Build a Method, Not Just Content with ABBEY SHARP
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[00:00:00] Abby, I'm so happy to have you here today. Thank you for making time. Thank you so much for having me. Oh, pleasure is, mine is. It's the second time you've been on the podcast and I just cannot wait to release this episode to the listeners. You are a huge role model. You are my favorite dietician YouTuber.
I wanna talk a little bit about, obviously you have so many. Fun things coming up like the book. I know you have your own podcast and you've built a huge platform.
So what would you say worked earlier on that you think many peop, many dieticians overlook when it comes to building an empire? Yeah, I think a few things for one, I would say to really have a clear point of view, and ideally, if you can create a series around that, that you become known for, I popped off about 10 years ago, and at the time I was really experimenting with different formats to see what's, what took off.
I was doing some kind of recipe videos, some kind of more nutrition facts, some skip based content. but then this YouTuber came along, named freely the banana. Girl. [00:01:00] And, she was a raw vore basically recommending, people consume a case of dates and 12 bananas into a smoothie for breakfast.
And I was like, yeah, I need to respond to this, I need to say something. and then I was thrust into this world of these what night in a day videos and, this was a particularly wild time in YouTube food content. So it was just this era of, food combining and raw till four and fr gevo.
Really vegan heavy everything, but very extreme. and so I think, that kind of became a little bit of my shtick of watching these problematic, what I know days and trying to make sense of them for the lay person, who were trying to be like, is this what I should be doing? and I just.
I, you don't have to have a series like solidified at your launch, but I do think it's important to experiment a little bit to see what hits, and then find a way to build on a format so that really becomes your niche. I do think I was a pioneer, in this as a dietician, but I think don't be afraid to [00:02:00] fight fire with fire. dieticians have a reputation of being these like mild-mannered rule following perfectionists, and I know that's just that is a lot of who we are.
I think people online, like they don't wanna hear from a woman in a lab coat just like regurgitating the food guide. And that's not obviously what we are. but I think that. they want the same level of fire and conviction and SAS that we are seeing from all the quacks that we see online.
I've seen some people who hate me or whatever, say, oh, Abby Sharp, she's so extra. Her facial expressions are so unhinged or whatever. I would rather be extra than just like another healthcare provider that, folks don't wanna actually wanna listen to. You've built your brand around such a clear method. I'd like you to explain a little bit about what that means and what that's looked like for you, and when did you realize that you needed a method to stand out?
like I just really noticed that there was just so much nutrition information out there online, and even if it is evidence-based, it can feel very overwhelming and [00:03:00] abstract when, you know everything's coming at you from different angles in different point of view.
So I think the aha moment for me was realizing that, people don't just want more information they want. Simple application. And at that point I'd really spent years at, thinking about how I was able to recover successfully from my teenage eating disorder. and one of the exercises that helped me literally, was an early iteration of what we now know of the Hunger Crushing Combo method.
So really when I was in the throes of Orthorexia. I was absolutely obsessed with sugary cereal, right? I was terrified of it, but I was also obsessed with it. And if it was around, I was going to binge on it. That's what we call like a fear food. So basically through exposure therapy, I made myself eat like a full bowl of Frosted Flakes.
Every single day. And at first it tasted like mana from heaven. but then I felt like after a few days that novelty wore off and it really lost power over me. and it started to, I started to [00:04:00] be able to experience, how my body was feeling. After just eating a big bowl of cereal, I felt unsatiated, I was hungry again.
My energy levels la lagged. I was not regular. so step two was dressing up those sugary cereal or the naked carbs as I call them, with foods that I knew provided me with satiety. Greek yogurt. Berries, hemp parts. Then a little bit of the lucky charms on top. And this is this additive approach to nutrition that has become my trained, marked signature hunger crushing combo method.
And, it's now a bestselling book. And I'm just, I'm very proud of the difference that I can see. It's already made in so many people's lives.
Now, given that you're a pioneer in the field, and you've been doing this, as I think you mentioned, over a decade as in the media space. How soon did you come up with a method? Was it something in your earlier stage, or did it take a little longer?
So I it was probably almost, it was actually almost 10 years ago when I started using the term and then soon after, I trademarked it because it was [00:05:00] something that people were catching onto. I saw people sharing and tagging me and their hunger crushing combo meals, and I was like.
