Meet Lisa Dorfman, MS,RD,CSSD,CCMS, LMHC,FAND | Sports, Nutrition and Mental Health Performace Therapist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Lisa Dorfman, MS,RD,CSSD,CCMS, LMHC,FAND and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Lisa, what do you attribute your success to?
The success of my brand, The Running Nutritionist®, can be attributed to my unwavering commitment to giving my clients the best service possible. I put in 1000% effort, energy, enthusiasm, and education to provide personalized, real time service to clients from all around the world.

Over the past four decades, I have built a global culinary sports nutrition and mental health performance private practice and corporate consulting business. I have worked with a wide range of clients, including Gold Medal Olympian athletes, the hospitality/restaurant and Entertainment Industry Ritz Carlton and Sandals Resorts, Sony Entertainment Latin America, IPCOOP, the medical community, academia, the public, and the press. Since 2021, I have also been working with Special Operations with the Military (SOCOMSouth).

As an award-winning Integrative Functional Health Practitioner, I never compromise when it comes to providing the best care possible for my clients. I have been acknowledged for my work with the ‘19 President’s Council National Excellence in Practice Award and the Integrative and Functional Medicine National Excellence in Practice Award (DIFM) from the Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics (AND).

I am also the author of eight books and I have personal experience as a former professional triathlete, as a member of TeamUSA at the ’04 World Long Distance Duathlon Championships, and as a competitive runner. I am a multidisciplined Performance Expert, Board Certified Specialist in Sports Dietetics, Board Certified Professional Counselor, Certified Chef, Certified Specialist in Culinary Medicine, Certified USAT&F & USA Triathlon Coach, Certified Reiki Practitioner, Certified Horticulturist & Fellow of The Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics. I served as the ’08 US Sailing Olympic Team Nutritionist for the Beijing Olympics and am a Chef Nutrition Expert for the Zumba.® I have been featured in various media outlets including 20/20, Dateline, Good Morning America Health, FOX News, CNN, MSNBC, and ESPN, and have been featured in numerous publications including USA Today, Newsweek, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Men’s Fitness, Outside, and Runners World magazines.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
My journey to becoming to becoming and expert in my field was fueled by 2 near fatal car accidents, one at 18 years old hit head on by a drunk driver and another in ’21 which both clearly shaped the path of my career choice, energy and drive to give 1000% to everything I do for everyone I meet because you never know what the future has in store.

I was studying to become a professional musician, a prodigy you can say, playing the flute since I was 11 years old. I never dreamed of another career. At the same time, I had been a competitive athlete since the womb- life was going to be a beautiful balance between art and athletics.

As I recovered from the first accident I knew that nutrition and mental health was going to help me on my personal journey and I decided to make a career of those disciplines to help others also deal and heal from whatever life circumstances through them a curve ball.

No not easy to change career goals, study the sciences, push through my own path to healing but as Elle Woods said in the movie Legally Blond, “I did it!”

I never looked back.

I built a global culinary sports nutrition & mental health performance private practice & corporate consulting business Food Fitness International, Inc, in business for 4 decades working with sports, medical, univeristy, hospitality and entertainment industries, the public and press.

I have had the privilege to work with some of the finest athletes in the world—Olympians, professionals, our military servicemen and women, first responders and “everyday athletes” like YOU—men, women, teens and kids seeking to perform your best whether at sport, in school, at work, or at home.

As an award-winning Integrative Functional Health Practitioner, I never compromise when providing care for any client who works with me and acknowledged with the ’19 President’s Council National Excellence in Practice Award and Integrative and Functional Medicine National Excellence in Practice Award, (DIFM), Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics
(AND.)

An author of 8 books, numerous texbook chapters, Nutrition Columnist for SoBeFit Magazine, Lisa is a former professional triathlete member of TeamUSA at the ’04 World Long Distance Duathlon Championships and competitive runner, a multidisciplined Performance Expert, Board Certified Specialist in Sports Dietetics, Board Certified Professional Counselor, Certified Chef, Certified Specialist in Culinary Medicine, Certified USAT&F & USA Triathlon Coach, Certified Reiki
Practitioner, Certified Horticulturist & Fellow of The Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics.

I served as the ’08 US Sailing Olympic Team Nutritionist for the Beijing Olympics & is a Chef Nutrition Expert for the Zumba.®

I have appeared on 20/20, Dateline, Good Morning America Health, FOX News, CNN, MSNBC, and ESPN & has been featured in numerous publications including USA Today, Newsweek, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Men’s Fitness, Outside & Runners World magazines.

You see we are all athletes in life, just looking for tools and strategies to help us navigate through the marathons of our lives—balancing our more challenging times while trying to share and celebrate good times living the lifestyle, we’d like to lead with the people we love most.

I believe that each one of us are the experts of our own story, my role is to merely help clients draw on their strengths to help them overcome the issues holding them back from achieving their personal best now and in the future.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
When my best friend or family visit, I take them to some of the most beautiful parks, beaches and islands in the world. I share the morning sunrise and a swim at Matheson Hammock Park, I invite them to Fairchild Gardens to experience and learn about the hundreds of exotic and one of kind trees grown. I nourish them with a visit to our local Homestead and Redland farms and visit the Fruit and Spice Park to pick and/or purchase all the delicious veggies and exotic fruits our local farmers have to offer. I take them to our Florida Keys where the water is as crystal blue as it gets, where the vibe is as unique as it can be compared with other tropical parts of our state.

I would finish each day with a fine meal at our incredible restaurants, especially our award winning chefs, Slow Food Miami nominates those and celebrates them with the Snail of Approval Award and at our annual Freshest Night Event next week April 11, at the Eden Roc Hotel. a link to our recipients:

https://www.slowfoodmiami.org/snail-of-approval-honorees. You can sign up for the newsletter or contact me for more info as I am the Chef Alliance Director on the Board and editor of our newsletter which reaches more than 2400 members chefs and media.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I want to give a shout out to my family, my clients, colleagues and all the Special Operations Service members of the US Military I have had the honor of working with since ’21.

My husband of 44 years, from “crayons to perfume” has supported my passion, perseverance and independence to help me grow into the educated expert I am and continue to grow into today. My incredible 3 children and 2 granddaughters also keep me grounded and remind me the simple things in life is what counts most.

The 20, 000+ teens, men and women, from all walks of life, all across the globe I have the opportunity to guide, counsel, coach, teach, and present before in Asia, Europe, South and North America, Caribbean and dozen of US States have opened my mind to the potential we all have in spite of and despite our circumstances.

My incredible colleagues from nutrition, culinary, mental health, farming, sports and Reiki worlds continue to propel me to be the best at my craft.

And of course working with the military who humbles me , gives me pause and keeps me in awe of all the sacrifice they give to keep our country safe.

Website: https://www.lisadorfman.co/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/therunningnutritionist/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisadorfmanmsrd/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lisadorfman

Image Credits
Sasha De Almagro, CHI Energy Bites Jose, OA Living, Lisa in pink with CHI Energy Bite package