ABOUT ME
My name is Laura Gajda and I am a Registered Dietitian and Nutritionist that has been working in the field of Eating Disorders (ED) since 2015. I got my start with working with EDs when I got an internship in an outpatient ED clinic with two amazing Dietitians that I owe an abundance of initial curiosity and values to. They provided me with articles, books, and a completely different approach to nutrition that I had not yet experienced. Up until that point, I asked myself why I had fought so hard to get into my Dietitian program. The reason I got into Dietetics was to help people but all in all, I felt like I was seeing patients that were already in the hospital with their illness very progressive. This made me feel like I was not as connected to what I was doing and had me questioning if I truly wanted to become a Dietitian. I did not get that joy until I interviewed with Patrizia Jesue and Melissa Knudson at their private practice. They started talking about their practice and I knew that I had found my calling. I started to get excited about working in Dietetics again and I knew that I was ready to take my place as a Dietitian that specialized in EDs.
Fast forward to a year later, I became a Registered Dietitian and I landed a job as a Dietitian that worked in EDs with both adolescents and adults in the hustling/bustling town of Los Angeles. I worked at Rosewood Center for Eating Disorders. I attribute a lot of my initial understanding of working within the ED population to this place. I feel like I was constantly reading and feeling like I had so much to learn still.
After three years of working at the treatment facility, I switched to an outpatient facility called Bamboo Nutrition Therapy Inc. Back to the roots of which I started my journey with working with EDs, in an outpatient facility. I continued to learn and grow as a practitioner and eventually a supervisor/mentor to new and seasoned Dietitians. I attribute a lot of my ED knowledge to this point in my career due to feeling very supported from my supervisory experience. I had two main supports Samantha Giertych and Megan Kniskern that allowed me to grow and flourish into the Dietitian that I am today. This is where I truly understood the value of what good supervision and mentorship could do to help progress my personal and professional goals.
Both Samantha and Megan were my inspirations to create this business. I wanted to create a space for all Dietitians (similar to what I had) to learn/grow and approach the field of nutrition differently. I want to provide teachings that would be helpful for Dietitians. Throughout my website, you will see many collaborations with other providers and helpful tips I have learned working within the ED field. This website is geared to Dietitians, but I am going to try to incorporate more voices of Therapists, Psychiatrists, and Medical Doctors to help support working within the ED field.