrition. 

Q: Can you share with our audience the services you have available?
KJ: At Milestones Pediatric & Maternal Nutrition, we provide in-person and virtual nutrition counseling to women with PCOS and women during conception, pregnancy, postpartum, and lactation and children 0-18 years old. We also offer meal planning services, DUTCH hormone testing, supplement recommendations, and have several e-books

Q: At what point did you know you would pursue your dream of being an entrepreneur? 
KJ: I have known that I wanted to be an entrepreneur ever since I was little. I was always the kid that was creating new businesses and trying to convince my family members to be my customers. Growing up, I “opened up” everything from a spa to a restaurant.

Q: What's the greatest fear you've had to overcome to get where you are today? 
KJ: I believe the greatest thing I have had to overcome is imposter syndrome. It is easy to compare yourself and your abilities to others, especially those that are more seasoned than you, and feel that you are not good enough or that you do not know enough. This is especially true when you are trying to charge people for your services. However, it is important to remember that many people, even the ones that we admire, have experienced the same doubts. 

Q: Can you tell our audience one of your most memorable moments your career?
KJ: One of the most memorable and rewarding moments was when the first Milestones Pediatric & Maternal Nutrition baby was born. I had been seeing the baby’s mom for a couple of months due to complications affecting her pregnancy. However, due to the diet and lifestyle changes that I recommended, she was able to have a healthy baby boy.

Q: What advice would you give to young women who want to succeed in the workplace?
KJ: My three biggest pieces of advice for young working women would be to be accountable, know your worth, and continue learning. As a business owner, accountability is a huge thing. I have spent so energy and time growing my business, so I need to trust that those working with me are going to be able to follow through and complete their tasks, because, at the end of the day, it is my business and reputation on the line. I also think that knowing your worth is really important for all professionals, but especially women. We know that many companies, unfortunately, have a gender pay gap and it is important that you know what you are worth and what you bring to the table, so that you can fight for the compensation and treatment you deserve. Lastly, I truly believe that knowledge is power. The more you continue to learn and expand your knowledge the more confident you will be in your job and the more valuable you will be to your company. 

Q: Can you tell us how you manage your work life balance?
KJ: Work-life balance is hard for many of us, especially during the last year with many of us working from home. However, I really make it a priority to be done with work by a certain hour and make sure that when I am done for the day that I am truly done and don’t go back to go to work. In my practice, I often talk about the importance of self-care with the moms I see and try to remind them that taking care of the family, includes taking care of themselves as well. I believe the same thing is true about professionals that are career-focused, in order to excel at your job, you need to first make sure that you are mentally, physically, and emotionally present, which comes from making sure that you are living and taking care of yourself outside of work as well.  

Five Things About Kerry Jones

1. What was the last book you really got into? 
I recently finished reading The Henna Artist by Alka Joshi and absolutely loved it. I cannot wait to read the sequel.

2. Best and worst flavor ice cream? 
The best ice cream flavor is Espresso Chip from FRESH. local ice cream, which is coffee-flavored ice cream with espresso beans in it. The worst flavor is mint chocolate chip.

3. Are you a morning person or a night owl? 
I am neither of these! I recently did a chronotype test from Dr. Michael Breus, the author of The Power of When, and I learned that I am a bear. He described in his book that bears’ internal clocks rise and fall with the sun, which to me means that I like to sleep in and go to bed early. 

4. Favorite Dessert? 
My favorite dessert is the Chocolate Tower Truffle Cake at Cheesecake Factory.

5. Which of the five senses would you say is your strongest? 
My hearing is probably my strongest sense. I was always really quiet as a child, so I think I got really good at listening to others, especially those that were quite like me.