Oh, this is a thing. This is not just a funny, series of words I threw out that one time. but people are really connecting to it. So it was something that I started to plant the seed for almost a decade ago. and then, very quickly it, it did. Build up steam and I was able to start to really incorporate it in different lines of my content.
Always thinking back whenever I'm creating something, does this align with, my, my core framework? and I think that really was helpful. So your method, your hunger crushing combo method is your framework. You use it in content. You used it in your bestselling book.
And what o other uses are there, if any, for the method. I think also, with working with brands a lot of people ask, me about brand work and how do I monetize as a registered dietician? and I work with a lot of brands. And often when I'm thinking about the, at least what the food category, what kind of brands I wanna work with, [00:06:00] I, I think can this fit into my hunger crushing comboo method?
And so a lot of the times when I'm building content for those clients, I'm integrating. The hunger crushing comboo method verbiage. And so that, again, it's almost like this like Abby approved stamp of approval for brands. they recognize the framework, they recognize the kind of popularity of the term and the power that it holds.
And so that's another really great way to, to utilize something like that. How many I agree. and it just makes decision making so much more simple, right? You refer to that's part of who you are, that's how you stand out, and then it, you're no longer, spitting your wheels.
A place that a dietician should work towards existing in. Given that, talking about the field and in general, how many dieticians have a method, like the way you do, is this common? Because I don't see it being as common as it could be. It's something that I think is not talked about enough.
It's not talked about enough. I don't see it often. maybe a handful that I can think of, and I'm not sure it's as [00:07:00] consistent of a method as what I've been Promoting. but, I think dieticians need to find that and just double down, find a little phrase that works, and really find different ways utilize it in different varieties of different content, strategies, to see if you can really make a big thing out of it.
And for you is your method at do you want people to identify your method as part of who you are or an extension that lives beyond you? I think it is an extension that lives beyond me because it's not just, I'm not the only person who can create a hunger crushing combo. It's just a framework that I developed to help people, make more nutritious choices, at, and make it simply right.
If you don't have to think about a million different things, we can really just, zone in on thinking about the fiber, protein, healthy fats, and how that's going to, increase satiety and stabilize blood sugars Increase the kind of whole food nutrition matrix that we're getting in rather than having to micromanage a minutia of different micronutrients in our diet.
and so I absolutely think and hope that this is something that is going to [00:08:00] live beyond me. That's why, for example, on my book, the Hunger Crush and Comboo Method, it didn't say the Abby Sharp Method. We could have called it that, but no, this is something that, you know. Long after I retire, hopefully one day, people are going to be able to continue this movement as something that they just think about and integrate into their day-to-day lives.
Yeah. And I think that's an important distinction, right? Creating an identity outside of yourself as well as the identity that you have for your, for your brand. so before we, we move on from talking about creating your method as a way of simplifying nutrition, which is Yeah. Which is so well, do you, what would you say for dieticians.
Just starting out, how do they begin developing their own framework? I'm assuming it comes from them developing their own point of view. Absolutely. So point of view definitely comes first and that honestly takes time. Everything is the research is always evolving. We are learning so much every single day.
I think a lot of people on the internet, who are not healthcare professionals expect that [00:09:00] we as dieticians are just like a stagnant point of view. we come into the field thinking one thing, and we need to think that for the rest of all time.
I hope that dieticians are not doing that. I hope that we can evolve and change our perspective. As data emerges, as, technology emerges. and just as conversations emerge and we're able to, learn different things from different people, and so I think don't be afraid to evolve that point of view over time.
I know that can feel scary, especially if you've built a brand around something. And I'll just give this is not a dietician example, but it is a very important example When we saw there was a very big blogger who built her whole career around being a vegan. and so once veganism stopped feeling good to her body, there was a real fear about her, being able to switch gears because of, this is the brand that I built.
People are gonna be disappointed. Don't be afraid of disappointing people. If your point of view changes, you need to [00:10:00] evolve and update. Otherwise, your content is no longer going to feel authentic to you. And people can snuff out, when things are not authentic and genuine. So I think that's something that I want people to remember.
think about how you would wanna that communicated to, to, to you. If you were like coming into the field and, you seeing a dietician for the first time, completely overwhelmed with all the misinformation, disinformation, conflicting information, how would you want that information distilled to you?
