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Kelan Sarnoff, MS, RDN - The RD Coach LLC

@the.rd.coach

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I help dietitians unlock their potential with personalized career coaching.
Resumes, interview prep & career clarity for RDs
Kelan Sarnoff

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Shaking the IG cobwebs off over here.
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I didn't intend to be so sporadic with my posts this summer, but such is the life of a mom entrepreneur with two kiddos at home and spotty child care.
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If you're new here, hi, I'm Kelan!
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I'm a registered dietitian of 12 years, and I help dietitians pivot into roles that actually pay what they're worth and fit the life they've built. If you've ever thought "I love this field, I just don't love my job anymore," you are exactly who this page is for.
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My own path here wasn't a straight line. I found dietetics my senior year of college after one sports nutrition class- genuinely terrible timing. After saying I would never work clinical, I spent the first 5 years of my career in the hospital setting and LOVED IT.
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I then pivoted into a full-time university faculty role with zero teaching experience on paper.
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The biggest thing that helped me land that role?
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I translated all of my 1:1 counseling skills, group education classes, and projects into language that I knew they would care about at the academic level.
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And now, that's the exact thing I help other dietitians do. I founded The RD Coach in 2023, and I've helped over 150 dietitians land their next role.
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My coaching is structured, strategic, and supportive, because a career pivot takes both a real roadmap and someone in your corner telling you it's possible.
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If you're new here and not sure where to start, my free 5-Day Career Clarity Challenge is the best first step to figure out what's actually misaligned in your career.
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Whether you're new here or have been following for a while, I'd love to hear from you! Drop me a line, and I'd love to say hello. by @the.rd.coach

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4

2 months ago

She didn’t get the salary she asked for, but I'm still calling it a win.
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A few weeks ago, a client reached out to me for support with negotiating the salary for her very first job as a registered dietitian. She had a job offer in hand, and was anticipating a few other offers and wanted support with navigating all of these logistics.
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Here’s what we did together:
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✅ Listed her top priorities and non-negotiables
✅ Compared each offer on company culture, room to grow, and fit for a new RD
✅ Researched salary ranges so she knew what to ask for
✅ Broke down the value of a W2 benefited position versus a contract role
✅ Practiced negotiating with specific scripts
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I also taught her about reviewing the full compensation package including the health insurance premiums, 401k match, total days of PTO, sick leave, CEU stipend, ETC.
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The company provided her with NONE of this additional information, but it is truly crucial to understanding the full offer.
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Together, we mapped out a strong counteroffer, while also letting the other companies know that she had an offer in hand. Our approach was to pressure the other companies to also make an offer.
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"S" crushed the salary negotiation conversation and "it wasn't nearly as bad as she thought it would be".
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Ultimately, they didn’t meet her number because of internal equity.
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But she had the hard conversation anyway.
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Now knows how to negotiate, and she’ll do it again with more experience behind her. Most new RDs never ask at all.
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When your job search feels slow, it’s easy to count only offers and dream jobs as progress.
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The small wins count too: the interview you were nervous about, the ask you finally made, the “no” that didn’t break you. 💛
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What small win are you celebrating this week? Tell me in the comments 👇 by @the.rd.coach

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2 days ago

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5 days ago

Some days it's less about the five-year plan and more about just getting through.
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If you are looking to get clarity in your career as an RD, DM me "FIVE" and I will send you my free 5-day challenge 🫶 by @the.rd.coach

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8 days ago

I'm here to normalize saying "no" to job offers or interviews after learning more about the company, the position scope, or pay.
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In my most recent job search, I turned down a job offer that was WAY too much work for the pay.
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I turned down another because the team gave bad vibes, and I just had a hunch the job would be something entirely different than advertised.
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And I withdrew my application after several interviews after learning more about the role or pay.
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Let me say this LOUD ⬇️
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YOU CAN SAY NO AT ANY TIME.
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I was recently working with a client who was three interviews into a role and just knew it wasn't going to be a good fit.
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Yet she kept saying yes to the next step because "they've already invested so much time in me."
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I reminded her that it would cost even more to the company (in time and money) if she left after 6 months.
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I know that it's very challenging to say "no" in today's job market, and I acknowledge that. But if you're in a position to hold out for the right fit, these are all valid reasons.
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If you've ever turned down an offer, what was the reason? I'd love to hear.
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ㅤ by @the.rd.coach

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10 days ago

That Sunday night dread isn't telling you to quit dietetics.
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It's telling you to pivot.
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You can be INCREDIBLE at your job and also know deep down inside that it's not the right fit.
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How do I know?
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I walk clients through this discussion every single week.
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They're good at counseling, and their patients love them, but the work is no longer fulfilling, or it's simply TOO MUCH.
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The answer isn't switching companies or landing a role within a different niche.
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It's about getting crystal clear on your true skills and interests and what ACTUALLY fills your cup.
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Changing what your IDEAL career looks like isn't easy, but I want you to know that you're allowed to change what you need or want in a job.
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This is exactly the type of work I do with my clients and why I built my 5-day career clarity challenge.
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Comment "five" and I'll send it to you! by @the.rd.coach

