Kristen Hicks-Roof PhD, RD: Welcome back to the Nutrition Connection Podcast, the show where science meets storytelling. I'm your host, Dr. Kristin Hicks-Roof, dietitian, researcher, and lifelong advocate of the role of nutrition, health, and wellness. Each episode, I sit down with dietitians and nutrition experts all across the food and healthcare landscapes, leaders whose work touches nearly every aspect of our lives. So whether you're a student, a seasoned professional, or someone simply curious about food, nutrition, and health, this podcast is just for you. The views, thoughts, and comments on this podcast do not reflect those of my employer nor the employers of my guests. So let's go ahead and get connected. Y'all, I'm excited to bring on the earliest career person that I have had on this show. We have Brianna Chavez. She's a nutritionist with WIC and she's also a MSCI student through Stephen F. Austin. Welcome to the show, Brianna.

Breanna Chavez: Hi, thank you so much for having me.

Kristen Hicks-Roof PhD, RD: So I was excited to bring her on the show because I actually met Breanna her freshman year at Texas A ⁓ University when she was involved in our Artie Mentorship Program as an undergraduate research assistant. I'm telling you her and she also has a twin sister are just go-getters. And I just couldn't wait to bring her on not only to talk about WIC and her experience at WIC, which is a channel that I haven't brought on the show, but also her experience going through undergrad and going through ⁓ MSDI, which she's currently in. So Brianna, I can't wait to really dive into your story. Let's bring it all the way to the beginning though. What inspired you and made you want to become a nutrition professional?

Breanna Chavez: Thank you. Okay. Yes, so that's going to take us way back to whenever I was in junior high. I do like telling the story. I've told it a few times, trying out for scholarships and things like that. But starting in seventh grade or sixth grade, actually sixth grade, because we, me and my sister, I'm going to refer to my sister a lot just because we're in this together. ⁓ But we wanted to try out for cheerleader as most little girls do. And so we went to the trial meeting and we went to all the practices and our coach would tell us a lot about eating healthy, drinking our water, taking our vitamins. Nothing like trying to push anything like too much, but we were perfectionists. And so we really took that to heart and we started getting interested in healthy eating. And we were also in a health elective at the time, cause they had that at our school. And so both of those together and we were just very interested in it. ⁓ We started making diet changes ourselves. We would like change our cookies in our lunchbox to fruits. And my mom was like, what are y'all doing? ⁓ And then like drinking more water, of course, taking our vitamins like she said. ⁓ And so that's what really got us interested in it. Then we entered into the eighth grade and we started FFA, Future Farmers of America. That organization was very impactful. They have it all throughout the United States, but Texas specifically is where I'm from. It's a very big part ⁓ of local schools here. And so we entered that organization and we started doing science fair projects and you get to choose the topic that you want to cover. And so we chose nutrition. And that helped us be really successful and in order to prepare even for college, I think, because in. our RD mentorship program, we did research projects and so it was perfect. I will say we did go through a few challenging times ⁓ with eating disorders. So that was pretty challenging, but we've been able to walk through that together and ⁓ find out the truth about nutrition, how it actually affects your body. And I'm actually really glad for that because it not only will give us a good perspective to help our clients, but it also ⁓ studying nutrition was a way to sort of hear our relationship with food. So it's been a long journey, but that's what originally started our interest in nutrition.

Kristen Hicks-Roof PhD, RD: You know, I hear that a lot though. There's a lot of stories about maybe it was a program you're involved in or some sort of person, whether a dietician or not, really started talking about food. And all of sudden you're like, wow, can I do this like as a career path? You know, and I think you, along with many people go through trials and tribulations related to the relationship with food and eating. know

Breanna Chavez: Yeah.

Kristen Hicks-Roof PhD, RD: A lot of my friends in undergrad had issues with disordered eating patterns and things like that, maybe all the way to the extreme of a clinical diagnosis eating disorder. But I think sometimes it's hard. Once you know more, you're like, all right, I'm getting more limited or restricted until we start to again liberalize again of what that looks like. So I appreciate you telling that story. And it is awesome that you're very fortunate to have a twin sister.

Breanna Chavez: Yes.

Kristen Hicks-Roof PhD, RD: that you guys are, I mean, both of you are in nutrition, super go getter. So let's talk a little bit about your journey. I love that you talked about FFA because anytime people can get connected with agriculture, both plant and animal, I think it's an opportunity to really celebrate where our food comes from. All the people who work really hard to grow food. And when you're an FFA, you realize how hard it is to grow food. And how much

Breanna Chavez: Yes ma'am

Kristen Hicks-Roof PhD, RD: love and nurturing it takes even if to grow one pumpkin, for example, right? Like I'm an avid gardener and like it takes a lot of time and energy and learning to be more efficient. What were some of your takeaways from FFA?

