As part of a new segment for the Wellness Champion newsletter, each month we will highlight a Wellness Connection team member. This month will feature Registered Dietitian and Wellness Consultant, Reshaunda Thornton.
Tell us a little about yourself.
As a dietitian, nutrition has been my passion, but my first love was science. Before focusing on nutrition, I was a research scientist in genetics.
I was raised in Texas and moved to St. Louis in 2008 with my son, where I began my career as a dietitian specializing in sports and wellness consulting. For the past 12 years, I have been fortunate to experience a nontraditional path as a dietitian; I’ve been featured on Fox2News STL as a nutrition expert; a TEDx speaker; an author; a podcast host; a board member of Barnes Jewish Hospital, and a local nonprofit, Fit and Food Connections. As a consultant with MyWay to Health, I’m delighted to work with a dynamic team of dietitians and provide wellness services to WashU employees.
What drew you to this line of work?
After becoming a dietitian, preventive health was my immediate choice of specialty. With a bachelor’s degree in Biology, a minor in Psychology, a second bachelor’s in Nutrition, and a master’s in Human Nutrition & Performance, I followed a path of wellness consulting and coaching. I realize wellness can’t really be broadly taught: it’s a practice of living that’s unique to each person. One’s mindset has to change in order for long-term changes to take place. For these reasons, choosing to be a wellness consultant was a natural progression of my education, experience, and skillset.
What kind of hobbies or interests do you have outside of work?
Outside of work, my interests include many different physical activities. My latest interest has been learning how to play tennis: I play 2-3 times a week indoors, outdoors, or wherever I can find an open court. This is added to my routine of strength training and running 3-4 times a week. As you can see, being active is how I spend a lot of my free time. I also enjoy reading, cooking, traveling, and spending time with friends. Now that my son is going off to college, I find myself with even more free time to explore my interests.
What celebrity do people think you look like?
A running joke is that I’m an unknown Williams sister. Before I picked up tennis, people would mention my resemblance to Serena. Now that I play, I jokingly say I look like a tennis player but haven’t fulfilled the portion where I actually play well like one yet.
What books are on your bedside table?
The two books sitting on my bedside table are Becoming, by Michelle Obama, and Greenlights, by Matthew Mcconaughey. I enjoy reading their stories and learning about their insights into life.
To learn more about the Wellness Connection mission and team, visit hr.wustl.edu/people/wellness-connection-experts/.
