Meet Rachael Hartley
Rachael Hartley, RD, LD
Certified Intuitive Eating Counselor, Author of Gentle Nutrition
Hi there! I’m Rachael, a dietitian and nutrition therapist who joined the field because I really love food. As a certified intuitive eating counselor, I am fiercely passionate about helping others ditch the diet rules and rediscover the joy of eating. My hope is to help you nurture a healthier relationship with food and improve your wellbeing with eating habits rooted in nourishment instead of restriction and deprivation.
Like most dietitians, I used to think nutrition was all about “eating less” and “eating right.” I believed what I was taught about weight and health being one and the same. Those beliefs led me down a path where food and eating became stressful and complicated. As I started working with clients, I quickly realized my approach wasn’t helping. I saw how the focus on weight and rigid diet rules turned something that should be a simple, nourishing act of self care, into an anxiety-filled chore.
Thankfully, I quickly recognized that food is so much more than fuel, and that diet rules and rigidity weren’t the answer. I came to the realization that the purpose of pursuing health is to live a better quality of life, and if food and eating is feeling stressful, then it’s not actually helping with that goal. I saw how the fixation with the scale interferes with one’s ability to make sustainable, health promoting choices with food. Not only that, but I learned how our cultural obsession with weight is fueling an epidemic of eating disorders, and began to see just how many people are struggling with disordered eating. I began to see my role as a dietitian as helping people nurture a healthy relationship with food, and learn to make food choices from a place of nourishment, pleasure, and internal wisdom. With those realizations, I began to learn everything I could about intuitive eating, mindful eating, and Health at Every Size®, and began to integrate these non-diet approaches into my practice and personal life.
Around this time, I started my blog, The Joy of Eating, as a creative project and place to share my kitchen successes. In 2014, I launched my private practice as a place to focus on non-diet nutrition and wellness, and provide individualized support to help people navigate their health and eating concerns. These days, I specialize in trauma-informed eating disorder treatment and recovery, Intuitive Eating, eating disorder recovery, and navigating health conditions with a flexible, non-diet approach. I also provide clinical supervision and consultation to other dietitians looking to grow their nutrition counseling skills. In 2020, my first book, Gentle Nutrition: A Non-Diet Approach to Healthy Eating was published. In 2021 I moved to Boston, and while I continue to run my practice in Columbia, SC, where my associate dietitian Kate works with clients in person, I currently see clients virtually from my home office in Dorchester, often with my Bernese Mountain Dog (Rose Bern) by my side.
Through compassionate, affirming, and client-centered care for all bodies, and I hope to help you redefine health and discover your own path to food peace.
Get to know Rachael:
Therapeutic Style: relational, collaborative, validating, humorous, creative, individualized, always ready with a good analogy
Treatment Approaches: Intuitive Eating, Health at Every Size®, Medical Nutrition Therapy (MNT), Trauma-Informed, Embodied Recovery (tier 1 certified through Embodied Recovery Institute), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Nutrition Education, Motivational Interviewing (MI), Modified Family Based Therapy (FBT), and perhaps most importantly, just being a human in the (virtual) room with you as you navigate the complexities of having a body that needs to be fed.
Specialty Areas: eating disorders and disordered eating, weight inclusive nutrition therapy for health conditions like diabetes, PCOS, IBS, and general preventative health, PTSD and complex trauma/dissociation, ADHD
Personality: compassionate, accepting, intellectual, curious, extroverted introvert (it’s a thing), Aries/eldest daughter/INFP/enneagram 2 if you’re into those kind of things
Values: autonomy, flexibility, learning and understanding, creativity, joy, respect, authenticity
Favorite Foods: cheese, Asian noodle dishes, roasted broccoli - especially when there is parmesan cheese involved, tiramisu, passion fruit anything and everything, bagel sandwiches with smoked salmon
Passions & Hobbies: partnering with my clients on their food peace journey, traveling, my pup, exploring old historic neighborhoods in Boston and enjoying the architecture, reading, (extremely) amateur watercolor painting
The Team
Meet Kate Bennett
Kate Bennett, MS, RDN, LDN,
Certified Intuitive Eating Counselor
It’s been an absolute joy to work for Rachael Hartley Nutrition since 2019! After completing my bachelor’s degree in Public Health from the University of South Carolina followed by my master’s and dietetic internship at Winthrop University, I started my career as a clinical dietitian in a hospital setting. There I worked with patients with a wide range of conditions, helping them navigate nutrition-related conditions including diabetes and insulin resistance, digestive disorders, renal disease, and cardiovascular disease. I have a special passion for supporting people with diabetes, which has grown over the years with my experience working as a camp dietitian for children & teens with Type 1 Diabetes every summer.
When working with clients, I like to pull from my client’s values so that the work feels meaningful and personal to them. I aim to take an individual approach with each person I work with, so that we focusing on what’s most impactful for them, rather than pre-prescribed goals. I want my clients to understand that nutrition is an important part of your life & health, however, it’s not the only important part. To me, good nutrition means nourishing your body in a way that feels good, and allows you to fully participate in life.
In my free time I spend time mothering my young daughter with my husband in Columbia, SC. I love going to see live music, trying new recipes, baking cakes for every occasion, getting lost in a book, and going for a walk at one of the many beautiful trails around me. I am always down to chat with my clients about recipes and restaurants, music, and what you are learning about lately.
*Kate is available for in-person nutrition counseling in Columbia, SC, and works with clients virtually throughout the US.
Therapeutic Style: client-guided, conversational, affirming, imaginative, collaborative, open-minded
Specialty Areas: intuitive eating, eating disorders, diabetes, hormonal conditions including PCOS, IBS, food allergies and intolerances
Personality: approachable, inquisitive, quick-to-laugh, thoughtful, extroverted
Values: dependability, autonomy, resilience, self-compassion, curiosity, openness
Favorite Foods: BBQ pork nachos, coconut curry with basmati rice, Caesar salads, ripe peaches, warm brownies a la mode
Passions: helping clients liberate themselves from food and body fears; raising my baby daughter Violet with my husband Terry; spending quality time with people I love; creating detailed travel itineraries for road trips; baking sweet treats for every special occasion; being a camp dietitian for kids with type 1 diabetes