Breanna Chavez: Yes. My goodness, I kind of felt like I was a little bit of an outsider because I went into FFA and I thought I am not showing any animals. I don't like that stuff. So I didn't do the typical showing animals. I did the more of the academic contests. so I mean, organization is what taught me my study skills so much. Me and my sister were both really successful. I hate to like say that, but ⁓ whenever you have two people that want that are like striving for the same goal on the same team, like it's going to end up well. ⁓ And so I mean, I watched my FFA teachers. They were some of my biggest inspirations. And they're actually who took me to Texas A ⁓ for the first time ⁓ because they went to Texas A ⁓ They're actually ⁓ they were married. So Mr. and Mrs. Arby, shout out to them. But they got engaged at Texas A ⁓ met, now their kids go, or one of them goes there. they took us, me and my sister there, ⁓ and they told us, ⁓ at first we were just going to kind of stay local and like go to a community college ⁓ to get our basics first. And they told us, no, you guys are way too smart. Y'all need to go to a university. And we're first generation college students. So we didn't know anything about this. And we immediately fell in love with Texas A ⁓ And then we applied for scholarships. Bailey got a lot through the Techs FFA. And then I got ⁓ the Terry Foundation Scholarship. So we basically both got full rights. ⁓ And I honestly owe that to the FFA because it helps you build your resume. It just teaches you hard work and public speaking skills. Like I wouldn't be able to do this. Bailey actually for one of her projects, she started a podcast of her own. ⁓ So I have some experience helping her with that. So just hard work. and ⁓ teaching you that it will pay off in the end is what I took from the program.

Kristen Hicks-Roof PhD, RD: Well, and I remember when Dr. Beathard and I, we were looking at applicants for undergraduate research assistants. So every year when we run this program, the Artie Mentorship Program, we always get students to help us facilitate the program. And I remember we saw an application for two freshmen and we were like, what? Like they're not even in nutrition yet, right? Because you're just starting, you're doing your basics, but it just blew us out of the water. And it was so awesome to have you and your sister as part of that program. And you're right. It's like, Yes, of course you have, you're allowed to talk and boast about yourself because that's a good thing, right? To be really driven and hardworking and be able to apply for things that maybe most people would not even put their name in because they're like, ⁓ yeah, I'm not gonna be considered. Because when we were recruiting for research assistants, we pretty much said juniors, seniors, and grad students. And you put your names in anyways. And so sometimes I think there's a really nice lesson there that you can always

Breanna Chavez: Yeah. ⁓ huh.

Kristen Hicks-Roof PhD, RD: put your name in for a job or a scholarship or a grad program, even if you don't feel like you have the skills to do it or you don't have as much expertise. So let's talk a little bit about your journey, Brianna. You finished your undergrad, you were super involved in undergrad. What brought you to be a nutritionist at WIC and then how did you talk about your MSCI program through CMNF Austin?

Breanna Chavez: Yes, so it actually ended up working out perfectly. So we graduated from A ⁓ in December 24 and we learned about WIC. Well, first of all, we were on WIC or my family was on WIC whenever we were little. ⁓ And we knew some people that had told us, hey, actually our original goal, like we said, ⁓ we want to be nutritionists. But a lady that worked at WIC was like, no, y'all want to be dietitians because dietitians. actually are like the real deal and they know what they're talking about and they make more money. And so we're like, true, but we need somewhere to work. So ⁓ we, and we had a friend that we were able to get connected to ⁓ that worked at Wake. And so we got online, filled out the application. And this is another example. So we like submitted an application. It was super short, maybe in September. And we hadn't heard back. and it got to be October, November, and we were like, we're needing a job because we knew we were gonna have January through August until our master's degree program started. And so we were like, that's a long time. ⁓ And so we reached back out ⁓ and we're like, hey, we started an application a long time ago wondering, you know, what's the deal? ⁓ And so we set up and got an interview set up and it went great. It was so funny, me and my sister had our interviews back to back. We were roommates, so one of us left the room while the other one did it and came back. ⁓ And we talked to the people that interviewed us now and they were like, it was like crazy. It was like talking to the same person, like back to back. ⁓ But, and this is another thing ⁓ where you can kind of advocate for what you want. I was really unsure if I wanted to do this or not because ⁓ I was like, I don't know. basically they were hiring one nutritionist, but there's two of us. And so we were like, we're both gonna apply and see what happens. We'll see who they pick. We were honestly very interested which one of us they would pick. And so we both applied, both interviewed, and then I get a call in a few days and we knew whoever like got it first, like that means the other one didn't get it. So they called me, said I got it, and Bailey was already upset because she knew I got it and she thought she didn't get it. Um, and then they called her and they were like, you also got the position. And we're like, what? And they're like, yeah, we decided to hire two people. Um, and so it was so crazy. Um, we both ended up working together, which is perfect. Our first big girl jobs and it's like a good job, like benefits, um, like the whole deal. Um, and we learned so much and to have someone to go through like the first of a big girl job to get like that's. That's amazing because I would have been so scared. But that's kind how we got there. And then we knew we wanted to go to Stephen F. Austin because it's an online program and we knew we wanted to come live back at home for a little bit. And so it's very focused on integrative health, which we like. And I just feel like we're meant to be there. It's gone perfectly with our schedule. So that's a little yeah, that's the rundown. If you have any specific questions, let me know.

