Tricia Silverman, RD, LDN, MBA
Tricia has been a fitness and nutrition enthusiast, since she was a child. She is a registered dietitian, certified wellness coach, and fitness instructor (certified as a personal trainer and group fitness instructor), and International Amazon Bestselling Author. She has her MBA and teaches Nutrition Entrepreneurship and Healthy Aging for Northeastern University. She creates captivating nutrition programs for conferences, employee wellness, senior centers, businesses, and more. Through her coaching practice, she has helped people lose weight, eat better, move more, and get more out of life! Tricia leads nutrition, weight management, and coaching certifications across the US for SCW Fitness Education Company, and teaches the nutrition component of Christine Conti’s Let’s Face it Together Facial Exercise Certification Program.
Marina Raydun: You are a registered and licensed dietitian, certified wellness coach, and fitness instructor. Why did you decide to pick up a pen and write your own nutrition book?
Tricia Silverman: I wanted to create a resource that would capture the most helpful nutrition tips I’ve gathered and used in my over 20 years as a dietitian. I do a lot of presentations for employee wellness and at conferences, and I found that people were interested in learning much more than the time allotted for the programs, so I thought a book would be a helpful way of giving people more depth and breadth than what I can fit in a 60 minute seminar.
MR: What is the most difficult part about your writing process?
TS: The editing process was the hardest for me. I am a perfectionist, and kept wanting to change things until the very last moment. I think the next book will be easier, because I now have a better understanding of the process and the time it takes to do a good job.
MR: How did publishing your first book change your process?
TS: I need to edit more before it goes to the editor. I cite a lot of research, and I will edit the citations, as I go along, rather than waiting to the end. Also, I now understand all the different pieces or “jobs” involved in writing a book, such as outlining and writing the book, cover and backmatter design, interior design, formatting, designing of graphics and cartoons, editing, proofreading, marketing, and publicity. Now that I had the first “book baby,” the second should hopefully be an easier delivery!
MR: Is there a book you wish you’d written?
TS: In my early years as a dietitian, I read the book “Thin for Life,” by a dietitian named Anne Fletcher. It was and still is one of my favorite nutrition books. After reading that book, I was under the impression for years that there was no more room for similar books. I learned over time that there is a book in everyone, and I am always encouraging people to write books. Everyone has their own story, plus all of the information and stories about people they’ve met and worked with, so there is room for all of us to become authors, and share our wisdom, gifts, and creativity.
MR: How do you select topics for your blog?
TS: I like to share information about products and foods that inspire me. I feel very strongly about limiting processed foods and eating and using foods in recipes that have a very short ingredient list. My blog is evolving, and I am looking forward to spending more time on it. People seem to enjoy my supermarket videos on Facebook where I discuss ingredients, so I plan on spotlighting more tasty healthy foods that have simple ingredient lists in my blog.
MR: Being an in-demand speaker, you must travel a fair deal. What is your favorite genre to read on the road?
TS: I read nutrition books and business books on the road. I like to read books that directly relate to the presentations I will be giving. For instance, one of my favorite books to review before I give my presentation on “The Fascinating Connections between Nutrition and Sleep,” is The Sleepdoctor’s Diet Plan by Michael Breus. When I do my “Food Deconstructed” presentation which discusses unsavory ingredients in popular foods, I like to review Food Forensics by Mike Adams. When I speak about longevity, I like to review The Blue Zones Solution by Dan Buettner, and Healthy at 100 by John Robbins. One helpful business book I picked up at an airport on one of my trips is Successful Women Speak Differently by Valorie Burton.
MR: What are you currently reading?
TS: I am a serial reader, and often have several books going at one time: These are a sampling of the different books I am currently reading:
Crush it, by Gary Vaynerchuk (I love his no-nonsense way of giving super helpful advice)
Practical Applications in Sports Nutrition (a textbook), by Heather Hedrick Fink Alan E. Mikesky
Funny You Don’t Look Autistic, A Comedian’s Guide to Life on the Spectrum (I love to read books written by comedians)
Face It, by Debbie Harry (I feel like I am missing something if I don’t have an autobiography on my night table!)
In an Unspoken Voice, How the Body Releases Trauma and Restores Goodness by Peter Levine (part of my studies as I work toward my 200 hour Registered Yoga Teacher Certification)
The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Teens by Sean Covey (reading this as a family with my kids)
MR: Is there a book that people might be surprised to learn you love?
TS: I like Romance novels and find the Jill Shalvis series a lot of fun to read.
MR: What’s the best and worst book review you’ve ever received?
TS: People have been so kind, so it’s so hard to pick a best review. This is one on Amazon that particularly stands out:
“This is a great little treasure of a book for anybody looking to make and keep lasting changes to their lifestyle. With all the information out there (sometimes contradictory), this book puts it all in perspective and synthesizes it for you. It's written in an easy and super-engaging style with a ton of really useful information. For its size its quite comprehensive and fully covers everything YOU need to know about everyday nutrition and fitness to take control of your lifestyle. A great set of tools to make sense of food labels, nutrition, and exercise, and most important of all, how it all fits together. If you read nothing else, please read the sections on how companies take advantage of lax regulations and labeling laws to sneak 'junky' ingredients into our food without us ever suspecting it. The author has done an amazing job of providing actionable information that empowers you to understand what's going on and how you can apply it in your daily food choices. What I love about it too, is the cool little quick math tools and hacks to help you instantly convert food label info into a decision to buy or not buy. There's a ton of very easy to implement strategies to incorporate good nutrition, exercise and stress management into your daily schedule without fancy memberships and equipment. This book is 100% relatable and implementable and filled with real-life examples of everything she's talking about. I would recommend getting two copies, because you are almost guaranteed to want to gift a copy to a loved one!”
So far, I have been lucky, and people have been really nice with their reviews.
MR: Do you think you’d ever attempt to write fiction?
TS: Yes, I think it would be fun to write a romance novel at some point. I feel I have a few more nonfiction “book babies” to deliver first.
To learn more about Tricia, please follow the links below.
Website: www.triciasilverman.com/book
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tricia.silverman
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/triciasilverman/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TriciaSilverman?lang=en
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/tricia-silverman-rd-ldn-mba-b8757811