Infuse Infuse 1 September 2017 | Page 23

If you are passionate about anything in life,
you will find the time. Fortunately for me, I
am a night owl, multi-tasker, and far more
productive in the evening than during the day.
The idea came to me at 2:45 a.m. one morning.
I woke up, leaned over and wrote in my kikki
K. 3 a.m. journal, “Spoon Project” -- and it grew
from there. I wanted to get my mantra, “nourish
& nurture”, hand-stamped on a spoon, and I
wanted it to be made locally.
I found a stay-at-home mum in NSW with such
a business, and asked if she customised her
spoons. She was supportive of the concept
and its intention, and believed in my passion.
We created a contract to protect both our
businesses, and then I placed my first order of
the spoons. I did some market research with
colleagues, referrers, clients, my staff and a
close friend in marketing and PR, and received
very positive feedback, which was comforting.
I designed the logo, looked at production
costs, set up woocommerce on my website,
developed promotional materials, built up
a contacts list, upskilled in social media,
launched Facebook and instagram (with help
of my mentees) and then: market, market,
market.
Infuse: Your Spoon Project began in a moment
where you “wanted to provide a positive and
uplifting message” to one of your clients.
Can you share your clients’ reactions to
your Spoons?
RB: I was sitting with that client and she said to
me, “Rachael, I get it when I am here with you
and my team, but then I lose the motivation,
positivity, rationale and logic when I am home
by myself and my negative mindset takes
over”. I thought, how can I deliver this message
to her each meal of each day? And there
it was – at 2:45 a.m.: a spoon. The Nourish
and Nurture spoon provides a message of
positivity, nourishment, nurturing, self-worth,
self- appreciation, reassurance, freedom, joy,
and happiness with food with each mouthful.
The spoons are my gift to my clients to rebuild
their relationship with food in a positive and
nourishing way – nourishing their bodies and
their souls.
The response from my clients has been very
encouraging. They have been so appreciative
and, in some instances, overwhelmed by
© Dietitian Connection
my gift of their Nourish and Nurture spoon.
It has offered them a great, tangible and
motivational tool away from our sessions.
It has also helped align themselves with
positivity and freedom with their food choices,
and, in the case of many clients with eating
disorders, has given them encouragement
and reassurance with their recovery. I am
thrilled that this has helped their journey in
such a tangible and personal way. I have also
received many favourable and congratulatory
responses from colleagues, public, clients,
families and support organisations.
I am hoping that the message of nourishing
and nurturing ourselves will resonate with
many more spoon recipients, from all walks of
life, and all ages.
Infuse: What has been your greatest
challenge so far in launching this initiative,
and how did you overcome it?
RB: Getting the word out and developing a
social media presence with Facebook and
Instagram. I was always the dietitian and
person with her head in the sand, thinking
that I did not need social media for the
success of my private practice. Well, was I
wrong: this is the space that every dietitian
needs to be in to market an idea, product
or information.
interview continues overleaf...
“I am hoping that the
message of nourishing
and nurturing
ourselves will
resonate with many
more spoon recipients,
from all walks of life,
and all ages.”
Infuse | September 2017