Kristen Hicks-Roof PhD, RD: Yeah, so talk to me about like, is your day to day? Can you talk a little bit about your role as a nutritionist? I know you said you're part time with WIC. So what does that day to day look like, especially for people who may be interested in working at WIC? And then what does it look like your day to day managing? And I know you haven't started the internship yet. You're still in the master's part, but how do you balance both and what is a day to day?

Breanna Chavez: Yes ma'am. So we started off full time, but every day. So you go in and they kind of walk you through what the client to do like, and then when they get to me, so they check in there's nutrition assistance. So if you're people that aren't interested in working at WIC, even if you're not with having anything to do with nutrition, you can still work at WIC as a nutrition assistant. Until we have nutrition assistants, they take them to our labs is what we call them. And they'll typically check their iron and their weight and height. And this is for moms, babies, and children under five. So that's the people that we're working with. ⁓ And so they'll check their iron, weight, and height. And then they'll put it into the computer. And we'll go in after that and discuss. So we'll see if their iron was low, because that's like one of the high, like a lot of kids and moms have low iron. And so that's something that we address. So we'll counsel on that. We'll counsel on ⁓ the weight. We don't obviously, we're not like advocating for kids to lose weight. We're just encouraging healthy habits. ⁓ And then with moms, we also have breastfeeding support. So we have breastfeeding for counselors. Nutritionists are also trained on that, but I... I'm not, I still don't know. So I don't have kids. don't know. So I just did the breastfeeding for counselor in there. And we have, it just depends, it all varies. We help with formula. That's like a big one that parents really come in for. So we'll counsel on the different kinds of formula. They'll typically have some nutrition related questions. depending on the day, it gets pretty busy sometimes. And we work at the biggest clinic. in our little region. ⁓ So we have five nutritionists total that work there. Me and Bailey are two of them. ⁓ But we will be actually, since we started our internship in August, we'll have to resign coming this August, which we've already let everyone know. ⁓ But we've been there for about, it'll be a year and a half once we have to resign. And it's been so amazing. I feel like it'll even help me like be a better. parent one day because I was literally taught like about formula, like all the nutrition. And so that was helpful, but it's also helped me like with teamwork and navigating because I never, honestly, I'd never had like conflict or anything in like a workplace. And now this was the first time I was like faced with like even that around me. And so it's helped me like actually navigate that in a professional way. ⁓ And so we started out ⁓ working work full time. for the first year. And then once our school started in August, we were like, okay, we need more time. ⁓ And we, so we had asked to go part-time starting at the beginning of this year. So basically I'll go in Monday, Tuesday, half day, Wednesday, and that gives me time throughout the rest of the week to do my work for my master's degree program. And it worked out perfectly. It was definitely challenging at times, but Uh, mainly our master's degree program is quizzes, reading modules and doing written assignments. Um, and we had to just, we did a big grant proposal, um, for our public health class. And I actually, I know, well, I say cool. Uh, it wasn't cool at the time, but look at like, I, was, ended up being like 40 pages. Um, but all the hard work, hard work paid off. made like a 98 on it.

Kristen Hicks-Roof PhD, RD: That's cool.

