I get asked a lot what software and other tools I use in my nutrition private practice (especially now that I have a team!), so I wanted to make a round-up post of my go-to tools. These are the books, tools, and software I have found to be most useful after 9 years in practice and a lot of trial and error.
Software:
Google Drive & Google workspace
Literally my life is on google drive! It’s so great for shared documents so you can edit with your team in real time, and for writing blog posts/etc, I type directly into google drive because it autosaves and I can log-in to access my files from any computer.
I now use Google workspace to have HIPAA compliant business-branded emails for my employees and to host google voice as the phone for our business.
Square is probably the system you are familiar with when you pay at a coffee shop, or those phone card readers, but they have a whole backend payroll system that requires no equipment! I run payroll by myself easily with square. Square automatically deducts and sends taxes to the IRS, so I don’t have to calculate how much the employees actually get, I just add their hours and hit “run.” So easy.
Use the link above to get your first month free (It’s really not that expensive anyway).
This really is the simplest-to-use electronic health record system I’ve ever used, and it saves so much paper and time! Simple Practice does all of my client scheduling, notes, credit card billing, insurance billing, secure messaging, client forms, secure document management, and more! It was so easy to add my team and give them different levels of access. There are video/telehealth features that you can add on to your subscription for an all-in-one platform (Literally the only thing missing is fax – hey SP…).
Use the link above to get a free 30 day trial and a $50 subscription credit after you sign up for a paid account.
A graphic design tool that I’ve used to make most of the images on this site and my social media. Only ~$45/year, and simple to use! I learned this before Canva, and I think it can do things that Canva can’t (plus Canva feels overused by everyone!).
But, Canva is a great program for a reason…another graphic design tool that I’ve used to make PDFs and some graphics. You probably know it already, if not check it out.
Use connected to your health professional (RD, coach, or therapist) to have a trigger-free way of recording food and behaviors that your professional can see and give feedback in real-time. No calories/macros. Just what you ate, how you feel about it, and listing behaviors. Free for clients, cheap for professionals – you can link 1 client for free, and 4 for $8.99/month.
This is the video platform we use for 1:1 client calls. Free, HIPAA compliant, video conferencing for health professionals…and unlike Zoom, no downloads! (So you can send it to your client the minute before a meeting.)
Social media scheduling app I used for Instagram and Pinterest for a long time but I recently switched to…
Social media scheduling for Instagram. It’s super simple, and free for 30 posts/month! It’s great to see my posts planned out, and have a bunch of drafts saved.
iMovie
Free video editing on macs! I use this for editing videos for youtube/whatever.
Tech:
Canon G7x mark iii camera is what I use for both vlogging and still photos. It’s a great point-and-shoot pocket-size camera. You probably see a lot of vloggers using this camera – very popular, for a good reason – I did my research.
Blue yeti microphone for podcasting or anywhere I need good sound quality on my computer. It plugs right into a USB.
Asus Zenbook laptop. My main laptop for probably 7 years now. This slim PC does it all (except iMovie)!
13”Macbook Air M1 (2020). When I started doing my own video editing I wanted to try a mac, and this being my first one has not disappointed! The battery life is incredible, and I love the way it scrolls on the track pad.
Green screen The pandemic sent my vocal classes to zoom, and to keep up with productions we were asked to have backgrounds for our scenes…enter this cool pull-down green screen, a’la school projector screen of my childhood. I love not having to set it up every time I want to use it, and it tucks neatly away in its roll when not in use.
Trainings/ courses / masterminds:
Fearless Practitioners – Adrienne Paczosa, RD, LD, CEDRD-S
has great courses on HIPAA/Insurance, PP paperwork, and “Boss Club” mastermind group for starting/growing your private practice!
I just finished her private practice “accelerator” group program, which helped me get a better understanding of the numbers in my business.
Female Entrepreneur Association
FEA had the biggest impact on the design/branding of my business of anything I have done. It’s a monthly membership of masterclasses, and through it I learned how to do graphic design, write a book, learned about the law of attraction, and sooo much more. The founder, Carrie Green, also wrote this great business book.
Elegant Excellence by Hilary Rushford
Had a huge impact in how I saw my business as systems that I could outsource more to staff, and deciding what is actually essential versus busy work. A must-do course! Plus she is super fun to watch (former musical theatre/broadway performer).
Money Mentality Makeover and Drop The MF Money Struggle by Amanda Frances
The money queen has changed my mindset around receiving money, and I seriously saw a big increase when I started watching & applying her insight to being open to receiving more money. She also was the first person to actually get me excited about journaling – go figure!
She also has a great book that I read before buying her courses.
Check back for blogs, vlogs, and follow me on instagram @thebroadwaydietitian and my YouTube channel (click image to go to it).
Thank you so much for writing this, I have been dreading working on my private private because the paywall behind the Instagram business coach’s resources is daunting, and i’m in no way able to pay the 9K+ they’re asking for. Thank you for giving me hope + motivation to keep on working towards my goals! <3