Community Highlights: Meet Laurin Watts of keeksandco

Today we’d like to introduce you to Laurin Watts.

Hi Laurin, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
I started riding horses when I was 9 years old. Of course, my parents thought it was just phase, but little did they know it would turn into my life. I started to show competitively at a young age and continued to ride throughout middle school and high school. When it came time to choose where I wanted to go to college, I needed a school where I could still ride. I ended up at Bridgewater College in Bridgewater, VA, and rode on the IHSA Equestrian Team for four years. Throughout my time in college, it took me some time to discover what I wanted to study, but I knew I wanted it to be related to horses in some capacity. I started out majoring in Biology with dreams of becoming an equine vet, but I quickly realized that was not the right path for me. I settled on nutritional science because I thought, “Even if I didn’t use my degree, I could still gain knowledge about nutrition to help myself and my riding.” 

As I learned more about nutrition, I started to become more interested in its role in sports and athletic performance. I did an internship with Bridgewater’s Strength and Conditioning Coach to learn more about how different sports trained, competed, and approached nutrition. This experience was pivotal in solidifying my interest in sports nutrition. I decided I wanted to become a Registered Dietitian and work with athletes to help them fuel adequately and utilize nutrition to enhance their performance. I graduated from Bridgewater with a bachelor’s degree in Nutritional Science and then went on to UNC Chapel Hill to get my master’s in public health with Registered Dietitian Training. 

Before starting at UNC, I decided to take a gap year. During this time, I was introduced to the concept of Intuitive Eating. One day, when I was taking a walk outside, I went searching for a new podcast to listen to. I came across “Food Psych” by Christy Harrison. I was extremely skeptical at first, but with an open mind, I continued to listen. And then I couldn’t stop. I dove headfirst into the philosophy; everything made so much sense, and the stories from people who practice intuitive eating were incredible. When I got to UNC, I interned with the Olympic Sports Dietitian (Rachel) who was there at the time, who taught me so much about Intuitive Eating and how it can be integrated into sports nutrition. Rachel’s passion and knowledge for getting diet culture out of sport culture was incredibly inspiring, and it made me realize there is no other way I wanted to go about nutrition. I vowed that I would practice using this philosophy when I became a Registered Dietitian. 

Well, here I am now. A Registered Dietitian practicing through the Intuitive Eating lens! You might be asking, why did I take the time to explain my background with riding horses? That’s where I am unique. I mentioned at the beginning that horses are my life, so I found a way to combine my two passions: nutrition for equestrians. My parents had suggested I go this route throughout my studies, but I didn’t think it was possible. Then I met Natalie, a Registered Dietitian located in California who specializes in nutrition for riders. I immediately got in touch with her and had the opportunity to complete one of my required internship rotations learning and working with her! I am now following in her footsteps to bring more awareness to the equestrian community about the importance of nutrition for performance, debunking normalized disordered eating behaviors within the sport, and rebelling against the stigma for the “ideal” body type for riders. 

Aside from my work in the horse world, I also do other things. I work part-time as an Eating Disorder Dietitan in Raleigh, as well as for a new, virtual private practice called keeksandco. I meet with clients 1:1 to teach them about Intuitive Eating, educate on nutritional science, develop action plans to reach specific goals, and provide support through their health journey. Additionally, I give presentations to groups on nutrition-related topics through an Intuitive Eating lens for a wide variety of populations, create worksheets and handouts for clients, and develop content for marketing and education. I love my career as an RD, and I wouldn’t have it any other way! 

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Heck no! When I first got into UNC, I did not want to go. I was out of state, so my tuition was going to be horrendous. I probably went back and forth 1 million times contemplating whether or not I wanted to financially invest in the program. To be honest, this is one of the reasons why I decided to defer my acceptance and take a gap year – to give me more time to think about the commitment. Once I finally made the decision to go, COVID hit. I couldn’t defer a second time, so I had to just go for it… completing a master’s Program during COVID was probably one of the most challenging things I’ve done. I had never done any type of schooling online prior to this and had no idea what to expect. My second year in the program was hybrid, and I took some opportunity to go in-person, but if I am being honest, doing it from home was much more convenient, and I was used to virtual at that point. 

Another challenge was completing the required internship rotations for becoming an RD. We have to clock 1200 hours of clinical, community, and specialized experiences. At UNC, we did these over the summer. For my first internship, I was placed in Charlotte, NC, for 6 weeks, so I had to move there and live in student housing. My second internship was virtual for 6 weeks, and my last internship was 12 weeks long in High Point, NC, so I had to move again and live in student housing for that duration. I felt like an exhausted nomad, just going from place to place while working a full time and completing assignments on top of that. Oh, did I mention these internships are unpaid? Let’s just say I was living a VERY simple life throughout this whole time. There was no time for me to work. It was definitely challenging to get through this.

With that being said, I am very privileged to have been able to go to school to become a Registered Dietitian. This is an expensive path to take and I hope this changes for future RD2Bs! 

Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about keeksandco?
I emphasized that I work with equestrians, but I also work with people who are just looking to improve their relationship with food, their body, and movement. 

I’d like to mention we are in network with Blue Cross Blue Shield and United Health. We can run insurance to see each individual’s benefits. Many of our current clients have unlimited nutrition visits covered, so it is no out-of-pocket cost to them to meet with me! 

keeksandco is holistic, meaning we consider everything going on in someone’s life and will collaborate with other providers to best serve our clients. I work closely with therapists to ensure clients have the tools and support they need. 

We love surprises, fun facts, and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?
At the beginning of the year, the horse I was riding unfortunately got injured. Because of this, I haven’t been riding. I needed to find another outlet, a reason to get moving and outside. I recently re-discovered my love for running! Like most people who played sports growing up, running was a punishment. This is how I viewed it. I never thought it would be something I could enjoy. However, a friend of mine asked me if I wanted to do the UNC 10-mile race, and I saw it as an opportunity to try something new. I made my fiancé do it with me, and we had so much fun! I am now training for my first marathon this upcoming fall! 

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.keeksand.co/
• Instagram: @LC_rd4equestrians
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/keeksanddotco/
• Other: @keeksand.co – company instagram

Image Credits
Keeks