Daily Inspiration: Meet Shanna Hutcheson

Today we’d like to introduce you to Shanna Hutcheson.

Hi Shanna, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I was born and raised in the Kansas City area. I was a cheerleader throughout middle and high school, and that is when I started to become more interested in nutrition and fitness, although admittedly, partly for the wrong reasons. Like most teenage girls unfortunately do, I had some struggles with body image and my relationship with food through many of those years. When I went to Kansas State University for college, I wanted to pursue a career in health because beyond some of those struggles, I truly did have an interest in and passion for wellness and wanted to help others achieve better health. Eventually I discovered Dietetics, and graduated with degrees in Nutrition & Health and Dietetics, and became a Registered Dietitian in 2015. Shortly after I graduated, I decided to start my blog, Wellness For The Win. At the time, it was more of a creative outlet and I just thought it would be a fun place to share recipes and nutrition tips as a new dietitian. Blogging wasn’t much of a thing at the time, and Instagram was still very new, so I had no intentions of it eventually becoming a business or such a huge part of my life.

Fast forward six years, and I am so thankful I decided to start when I did. Over the years, it has evolved a lot. It started with recipes, and now it is a place where I enjoy sharing ALL aspects of life — the good, the bad and the ugly! I hope to provide a positive space on the internet where people feel inspired, encouraged and know they are not alone in anything they’re going through. I love connecting with others and sharing good food, motherhood, my family and dogs, home decor, fashion, beauty, fitness and more. I also talk a lot about my journey to healing my relationship with food and encourage others to take an intuitive eating approach and be kind to their bodies. I am really thankful for the community I have cultivated through my blog and the partnerships I have had the opportunity to participate in thus far. I’m looking forward to seeing where my blog takes me in the future!

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Like most things in life, there have definitely been ups and downs! I work full-time as a Registered Dietitian, so as my blog has grown over the years, it has been a challenge to keep up with at times. However, it is something that I love doing so much, so I have worked hard at finding a balance that works for me and my family so I can continue to do both. I’m always a work in progress here! Now that I am a mom, it is even more of a balancing act, but I’m thankful to have so many things to juggle that I am so passionate about. Being a mom to my sweet boy, Rhett is my favorite job title and will always come first!

Like I mentioned before, Instagram and blogging were both very new when I started, so things have changed a lot since the beginning. There have definitely been struggles while navigating all the changes, keeping up with new trends and algorithms, and most of all, not falling into the comparison trap that can be very easy to fall victim to in the digital space. I always have to remind myself to just stay true to who I am, share what I’m passionate about, and remember that not everyone has to like me or what I have to share. And that’s okay! If I changed my content solely to please other people, then it wouldn’t be fun anymore. Staying authentic and honest in all that I share is very important to me.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
My full-time job is working in corporate wellness as a Registered Dietitian. I get to work with a wide variety of individuals and help them with their nutrition and health goals, whether they have specific health conditions or simply want some tools and knowledge to feel their best. I love empowering people to improve their health, especially through nutritious food, in an affordable, fun, flexible and realistic way.

I am also a Wellness & Lifestyle Blogger, sharing all aspects of my life on my blog, Wellness For The Win (@wellnessforthewin on IG). As I mentioned, I share a little bit of everything there, but I really try to focus on making health look fun and achievable, as it should be! I like to remind my community that you CAN have a balance and that food & the scale shouldn’t control your life or steal your joy. Unfortunately, our society is so focused on diets, weight loss and crazy fads that are expensive, unrealistic and at the end of the day, not health-promoting. I love to help people (especially women and fellow moms) learn to trust and respect their bodies without dieting and improve their overall wellbeing *long-term* through food, joyful movement, self-care and a positive relationship with food.

Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
Oh my gosh. I don’t even know where to begin! SO many people have helped encourage me and support me along the way. First off, I have to thank my best friend and college roommate, Erika, for pushing me to start a blog in the first place! My husband, Ethan, has been an incredible source of support through it all. He has been behind the camera, listened to my ideas (and listened to me complain about a lot of things, ha!), been my professional taste-tester, my personal financial advisor/business manager, and many other roles. I couldn’t have done it all these years without him.

My family and best friends have always been in the front row cheering me on as well. I have made many new friends in the blogging community along the way, and I so appreciate having them to lean on, collaborate and brainstorm with, and more. It’s always nice to talk to someone who understands what you’re going through. Not many people understand what it is like on this side of blogging — it’s not as easy as it looks!

My dream brand to work with in the early years was ALDI, and I am so grateful that I have since had the opportunity to form an amazing, ongoing partnership with them. I also have to thank everyone who follows me — whether you “like” or comment on my photos, respond to my stories, read my blog posts, try/review my recipes & share them with your family, tell your friends about my Instagram account, and more. I truly would not be here if it weren’t for all of you!

Contact Info:

• Email: wellnessforthewin@gmail.com
• Website: wellnessforthewin.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/wellnessforthewin
• Facebook: facebook.com/wellnessforthewin
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXHIxsT8EfrM9ZVrUkS7vTw
• Other: pinterest.com/wellnessforthewin