What do you get when you combine two dietitian business coaches talking about changes in private practice and what RDs need to know?! A very real conversation about where private practice is right now…and where it’s headed next. Dietitian private practice looks very different today than it did even a few years ago.

Between the rise of big telehealth companies, GLP-1 medications, changes in insurance, AI, and an increasingly crowded market, dietitians are being forced to rethink what it means to build (and sustain) a successful private practice.

In this episode of The Dietitian Business Podcast, I’m joined by fellow dietitian business coach Jennifer McGurk, founder of Pursuing Private Practice, to talk about the current state of dietitian private practice: what’s working, what’s changing, and where we think things may be headed next.

Jennifer and I have both spent years working with dietitian business owners at every stage, from brand-new solo practices to established group practices. That gives us a unique bird’s-eye view of the challenges dietitians are facing right now- and there are some BIG shifts happening.

We talk about:

• The rise of telehealth companies: How companies like Nourish, Fay, and Berry Street have changed the landscape for solo and group practice owners- and why hiring great dietitians has become increasingly competitive.

• GLP-1 medications: Why GLP-1s don't necessarily have to be viewed as competition and how dietitians can communicate the value they bring to clients taking these medications.

• Insurance vs. private pay: Why accepting insurance is becoming increasingly common while simultaneously becoming more complicated- and how private-pay dietitians can differentiate themselves beyond simply offering one-on-one sessions.

• AI in private practice: How dietitians are already using AI for documentation, research, marketing, email, and administrative work... and why human connection may become an even bigger differentiator as AI evolves.

• Pivoting your business as your life changes: Your business doesn't exist separately from your life. Parenthood, marriage, divorce, caregiving, financial changes, burnout, and shifting priorities can- and should- change the way you structure your practice.

• Burnout: Why starting a private practice doesn't automatically solve burnout and why boundaries, counseling skills, leadership, support, and personal development matter just as much as your business model.

One of my favorite parts of this conversation is our discussion about pivoting.

The private practice that works for you today might not be the private practice that works for you five years- or even one year- from now.

Jennifer has experienced that firsthand, evolving from a solo practitioner to a group practice owner and eventually shifting her focus to business coaching. I've experienced it too, going from solo practice to building a 30-person group practice and eventually back to solo.

There isn't one "right" way to build a private practice.

The market changes. Your clients change. Your life changes. And your business gets to change with you.

Jennifer's final advice to dietitians is simple:

Go for it.

Whether you're thinking about starting your practice, hiring your first team member, launching something new, or making your next big pivot, don't let uncertainty keep you stuck.

Because private practice may be changing... but there is still so much opportunity for dietitians willing to adapt, differentiate themselves, and build a business that works for the life they actually want.