Breanna Chavez: And it was crazy because I, like my, cause you had to like make up a health intervention. So my health intervention that I made up ⁓ had to do with FFA. I like was creating a nutrition FFA contest. And so it kind of wrapped together, like all of my experiences. And so that helped me stay motivated because I was actually passionate about my intervention. And I'm pretty sure Bailey did one regarding. like formula or something that had to do with WIC. So we definitely use our experiences to help us with our assignments.

Kristen Hicks-Roof PhD, RD: That's awesome. Well, and I think it's cool. You said in the beginning, like you were on WIC as a small child, your family and the amount of people that you impact on a day to day of that may be some other only nutritious options that they're getting or that helps them to afford some of these foods or formulas that maybe their family would not be able to. So it's not only the offerings you're giving in, but then you get that ⁓ in-depth nutrition education. I know I was kind of I feel like maybe I was a little bit more confident than you, but like in breastfeeding, I'm like, I'm a dietician. Of course I'm going to know how to breastfeed. Like as I was turning into a mom myself and then I had a baby and like, I knew nothing. Like it went terribly. It was so hard and it was so much I learned. And I ended up becoming a certified lactation consultant because I was like, wow, this is crazy. And so yeah, I held my license for a few years because I was just like,

Breanna Chavez: with me. Yeah. Mm-hmm. Really?

Kristen Hicks-Roof PhD, RD: I want to get better and it helped me with my next two kids actually just to like learn all the challenges and opportunities. So I think WIC is a wonderful opportunity for people to get immersed into public health but then also do nutrition and maybe not as a credentialed expert yet. So let's talk about

Breanna Chavez: Yeah. Yes.

Kristen Hicks-Roof PhD, RD: Let's talk about science a little bit. How do you use science in what you do in your day to day, both at WIC, but then also as a student?

Breanna Chavez: Yes. Yes, so it's pretty cool because we're kind of learning ⁓ like in our master's program and that's what we're talking about at our work. So it's been really cool. with iron deficiency, we're kind of learning like the background of it in our class or even like we did a whole module over pregnancy nutrition. ⁓ And so it's crazy when then I go to work and because at first like at work, they they just kind of teach you like the basics of it, which that's all I kind of have time for. That's why you're still taught by degree in nutrition. So you can get the back. You already know the background, but my master's program is like teaching me even more. ⁓ And so whenever the client asks like more like in detailed questions, I can kind of give them an answer, but you also have to understand they might, they're probably not gonna know what you're talking about. So you have to say it in a way that they will understand. ⁓ And so we definitely use science in that way. ⁓ And then with my master's degree program, it's all science-based, ⁓ all research articles. I've gotten really good at like skimming an article and like summarizing it. We had to do that a lot in my first semester. And now in this, these courses, you always have to cite your references. So you really need to know how to do the APA format because what, that's a big thing. ⁓ But everything is very science focused. You can't say something without backing it up and explaining. My teacher really likes for us to explain the mechanism behind it. Like here's the symptom, but why? And then with like supplements and things, we get a lot of questions about supplements at WIC, ⁓ like prenatal and how it actually helps. ⁓ And so being able to explain the why behind it is really helpful. And although it's not very fun to do it for an assignment, it really does help. When you break it down and you're like, okay, this affects this and it's crazy because you're kind of like reading a language. But I can like I remember the terms from like biochemistry or anatomy. I'm like, okay, so I remember like I learned the electron transport chain. So this makes sense like why coenzyme Q supplement why that works. And so that's an example I can think of.

Kristen Hicks-Roof PhD, RD: Well, and I think that's so important. Like nutrition is such a science based degree. think a lot of people think it's not, or they don't like when I went to school at University of Arizona, it was a pre med track, the nutrition degree. And I know a lot of programs are similar or close to it. So you do have to have that scientific foundation. And I think it's really hard to communicate that and bring that really complex science into a patient who

Breanna Chavez: He

Kristen Hicks-Roof PhD, RD: maybe has no idea what you're talking about or like how do you not dumb it down because I don't think that's the right word but how do you translate it into words and language that they would understand. So it's a skill and it's a skill that you're going to continue to learn and get better at. So what's been your favorite or something you're most proud of so far in your career?

