We are so pleased to announce our new dietitian to our team, Morgan Mazzone!

She is LOCAL to the Western Mass area, too-- and do you know difficult it is to find an amazing weight inclusive, fat positive dietitian in the Pioneer Valley? We're talking UNICORNS here. So we couldn't be happier that she's part of Happy Valley Nutrition!

Morgan comes to us with years of experience as an Eating Disorder Dietitian, most recently working at Walden Behavioral Care in Amherst. She specializes in the support of eating disorders, especially with adolescents and teens.

I've asked Morgan a few questions about her journey to becoming a weight-inclusive provider:

Tell us a little about your journey to becoming an RD:

Growing up, I was fortunate enough to have a family who did not place unnecessary emphasis or morality around food.  Little Debbie was my lunch box's best friend, and I was content eating a variety of foods without much mental focus on it.  When I entered high school as a track and cross country athlete, I had a growing interest in considering how nutrition may help to optimize my own performance and get "healthier".  Even though this actually worsened my performance, the problematic seed was planted and my teen self had decided I was going to study nutrition.  As I progressed through college, I experienced my own challenges with navigating the onslaught of nutrition knowledge that comes along with studying nutrition full time.  I eventually entered my first official professional role in a position that had a weight focused approach and quickly I felt immensely uncomfortable with the work I was doing.  Soon thereafter, I was introduced to the HAES movement and Intuitive Eating - and haven't looked back since!

Where did you work before coming to HVN?

Prior to HVN I worked at Walden Behavioral Care within the Partial Hospitalization level of care. 

Why is being an anti-diet/weight inclusive provider important to you?

Being an anti-diet provider is important to me because I strongly believe all bodies are deserving of equal compassion and care.  As someone who is in a straight sized body, I will never assume an individual's lived experience and will never be yet another privileged provider tossing out the "just lose weight" rhetoric that saturates much of our current healthcare system.  Within my initial training consistent with a standard weight based approach I quickly recognized that this did not align with my own own values, nor did it actually align with evidence based research.  Growing up, I observed numerous friends and family members struggle with their own relationships with food and body.  In my professional life, I have worked with numerous clients who have been overtly harmed by weight loss messaging and anti-fat bias.  These voices deserve better, and these voices are why having weight inclusive spaces (both on a physical and emotional level) is crucial to start dismantling this oppressive messaging, Consistent with my own values, it feels crucial for me to add to the growing number of voices tearing down diet culture and naming weight loss focused health care for what it is - discrimination. 

Who is your ideal client?

This is such a hard question! I try to be mindful of challenging preferences around preferred clients, professionally I find I learn the most when navigating conversations that step outside of my own preferences.  I love working with folks who desire a direct approach to nutrition, and who appreciate having someone to honestly call out the "diet culture nonsense" as it arises within sessions. I also enjoy working with families and teens around Family Based Treatment, and find a family approach within sessions to be beyond rewarding.  

What do you like to do for fun? 

In my free time you can find me relaxing with my cat, running, playing disc golf with my partner (or 'frolfing' as my favorite Seinfeld character calls it), and spending time with the pups at my local animal shelter. 

Want to schedule a free clarity call with Morgan? Just click here and we will add you to her calendar (FYI, she's booking up fast!).