Teresa Pangan, PhD, RD
Co-Owner

Feed Your Career, LLC for me has been an inspirational endeavor. The entire journey has felt like it was meant to be. I know that may sound a bit corny, but many things have come together to make this venture happen.

I have for eleven years been developing and designing websites – over sixty now and most were food and nutrition related websites. (www.Webnoxious.com)
I have loved every site I made, the challenge, the opportunity to get to know a food related business or organization and partner with it to help it achieve its goals – selling products or services, retaining and growing membership, or improving visibility and credibility. I have also made many good friends along the way.

I have made many mistakes, mistakes in handling of contracts, fee structure, accounting, accepting too much work, not setting boundaries for clients, and hiring the freelancer that did not fit the work well. The list goes on. However, the mistakes have allowed me look closely at what I needed to do differently, how I could do things better, how I could do better at matching myself up with the work. I turned my focus to attracting work that my skills and expertise and personality were the best fit for.

Around this same time I was experiencing a very hard time in my life personally. An analogy is my boat on the ocean of life was not being navigated effectively through the waters and a storm had just hit my boat nearly top-sided it over. I was in survival mode and had to use all my strength to keep the boat afloat.

Two things that helped tremendously in getting my boat or life back on a purposeful path was a lifeplan and a life coach. The lifeplan gave me a plan to my life to see how thankful I was and how all those things that were of value to me were achievable. It also helped me simplify my life and keep in my life those things that were important to me. I found that many things I had in my life in the past had not added any to my joy and happiness. I discovered that what I needed for my happiness was within my reach, even in the worst of circumstances.

My life coach definitely helped solidify the lifeplan for me and helped me implement the lifeplan in an achievable fashion. Still today, my lifecoach helps to keep me from getting heavy with things in life that do not add to my happiness.

Mandi and I had worked on many web design and development projects over the years. We always had fun working together. She was upbeat, professional, a team player, and came across as very centered and at peace with however things were going. We talked about bringing our talents together for a venture that would benefit the food and nutrition profession. We brainstormed creatively many ideas. One by one we narrowed our list down to the idea of a career management site that would assist in matching professionals with work they had a passion for, work that they felt they were made for. Now two years later we both feel like everything that came before preparing us for this – creating a dynamic website for food and nutrition professionals where they can obtain the needed tools, resources, and connections to achieve career fulfillment.

Of course, many people have helped us along the way: designers, advisors, marketers, branding experts, and programmers. Each one has been very enthusiastic about the idea and helped grow the concept you see at Feed Your Career. I am so thankful for each person that has been involved.

As I am writing this, I am glancing up at a treasure map (magazine photos of my long term goals in my life) that I made during my difficult times. It hangs in my kitchen to remind me every day of what I want more of in my life and my goals. Nearly all of the items I have achieved in these past years. Still waiting on the call from the Oprah Show.

That is what I mean by this was meant to be, for me, this has not been nor is today work. Feed Your Career is my passion. I get to daily live at my dream job – Feed Your Career.  

Mandi Wong, RD/LD
Co-Owner

Background

For me, achieving career fulfillment was never about fancy titles, corner offices or awards and accolades. It was, however, about finding a position that complimented my personality, strengths, values and interests.

After graduating with a degree in Clinical Dietetics
I stepped away from patient care to pursue a non-traditional role in web development. It was a perfect opportunity to combine my background in nutrition with my love of computers, desktop publishing and web design!  

What was supposed to be a temporary summer job turned into a full-time position that lasted seven years. During my time at the Center for Human Nutrition I developed websites, nutrition education materials, PowerPoint presentations and lasting relationships with wonderful professionals and friends I met along the way. I am extremely grateful for that first job opportunity and carry those experiences with me today.

From Volunteer to Entrepreneur

Teresa and I met through our involvement with the Dallas Dietetic Association (DDA). She was a “mover and shaker” whose forward thinking catapulted DDA into the technological age. By developing the first Web site for DDA she vastly increased the visibility of dietitians across North Texas. Over the years the DDA Web site has evolved from an informational resource to an interactive experience that now includes online registration, online voting, online job submissions, online press releases and an e-commerce product marketplace.

I remember asking Teresa if she needed any help with the DDA Web site and she graciously accepted my offer. She was a wonderful mentor and taught me a lot about the role technology plays in organizational management. Between 2003-2006, we worked together to expand the Web site to meet the needs of the growing membership.

One of the areas I managed was a section devoted to job postings. I was responsible for posting new jobs, sending job alerts to membership and building relationships with employers. What I enjoyed most was keeping friends and colleagues apprised of new job opportunities and connecting them with what would hopefully be their dream job. This experience would lay the foundation for my future venture with Teresa.

Bringing Feed Your Career, LLC to Fruition

One of the greatest things about a career in food and nutrition is the unlimited opportunities out there for professionals. It is absolutely inspiring to hear about the career paths my friends and colleagues are pursuing.

When Teresa and I started talking about partnering up for a new venture we asked ourselves some key questions:

• What exactly is career management and how many of us really plan for a long-term career in food and nutrition?
• How do strengths, personality, interests and values play into finding a job?
• What skill sets were employers looking for in a top candidate for a position?
• How can we celebrate the successes of professionals?
• How can we provide solutions to struggles we all face in the workplace?
• How can we use our background in technology and web development to create an interactive site that promotes and supports professionals in the food and nutrition industry?

It has taken Teresa and I almost two years to bring Feed Your Career, LLC to fruition. It is the culmination of planning, growing, connecting and inspiring one another to pursue this dream job. We are so excited to finally share this interactive resource with you and hope it will empower you to take the first step towards career fulfillment!