Breanna Chavez: Mm-hmm. That is a hard one. I really did try to think. This is really hard. ⁓ Something that I'm most proud of. honestly, I just like helping other people. ⁓ So even ⁓ like, don't, I'm just gonna say, give a few examples. Cause it's hard for me to think of one, but I do. like helping people and I like that I've been working. so long at WIC now that people start to recognize me, like clients, they're returning because I come over three months. And so they'll recognize me or they'll think that I'm my sister and I'm like, no, I'm Brianna, it was Bailey. But they really do start to recognize us. ⁓ But I have actually had a few cool opportunities with WIC that I didn't know I was going to be able ⁓ to. So I've gotten to go on the radio a few times for WIC and like do a little spill on healthy eating. So that's been really fun. I'm going to do that coming up, I next week as well. And that's something that I wouldn't have the opportunity to do, or I wouldn't feel confident if it wasn't for the FFA and even college and all the speaking opportunities that I had. And then, so I know we talked about research, my research projects. And so I know I did one, I believe me and my sister, we won student research week with the project. during the R.D. mentorship. So that was really cool. ⁓ And then we went on or I went on to win an award in FFA after that and it got me a scholarship and that kind of helped me boost my resume. ⁓ And I just liked, I like doing all that stuff because I like to be an example, like for younger students that the hard work that you do in high school, like it really does, it can affect you lots of years after high school and it's still affecting me like. I'm telling you about my story and how it all came together. And I do, I have a mentorship program myself now where I just help high school students apply for scholarships. Cause I wanna help people like me that didn't, that were first generation or just didn't know where to go and kind of critique their applications, help them get ready for their interviews. So I just like helping people and that's why I'm still motivated to continue to do cool things. Even like this podcast, I think it's awesome.

Kristen Hicks-Roof PhD, RD: Well, and that was one of the things that I wanted to bring you on the podcast. I haven't had a student yet on the podcast, but I also like your WIC background. And I think what you would showcase is that you can continue to do things you love. You love helping people and WIC is part of that. But then you have to be a continuous learner and you can set that example for future to come. I mean, that was really. The Artie Mentorship, it's so crazy to think that I launched that with Karen back in 2016. So it's been 10 years since we started that program. And really it was all about bridging connections and to give back and help the next generation of nutrition professionals. And that's kind of where I was debating for a long time. I was like, I want to do a podcast, but I don't know what I want to do it about. And then at one night I had this like epiphany. I was like, ⁓ my God, it's about

Breanna Chavez: Thank you. ⁓

Kristen Hicks-Roof PhD, RD: bridging connections and it's about showcasing all the different things we can do. And you're one example of you give back to those high school students who maybe are gonna be first generation college and they don't know where to apply for scholarships or that there was even scholarships available that they won't have to be in debt. And so there's a lot of things that I think no matter who's listening, you can take from this episode in particular of

Breanna Chavez: Mm-hmm.

Kristen Hicks-Roof PhD, RD: you gotta give back to people who were in your footsteps before you. But then too, that might look different for all of us, right? So what suggestions or tips would you have, Rihanna, for someone who's interested in a path like yours? I mean, you and your sister are both go-getters. So you kind of like forge your own path and opportunities, I think too. But what suggestions would you have for someone who's maybe interested in WIC or how do you balance work and school at the same time?

Breanna Chavez: That is a big question. ⁓ I would say ⁓ just kind of knowing yourself. I think I struggled a lot in undergrad, especially with comparison, because in my hometown, I was like at the top of my class. But when I got to A ⁓ there were some really, really smart kids there. And so my freshman year, I was very overwhelmed because I was struggling a lot, even with my first chemistry class. I was like, whoa. And there were other kids that were taking the same class, they were doing perfectly fine, and they got to be all social and do everything they wanted. And I was struggling like really bad. ⁓ And so I would say just understanding yourself, especially if you're going into a bigger university, know like, hey, I mean, at my little high school, we didn't have a whole bunch of like we didn't have AP, chemistry. ⁓ Or AP biology those kind of classes. So I was kind of on the lower end of my like basic knowledge of chemistry and like sciences So I would say no know yourself know your background because those kids may have went to a bigger high school and had bigger opportunities ⁓ And do it like you need other people you have to reach out for help like I got tutors I had mentors through the RD mentorship program Dr. Miranda Antonio Miranda, I don't know if you know him But you should have him on if you haven't already. ⁓ Yes, yes, he would love it, I'm sure. He was a big help for me. He even wrote a letter of recommendation for my DI program. And so he continues to help me ⁓ to this day. So would say know yourself, get some mentors, ⁓ and ⁓ just keep going because there are going to be challenges, but you don't need to give up. ⁓

Kristen Hicks-Roof PhD, RD: I have an Adamon, but he is on my list.

Breanna Chavez: Just if you put your head down and work and don't focus on other people, then it's gonna be good.

