From Attorney to Nutrition Entrepreneur: Empowering You to Transform Your Health Through Nutrition
Health and nutrition should be a top priority for entrepreneurs, but it’s easy to get busy and comfortable focusing more on your business and less on yourself. Whether you are sitting in front of a computer all day or running from one appointment to another, the physical demands on your body will take a toll if you are not eating foods that nourish your body and taking time to take care of your basic needs like hydration, sleep, movement, and getting some daily sunshine. Taking care of yourself is critical to your success. Creativity, focus, energy, and decision-making can be affected by poor diet and lifestyle habits. What you put into your body and how you take care of yourself matters more than people may realize.
I discovered this important truth through my own entrepreneurial journey. Although I went to college to obtain a business degree in accounting, I set my sights on the law as graduation grew closer. My grandfather was a lawyer and I always looked up to him and saw him as a wonderful role model. After getting my bachelor’s degree, I decided to go to the same law school as my best friend since first grade, Kelly Bub Smith. We both graduated from law school in the top of our class and enjoyed working at the same prestigious international law firm together. For nine years I devoted my time and energy to practicing law and starting a family. My health and well-being were put on the back burner as I navigated life as a new mom and corporate attorney.
My life took a very unexpected turn when I went through multiple heartbreaking miscarriages, failed fertility treatments, and an IUI that led to a tragic partial molar pregnancy when trying to have our second baby. I was heartbroken and physically and emotionally exhausted. I decided to take a step back from fertility treatments and medications and, for the first time, became an active participant in preparing my body for a healthy pregnancy rather than outsourcing my health to someone else.
From Attorney to Holistic Nutrition Practitioner
As a corporate attorney, I was no stranger to doing research and thinking critically about solving problems, but now the future of my family depended on it. I dove into the work of many scientists, researchers, and doctors. I learned to build health from a metabolic perspective and restore balance in the body in a holistic manner.
The minute I started to take my health into my own hands and leaned into the journey of healing rather than the destination of health, everything changed. By providing the fuel, raw materials, and nutrients my body needed to thrive, I restored my metabolic function, and my husband and I were able to conceive naturally, without fertility treatments, and go on to have a beautiful baby girl.
My journey spurred my passion for helping others restore faith in their bodies and I decided to pursue training in nutrition through the Nutritional Therapy Association.
Shifting Career Paths to Entrepreneurship
Balancing family, firm life, and my new nutrition passion was difficult. I left the law firm in 2022 and started working as a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner helping other women navigate fertility struggles. I quickly fell in love with being my own boss, helping others, and the world of entrepreneurship.
Although the legal elements of forming a business and drafting legal contracts to use in my practice were second nature to me, I realized that most of my peers in the nutrition space were struggling with how to protect their businesses and that the unknowns surrounding the complex world of U.S. state nutrition laws and industry hot topic issues, such as functional lab testing, were creating stress and anxiety for them.
I recognized there was a huge gap and very few resources available to entrepreneurs to learn the skills they needed to protect their businesses and help them grow, and the business owners without these resources were putting themselves, their businesses, and their livelihoods at risk. It was then that I thought about starting a business to cater to these needs: creating legal contract templates and providing legal education to entrepreneurs, particularly in the health, wellness, and coaching industries.
While starting this new venture, I came across a story about a nutritionist who created a very successful nutrition coaching business. She shared how her business flourished and she was living the dream: a luxury car, multiple employees, and being her own boss in a business she loved. A year later, she almost lost everything due to a lawsuit. I didn’t want this to happen to other nutrition professionals when so much can be easily avoided with proper legal protections in place.
The Birth of Dotted Lines
My goal was to start a business that could help entrepreneurs in the health and nutrition sectors grow and protect their businesses so they could confidently pursue their passions and have peace of mind. Of course, I knew the perfect person to ask to join me in this business venture, my best friend Kelly. Dotted Lines Co., LLC is the bridge between my two passions: nutrition and law.
And this is the beauty of entrepreneurship. I get to do what I love and help other people protect the businesses that they love. Kristin Frechette, the founder of Kristin Frechette Nutrition and a customer of Dotted Lines, states, “I feel more confident in my business now that I’m legally covered. It’s a weight lifted off my shoulders.” I find so much joy in knowing that I’m helping others achieve their goals and ultimately help more people.
Disclaimer: ALTHOUGH KRISTIN IS A LICENSED ATTORNEY IN THE STATE OF TEXAS, NEITHER SHE NOR DOTTED LINES CO. LLC IS YOUR ATTORNEY, NEITHER SHE NOR DOTTED LINES CO., LLC HAS AN ATTORNEY-CLIENT RELATIONSHIP WITH YOU, AND NEITHER SHE NOR DOTTED LINES CO, LLC KNOWS YOUR BUSINESS. THE INFORMATION IN THIS ARTICLE IS NOT TO BE CONSIDERED LEGAL ADVICE, AND YOU SHOULD NOT CONSIDER IT A SUBSTITUTE FOR LEGAL ADVICE. WE ALWAYS RECOMMEND CONSULTING WITH AN ATTORNEY IN YOUR LOCAL JURISDICTION SINCE THEY WILL BE ABLE TO ADVISE YOU AS TO YOUR PARTICULAR SITUATION AND ALSO PROVIDE YOU WITH INFORMATION SURROUNDING ANY NUANCES OF YOUR LOCAL LAWS THAT WE SIMPLY CANNOT ADDRESS IN THIS POST. FURTHER, WE DO NOT GUARANTEE ANY SPECIFIC RESULTS. THIS POST MAY CONTAIN AFFILIATE LINKS WHERE WE RECEIVE A SMALL COMMISSION AT NO ADDITIONAL COST TO YOU.
About Kristin Santamaria
Kristin is an experienced attorney and entrepreneur who understands the real-life challenges that business owners face, which is why she co-created Dotted Lines Co., LLC with Kelly Bub Smith, a company that brings professional, trustworthy, and cost-efficient legal education and contract templates to entrepreneurs to help them achieve their highest level of success possible. Kristin practiced at a prestigious international law firm for nearly 9 years, gaining considerable experience in forming and structuring business entities and drafting and negotiating contracts of all shapes and sizes. She is also the owner, Nutritional Therapy Practitioner, and Root Cause Protocol Consultant at Kristin Elle Wellness LLC, where she helps women get to the root cause of imbalances and navigate fertility struggles.
