Inside Influence with Rebecca Gawthorne from Nourish Naturally

Name: Rebecca Gawthorne

Social Handles: Nourish Naturally, Rebecca Gawthorne Blog

Category: Health and Fitness

It’s 9 am in Brisbane, and 10 am in Sydney on a Monday morning. The perfect time for me to make a green smoothie and sit down to have a chat with the incredible and inspiring, Rebecca Gawthorne. Rebecca is a health and fitness social media influencer and a well-esteemed dietitian with an abundance of knowledge to share with the world.

Read on to learn about her healthy lifestyle; what it takes to be a social media influencer with over 100,000 followers, and what she eats in a day to maintain her healthy (and gorgeous) bod!

What is your typical day like including what you eat?

Usually, I wake up quite early just before 5am, and I go and have coffee with my husband. Then I am off to train! It usually includes a beach run, an interval session, or a HIIT workout. Then I come home for breakfast. Because it is still warm in Sydney, I drink smoothies. If I have the time to cook, I prepare cooked veggies and smoked salmon. After my morning routine, I get into all of my work.

Are you an influencer full-time, or do you have other projects going on as well?

I am an accredited, practicing dietitian and nutritionist. I work as a dietitian, yet it involves the influencer side of things as well. I do work as a media dietitian. I usually write articles for the media and work with brands not just to produce sponsored posts like I do on my Instagram account. I write health articles for fitness and health brands and review products for their nutrition content. I also work with brands on new recipes. I am also an ambassador, so I often speak at events and attend product launches.

At what age did you know you wanted to study food and nutrition?

When I was in high school, I knew I wanted to do something in the health industry. I had the idea of being a psychologist or a physiologist. I even had the idea of being a teacher because my Mum is a teacher. I didn’t know there was a dietitian job out there. I had never even heard of it. I studied food tech, and my teacher (my favorite teacher) recommended I look into being a dietitian.

And you were like “what is that?!”

Exactly! The field has grown so much, but prior to this, it was less known to the public. I investigated what a dietitian did and what the job involved. I knew there would be science, math, and English in the degree. The more I studied, the more I liked it! I knew it was what I wanted to do.

It is interesting that you say the field has grown because I can totally see its trajectory. It is a unique space to be in–somewhere between a doctor and an informed, health conscious individual.

You are correct. I am not a doctor, yet I can prescribe food as medicine. If someone has a chronic disease like diabetes or cardiovascular disease, we can use food to treat and manage those conditions instead of prescribing medication.

That is better in my opinion. 100%

Who gave you the name “the flying dietitian?”

That named evolved out of my time working in rural New South Wales. I was working with indigenous communities, and I traveled out there each fortnight for a couple of days. We drove around to all of the different communities and worked on their health programs. And, it was actually the communities who I helped that referred to me as the flying dietitian.

What an amazing experience. How long were you doing this for?

I did that for a year. As I was doing that, I built up a private practice. Eventually, I obtained enough clients to stop traveling. While I really enjoyed it, it was extremely tiring–two plane rides and an eight-hour drive.

But you did it for an entire and incredible year!

What is the number one reason not to go on a fad diet?

There is no scientific basis behind most fad diets, and they can actually be quite detrimental to your health. They usually stem from great marketing, but often there is no real science or value.

They are great at marketing. Luckily with a bit of research, people can discover the discrepancies of these types of diets.

On January 16th you posted a blog article about your 2018 New Year’s resolutions. And, for our readers they were: support renewable energy, continue eating meat-free, and use less plastic. I want to know how you are going thus far.

Like all New Year’s resolutions, I am still working on them. You really have to break your old habits and form new ones. Eating meat-free is easy for me because I’ve been doing that for a long time already. I am still trying to consciously use less plastic. There are times when I forget to bring my reusable bags to the shops. I just need to make it a new habit. I am getting better.

What is the inspiration or story behind your content? When did you decide to become an influencer?

It happened organically. I had a private practice for about seven years, and my clients wanted me to share with them what I personally did to sustain my lifestyle. I found it much easier to have a platform where I could upload in one place. It grew from there. All of my friends and family also wanted to know what I did to keep healthy and how I trained. I never planned on becoming an influencer, but it has happened. And I feel honored to be able to influence others in a positive, healthy way.

Would you say being an influencer has opened up even more opportunities for you?

Definitely. While working in private practice, I was just one on one with a client. Now, I have the opportunity to influence people all over the world and work with brands that I wouldn’t have otherwise been able to get in contact with. There are many brands I work with that I really admire, and we share the same health views. Without my platform, I probably wouldn’t have been able to work with them in the same way.

Absolutely. You have worked with Sumo Salad, The Chia Co, Mangoes Australia as well as some Scrunch campaigns with Summer Land Artisan Skincare Collection, Zambrero, Powershop and Under Armour, just to name a few. How do you make the decisions about what brands to work with?

They must align with what I preach as a dietitian and what I believe in. I won’t work with a company that doesn’t align with my health values.

Do you prefer being a brand ambassador or partnering for sponsored posts? I know you do both.

I like doing both of them because I understand some brands have a budget for only certain things; however, I do prefer ambassadorships because they are long term. I feel like I can offer my followers more information. From the follower’s point of view, I think it is better to see more regular content about the same topics.

I agree. I think you could argue you that ambassadorships allow influencers to be even more authentic because it gives their audiences even more content without as many restrictions.

Who is your primary audience?

Based on my stats and comments from my Instagram, my audience is definitely female. Their primary age bracket is between 25 and 34 which makes sense because I am within that bracket. In regards to location, Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane are my top three locations.

Do you have a favorite cheat meal?

This is the interesting one because I got asked this question in an interview the other week. I actually don’t have a cheat meal, and the reason behind that is I don’t see eating as cheating.

What a concept!

I love the way I eat. I never feel bad for eating something that is considered to be less healthy than what I usually eat. When I eat food that is less healthy, I like to enjoy it.

Yeah. You don’t want to have a negative relationship with food!

Is there a particular brand that you love working with?

I really love working with Aussie Mangoes because mangoes are my favorite food ever. When I started doing Instagram, I had this idea in my head that it would be amazing if I was sent mangoes. Then I got the opportunity!

Living the dream! I usually ask influencers what their dream collaboration is. Would you say Aussie Mangoes?

I have worked with so many brands that I love already. I worked with Chia Co, and I think they are an amazing company. And I have done some work with horticulture companies like Aussie Pears and I love beetroots. I love all the brands I work with. I do have a highlight, though! I worked with The Grounds of Alexandria on their new healthy menu, and it was fab!

Sounds like you’ve been involved in some amazing campaigns!

Okay it’s SCRUNCH TIME!

Where would we find you on the weekend?

The beach

Favorite cardio workout?

Running the sand hills

Must have beauty/skin/hair product you can’t live without?

The ocean and saltwater!

If you could go anywhere in the world, where would your next trip be?

Japan

My time speaking with Rebecca was delightful, and I hope you guys learned just as much as I did about health and fitness and being a rockstar influencer! Be sure to show her some love on her social, and keep your eyes peeled for the next inside influence interview!