Kristen Hicks-Roof PhD, RD: And I'm sure you have a whole nother layer of that comparison because you have a twin sister, right? And you guys are both in the nutrition track. You have very similar interests, like you said, with cheer and an FFA. And so I'm sure you have this whole other layer that maybe other people don't have with comparison. But I do think that is really challenging, especially when you go to a program that it's all shapes and sizes, right? It's people who come from small hometowns, first generation to legacy students who their parents have been to that.

Breanna Chavez: Yes. I'm

Kristen Hicks-Roof PhD, RD: you know, university like Texas A for five generations and you have everything in between. So I like that, you know, try and omit ourselves from comparison. think it's really tough in the nutrition field because a lot of people are type A. They like to be the best of the best. And sometimes we're not always the best of the best, but we can still be really good at what we're really good at, which is like your lane. So final question, Brianna, if you had a crystal ball, what do you think is coming next in nutrition?

Breanna Chavez: Mm-hmm. Yes. I definitely think AI is gonna start coming up. I feel like maybe a lot of people have said this, but even with my grad school program, they allow us to, they actually, like this was an assignment. She told us to have AI answer the set of questions and then we had to go in and critique it, find what maybe wasn't exactly correct, get a reference that maybe they decided that actually it didn't say that. ⁓ And so that was a really insightful thing because you can't always trust it. That's why you need that human element. Although AI is very helpful. ⁓ I think that it's really cool that they're having us like fact check it. But I do see that definitely coming into play in the future. And I think honestly, I think it'll make things probably a lot quicker. But we still need that counseling element. I know that for sure. ⁓ So definitely AI, especially if they're already having us. She said, She was like, I'm going to start incorporating AI into our ⁓ curriculum because I know your future employers are going to ask, hey, have you had any ⁓ experience with this? And so she's like, I want you to be able to say yes. And so that's, I definitely feel like that's what's coming.

Kristen Hicks-Roof PhD, RD: was hoping that we would get into this conversation. I didn't know this is what you were going to say, but I'm really excited you talked about it because AI was really starting to boom actually the semester I was leaving academia. It was my final kind of semester. And I remember building courses before I went on maternity leave and left academia of like, how do you create assignments and tasks to get students to still learn when they can just... plop it into AI. So I think that's a really creative assignment of like, how do you say, okay, we can use AI because it's an awesome efficiency tool. agree with you. I think you'll start to continue to see that deployed across niches in nutrition. But you still need the nutrition expert, right? Whether that is a dietitian or a PhD nutrition or whoever it might be to be that critical lens and to provide the real life part.

Breanna Chavez: Thank

Kristen Hicks-Roof PhD, RD: Which will be really fascinating to see how much AI would take over that like real life counseling, right? Because you see people like they have full blown conversations like a counseling session with an AI bot. So it'll be really interesting to see how that kind of plays out. But I think that human element, especially when you have compassion and empathy and you really want to help people, right? Like will it AI bot develop that? I don't know. What do you think?

Breanna Chavez: Mm-hmm. Yeah. Mm-hmm. Yes. I mean, I I feel like the human element will probably never go away because I mean, people need to talk to people. ⁓ And so, and they'll be, well, I'm thinking probably like the older generation, but they don't want to sit on a computer and they're like, I'm thinking of my grandparents, they don't speak English. ⁓ And I can just imagine they would be like, a robot? Like they would be like. No, so I think there's definitely always going to be a certain subsector of people that don't want to ⁓ use AI. So I think that's where we're coming in. But also thinking of all the different aspects ⁓ like in the hospital, like figuring out formulas. I mean, I think that could definitely be a helpful tool, but we still have to have someone facilitate that and send it to the nurses or the menus and stuff for schools, getting someone to check over it. So I think there's always going to be a human element.

Kristen Hicks-Roof PhD, RD: Yeah, yeah, I'm like in the blend. love change and something new. However, I am so old school. Like when I go to restaurant and they're like QR code the menu, I'm like, no, I want a paper menu. Like I, I like to read it. I like to feel it. So I think I'm a blend of it, but Brianna, thank you so much for coming on the show and telling your story and inspiring many. ⁓ It's been great to reconnect with you. Like I said, you are such a go-getter and it was awesome to kind of bring this full circle.

Breanna Chavez: Yeah, that's true. Yeah. Yes, ma'am. Hmm? Yes.

Kristen Hicks-Roof PhD, RD: I don't even know, six years later. So thanks again. And if you like the show, make sure you like, subscribe, leave a review. But most importantly, check out the next episode because every episode I bring on a different dietitian and nutrition expert to share their story and give you tips and advice on how to be successful.