As a freelance writer / editor / organization freak, I get along swimmingly with career coaches, lifestyle gurus and entrepreneurial masterminds.

So when Erika Lyremark of The Daily Whip put me in contact with Chrissy Scivicque of Eat Your Career, it was a match made in blog heaven.

Chrissy serves up a powerhouse combo platter of skills — she’s a certified nutritionist and a career coach! How cool is that?

I love her radiant smile and generous spirit. Without further ado, let’s dig into her scrumptious interview.

AF: You’re a certified nutritionist and a career coach. How did you weave those two professions together?

CS: I actually decided to study nutrition as a way of healing myself. I was pretty unhealthy in my early twenties—overstressed, overworked, obsessed with my weight, and addicted to exercise. It was making me sick. I finally made some big changes in my life and started going to nutrition classes so I could learn how to take care of myself and get healthy again. And I loved it! So I decided to continue and after two years I was certified.

Then, when I started working with clients, I realized that the health problems we were working on were often impacted by the person’s career. It sounds strange, I know. But I worked with a lot of obese women who were trying to lose weight. Many of them had careers in which they were taking care of others (they were nurses, or teachers, or stay-at-home moms). After working all day, they were too exhausted and stressed to think of caring for themselves. So my job included a lot of career coaching as a result.

I learned to take a very holistic approach with everything because I saw how every part of your life impacts the other parts. If you’re stressed at work or hate your job, it will hurt your health and your home life. And if you’re having a hard time at home, it will make work harder. You can’t compartmentalize life.

So the two kind of naturally work together. Basically, I just want to do something professionally that helps people feel better. I know what it’s like to be unhealthy and I know what’s it’s like to hate going to work every day. Both situations suck. I want to help others make the changes and difficult decisions that have to be made to move forward and be happy.

AF: What propelled you into your current career? Were there any “nightmare jobs” along the way?

CS: Oh man. Where to start? When I was 15 I worked at Hot Dog on a Stick in the mall. If you haven’t seen the outfits, Google it. SO embarrassing. [Editor's note: They look like this. And I bet Chrissy looked super-cute in her Hot Dog uniform] You have to pound lemons to make the lemonade and it’s this full-body process that involves bouncing up and down on a stick. Again, SO embarrassing.

But the job that propelled my career as it is now was my role as Assistant Manager of a bank. It was one of the most stressful experiences ever. I did it for four years, just after college, and it really made me re-evaluate what I wanted from my career. I hated it so much and it was so bad for my mental and physical health that, one day, I had a panic attack in the parking lot outside my office. I wrote my resignation letter that day and quit two weeks later without a job or any idea of what I was going to do with my life. That’s when I started nutrition classes and the rest is history.

AF: What advice would you give to someone who’s contemplating a major career shift?

CS: Do the work. What I mean is, don’t just dream about it. Take steps to better understand the career you want to move into. Interview people in the field. Do your research. And remember that a large part of the research is introspective. Figure out what touches your soul about the career you want. What makes this shift so enticing? Understand your motivation. Also, be realistic. What has to be done to make the shift successful? What resources and skills do you need and how will you get them? Create a plan and then work it.

Ultimately, for those considering a major career shift, I always say, “Don’t let fear hold you back.” Doing the work that I described above will help minimize the fear, but you’ll always have some. So set a date and then bite the bullet and just do it. As they say, most of us don’t regret things we do. We only regret things we DON’T do. You don’t want to be stuck always wondering what could have been.

AF: What’s your favorite breakfast?

CS: Dang! You had to ask me that on a morning when I had a donut?! I’m so ashamed. What kind of nutritionist am I? Honestly, I’m not normally a sweets person, especially in the morning. I’m much happier with coffee (lots and lots of it) and cereal (I have a thing for those high fiber twiggy cereals). Lately, I’ve been doing protein shakes with bananas and berries. I’m always really conscious of how balanced my diet is. I make it a rule to never deny myself (hence the donut) but I’m also careful to use moderation and “make up” for my transgressions. So tonight, I’ll probably eat a very light dinner and skip the wine to make up for the donut.

AF: What’s your opinion on Vegemite?

CS: I have a deep, deep respect for anyone who can stomach it.

AF: How can people cheerfully stalk you on the Interwebz?

CS: Please stalk me on Twitter @MakeWordsHappy and visit my blog at EatYourCareer.com. I have a free mini-workbook that I’ll send you when you sign up for my e-newsletter too. It’s all about how to create a nourishing career. I think you’ll like it. And you can be sure that I’ll show up wherever Alexandra is since I’m stalking her on the Interwebz. We can all be one, big, kind of creepy, online family!

Hooray! I have a sudden craving for a donut, smothered with Vegemite. Thanks for chatting, Chrissy!