And just start to workshop. Yeah it's a great question to always think about in terms of perception when it comes to that brand identity. Now, when it comes to further to go deeper with that reflection, saying to our field and to dieticians to create their own point of view is important.
Is there anything tactical that you would say, like the two things that help that we're not thinking of? To me, what comes to mind is read some research paper and kind of think about what you en enjoy and have conversations and it is evolving. What are some things that dieticians aren't really aware [00:11:00] of that help more than they would realize?
I do think that doing the research is important also, looking outside your immediate field. A lot of us, and this is not just, we're not a, an US problem, but really. Everybody on social media, we are in our own little echo chambers, right?
Like our algorithms are designed specifically for us, so we're only gonna see the content that we're used to seeing that confirms and, steeps us further into what are already belief is, I want you to expand beyond that. Watch things that make you uncomfortable. See different perspectives.
Look outside the dietetic field. I know that a lot of dieticians, and I do this sometimes too, like we really see ourselves as the authorities on nutrition, and ultimately we are, but it doesn't mean we can't learn anything from other pre-health. Professionals. and that honestly has been one of the biggest blessings of having my own podcast bite back, is that I'm not just talking to dieticians, I'm talking to, OBGYNs, [00:12:00] dermatologists, psychologists, all sorts of different folks bring something different to the table. and I do encourage people to learn from folks outside the field. 'cause it may actually, shift your, gears a little bit on how to think about, about nutrition, about health, about wellness, about whatever your point of view or your niche actually is.
And my tip on that would be to just have regular conversations, in networking and learning not just only people that might be, in your niche if you, for example, let's say you, your diabetes specialist, just having conversations in general about nutrition with your community, I think is something that we overlook because we're living in our online social media bubble.
Important to make sure that we're stepping outside of that and just having conversations, whether they're, like you said, targeted towards healthcare professionals or maybe in your respective communities. I think that Sure. All right, so last time we spoke, I don't know, five years ago or something, and you were a guest on the podcast, which was so much fun, we talked about online bullies, [00:13:00] and that was a conversation that came up.
And so today I wanna talk about content has evolved so much in the last couple years and obviously you have evolved as you mentioned earlier. It's important to do so with your content and it's been so fun to watch you on social media. For dieticians who are newer and they're feeling stuck, do you have any tips about what can help them become more visible or get unstuck from growth?
Yeah I see this like all the time. and I feel like it comes down to not all the time, but usually two big patterns. So one is that the messaging is just too broad. and obviously dieticians we're trained in a lot of different areas of specialties. and, if you're entering the field right now, I do think, if you really interesting, like what I mean, like the social media world right now, I do think it's best to really niche down.
I think if we're talking to. Everyone, it's very hard to connect to anyone on a deep enough level to really connect with that audience. so I really do always recommend like trying to personalize the [00:14:00] messages with a scenario that people can relate to. So whether it's like the 3:00 PM slump at work or hangar while on the commute home, like you need, a person and a problem and then the solution.
And that's the kind of specificity that I think makes people feel like. Oh wait this is for me. Like I, I need to listen in that, 'cause this content is specifically for me. and I think the other big like mistake I see people make is just hiding behind like safe content.
and again, like we're trying to be super evidence-based. We're trying to be overly cautious. We end up saying things like, basic, don't forget to hydrate, eat more fruits and vegetables. Balance is key. Everything in moderation. And that's all true. Like nothing, none of that is wrong, but it's not memorable.
and, safe content just does not create that kind of that friction. and because of that doesn't also conne create that connection that we actually really need. And so I feel like people don't follow because you said something correct. People follow because [00:15:00] you said something that made them feel seen or think differently or like finally understand something complicated that they were confused about.
And so stepping outside of our safety zone and getting uncomfortable, isn't that what part of what business growth is? Being whether, growing as a clinician and improving your skills or you're growing as a business owner and improving your profit margins.
Like it's just uncomfortable, right? So we're just, oh my gosh. It is embrace it. It is. And actually another one I just thought of too, as another kind of mistake a lot of dietician are making is that kind of simply like sharing information because that's how we were trained. Again, like it's about sharing information be between, but, instead of, really connecting, because what we offer.