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12 days ago

Some things you just don't pivot.
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You spend too many hours a week working not to have favorite things about your career.
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Let’s pivot.
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Comment "five,” and I will send you my free 5- day challenge, designed to help you find a career full of favorites. by @the.rd.coach

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15 days ago

You don't need to work harder to get a raise.
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You need to do a better job of tracking your impact and speaking the language of the decision-makers at your work.
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If I were a dietitian starting over today, these are the 3 things I'd track from day one:
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🛠️ Process ownership: what you built, improved, or saved money on
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📊 Output/volume: whatever "volume" looks like in your setting, with numbers
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🌱 Visibility + expanded scope: new responsibilities, new teams, new populations, presentations, collaborations, etc.
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Do not rely on your memory or wait until you're ready to leave a position to start grabbing these numbers.
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Tracking your weekly, monthly, and annual impact is the most powerful PROOF for a raise.
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I help my clients do this all the time, and I wrote a full guide on turning it into more money at review time.
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Comment GUIDE for the link, or hop over to my website and grab my salary guides! by @the.rd.coach

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17 days ago

I recently stepped into a clinical position after a 7-year break.

My nutrition support skills are definitely rusty, especially in the critical care setting.

I’ve been teaching tube-feed calculations to interns for years, but I haven’t kept up with the latest critical care research or product changes/availability.

My dietitian friend Sara of @edgeclinicalnutrition generously sent me her two courses: Nutrition Support Skills and her CNSC Exam Study Guide.

Both include a HEFTY binder with go-to resources and summarized recommendations, plus online modules and support.

My first impressions?

✨ I’m just a few modules into the course and I’ve already had several aha moments. For example, I never really knew how to apply the refeeding guidelines in practice. Her tidbits are GOLD.

✨ The binders are built to be a true resource that you flip back to. The paper is almost cardstock material, and the images/tables are so well organized.

✨ The CEUS offered make this a tremendous value! 23 CEUs for the Nutrition Support Course and 18 CEUs for the CNSC Exam Study Course.

My own onboarding experience to critical care has included a hodgepodge of facility resources, random notes on scraps of paper, and some tidbits on which doctors not to cross ☠️.

I love that the Nutrition Support Course walks you through the step-by-step of what to consider and provides case study examples. I’m already walking into my next ICU shift with more confidence and I’m only a few modules in. Full review to come soon!

Check out Sara @edgeclinicalnutrition.
#gifted by @the.rd.coach

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22 days ago

If you're a dietitian feeling lost about your next move, don't start by endlessly searching the job boards.
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You're probably going to see more of the same jobs that you don't want.
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Instead, I always start my clients with value exercises.
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We map out their skills, interests, and your negotiables/non-negotiables first.
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By the time we're done, we've usually narrowed it to 4 or 5 pathways worth exploring. This career matrix is just one way that I like to present these options.
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Ready to start your own career shift?
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My free 5-Day Career Clarity Challenge walks you through some of the exercises I work through with dietitians.
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Comment FIVE, and I'll send the challenge your way.
ㅤ by @the.rd.coach

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23 days ago

A few months ago, this email landed in my inbox ⬇️
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"I've applied to over 150 jobs, and I haven't landed a single interview. I know it's not my resume. I've already paid $500 for a resume overhaul a few years ago. Do you have any suggestions, and would working with you change anything?"
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I asked her to send me her resume anyway.
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Turns out, it was 100% her resume, and I gently broke the news to her.
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After working together, this client landed 4 interviews in under a month.
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Seriously. She went from a 0% interview rate (0 out of 150) to a 25% rate (4 interviews from 12 applications).
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Here's what working with me actually looks like:
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✓ Activities to help you get crystal clear on your next role
✓ A structured roadmap, even if you don't know what's next yet
✓ Job application strategies that aren't just endlessly combing the web
✓ Honest feedback. If something isn't working, I'll tell you. Kindly, but I'll tell you.
✓ Someone in your corner saying "you can do this" until you believe it too
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This is a big part of why 75% of the dietitians I worked with in the past year have landed new roles.
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Want to know if it's the right fit for you? DM me, and we can set up a discovery call. by @the.rd.coach

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25 days ago

If you are feeling like Kermit right now, I want you to know this feeling is temporary.
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I've shared more than 4,000 job opportunities in my community and helped over 200 dietitians land their dream roles.
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I want to help you get there too. Comment "five" to get started with my free challenge. by @the.rd.coach

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a month ago