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Voices of ACES Blog

FSHN senior shares fitness and nutrition advice through podcasts and Instagram

Caption "Wellness By Kris" with a girl standing behind the words in a yoga pose

My name is Krissi Poelsterl and I am a current senior in FSHN - Nutrition and Dietetics. I will graduate in May 2023 and start graduate school at Dominican University in River Forest, Illinois, for their MBA/RD program in the summer. 

During my sophomore year of college, I was living at home due to COVID and found interest in fitness and nutrition; this was also the same year I declared my major in nutrition and dietetics. Due to my growing passion for fitness, I studied to earn my CPT (certified personal trainer certificate) during this same year alongside my full-time course load. I started an Instagram with the handle @wellnessbykris and have posted fitness, nutrition, and wellness content since. After earning my CPT, I have worked with clients in person at Crunch Fitness and virtually; I actually connected with many of my virtual clients through my Instagram. 

I started my own podcast in February 2023 with the same handle, Wellness By Kris, to dive deeper into these passions. Wellness By Kris is a self-improvement podcast focused on nutrition, fitness, and wellness. I have always enjoyed listening to podcasts– some of my favorites are Gals on the Go, The F Word Podcast, and The Skinny Confidential. I believe that podcasts offer a great opportunity to share information with others and allow people to get to know the host on a more personal level. When I am walking to class or driving longer distances, podcasts provide a more intimate and informative listening experience compared to music.

Some of the more popular episodes of Wellness By Kris have been “Diet culture debunked + intuitive eating,” “How I find balance as a college student, and “How I healed my relationship with alcohol as a 20-something.” I also do multiple segments during each episode including a high and low from the week, a product of the week, and meal prep inspiration for the week.

In my opinion, the best things about having a podcast are the connections I create with others, feeling like I am making a positive change, and being able to grow my platform. Since starting my podcast, I have received so much positive feedback from friends, peers, family members, and even strangers!  

If I could offer one tip to anyone interested in starting their own podcast, I would say JUST START. I was contemplating starting my podcast for nearly a year and the idea never left my mind. Continuing to make excuses, such as “I am too busy right now” or “No one will listen to my podcast” is just hindering you from your goals and dreams. Obviously having my own podcast as a college student and soon-to-be graduate student is time-consuming and takes extra work since this is not something I learned about in my classes, but it is extremely rewarding and important because if pre-professionals like myself are not sharing this information, who will be?

If you are interested in listening to Wellness By Kris, you can find it on both Spotify and Apple Podcasts. I post a new episode every Monday at 6 AM CST! Make sure to like, follow, and share if you can. You can also follow me on Instagram @wellnessbykris.