Beyond just, I don't know our title is our ability to actually interpret. It's like that strong POV that is grounded in the interpretation of the [00:16:00] information. People can just look up any nutrition fact they want on chat two BT right now. But we have to help them understand what actually matters, what doesn't matter, and you know what to actually do about it.
And this is really where like that strong framework or method or POV comes into play. Absolutely. People are going to wanna follow us and hire us and work with us because of our interpretation, not our ability to regurgitate a research paper. Or safe. and correct.
Hey, I'm showing up, I'm talking about hydration. What's the problem? Hey, I'm showing up, I'm showing my face, and those are all. Starts. You wanna layer on that, your interpretation as you have said, and point of view, and then the consistency. It's not just doing it a couple times. You've been at this for over a decade. Yep. It's been the process. Yeah. As we close out here, I just wanna know, if you're willing to share over the last 10 years, have there been one or two moments, or you just really struggled with, let's say, content, which is what I see you're so good at.
And it's been so hard for you to push through, and how were you [00:17:00] able to overcome any of those huge setbacks in this last decade? Oh my God. It happens every week like I'm like fully burnt out, sometimes, including right now. I'm tired of doing things this way. I wanna switch things up and then I'm like, oh, but then I find that doesn't hit, and then I'm like, it becomes, I sometimes I feel like I'm a hamster on the wheel, so it becomes a balance. And so what it comes down to for me to stay motivated in this career is doing a little bit of what I need to do to pay the bills.
Brand work a little bit of what people really want that I know is gonna pop off and perform, but I'm bored doing like a white day review and then interjecting these moments of something that just is fun for me. And a lot of the times what's fun for me is really fun for my audience too.
Like the skits that I've been doing, i'm like getting to use some of my old theater skills and, and so I think that's important too. Longevity [00:18:00] as a creator is really tough. Most of the YouTubers that were really huge when I was like, at my YouTube heyday and like hit the scene and took off, They're gone. They're long gone. they burnt out. They an exited the scene. They were huge, millions of followers gone. And it's because this career really just eats you up and spits you out if you aren't willing to continue to evolve and feel, excited about what you're doing because it is very exhausting.
and you mentioned bowling before, If you don't love this, you are gonna be driven into the ground by the feedback alone. 'cause it's vicious. So for a dietician to stay in it for longevity Like you with your content and with your method, the top two pieces of advice would be what?
Make sure that you find joy. In the process and not just like the money [00:19:00] you get at the end. so for me, like a big part of that was writing the Hunger crushing Combo method and doing Bite Back. I absolutely love interviewing other creators and experts and learning. I am just like a lifelong learner that's just like what I want to do.
I think also just don't read the comments. Those are my two. Those are my two. Don't read the comments and, find aspects of your work that really do bring you joy, even if those aspects are not the money makers. Yeah, that's, I gotta keep, you, keep motivated to keep focusing.
Moving on those days that are difficult because, as you've said, you can expect them. It's not one particular moment for you. It's just ups and downs throughout the journey because, a lot of dieticians glorify what you do. Understand it's fun, but I don't, I want to be honest with them.
And have you share the behind the scenes that there are difficult moments as much as there are those amazing, beautiful moments of recognition. Absolutely important to point that out and be truthful that, you [00:20:00] gotta develop like a thick skin, but also. Find that way to, to get joy, like you said.
Yeah. Find joy. Expect some of the difficulties. That's what it's like a day in the life. Absolutely. That's it. Anything that you want to make sure that you leave the listeners with, maybe just reminding them of your podcast name and your book, which will also be in the show notes on our website. Yes, absolutely.
So my podcast is Bite Back with Abby Sharp. We have loads of amazing experts. We do deep dives into all things diet, culture across the board in nutrition, how it interacts with sociology, psychology I. Sports, all sorts of different aspects. and then of course my bestselling book, the Hunger Crushing Combo Method is on sale.
It is, an amazing nutrition bible. and so I really do, think it's a great resource if for dieticians to, to send also to your clients. there's lots of great in insights and. Easy to understand metaphors for very complicated concepts that I think will be very helpful for a lot of our CL clients that are [00:21:00] trying to make sense of all this information that they get.
Congrats on the success and thank you for sharing. .
