Chrysalis is excited to welcome Jennifer Wolf. Please read below to learn more about Jennifer.

Please tell us a little bit about your work prior to joining Chrysalis:

​Dietetics is a 2^nd career for me, I’ve spent most of my adult life as hair stylist of 22 years, retiring completely Dec. 2021. That position and those clients supported me in going to school late into my 30’s when I decided I wanted to study nutrition.  I was fortunate to graduate with my BS degree in spring of 2019, complete the RD exam, and acquire my first nutrition position prior to the onset of COVID-19. I’ve spent the past 2.5 years working in an outpatient facility that specialized in bariatric surgeries. This wasn’t an area that got much exposure in school or my practice experience, but I learned quickly that this is a growing field in which the patients require tremendous nutrition support. I worked with patients at all phases of their weight loss journey educating them on lifestyle change prior to surgery, meeting with them during hospital stay, continuously following up with patients as the recovered from surgery and began to focus on life afterwards.

What made you interested in dietetics?

When I was in my early 30’s, I started feeling the repercussions from years of eating poorly and sedentary lifestyle.  I knew I was too young to already feel older than my years. Around this same time, I was told a medication I’d been taking for over a decade was no longer recommended for longer than 2 years because of its impact on bone density with long term use.  Afraid that this was another factor in prematurely ageing, I started researching lifestyle changes in diet and exercise that would help me combat brittle bones. I had my 1^st DEXA scan, which was normal (btw), and this appointment led me to my 1^st meeting with student dietitian at a local university. We talked about subtle changes that I could implement into my diet and activity I could incorporate to keep my bones from breaking. From there, I knew that I wanted her job, I felt that nutrition was key in overall good health. I ended up graduating from that same university program around 10 years later.

What do you like best about being a dietitian?  

Of course, I love to see my clients take pride and joy in themselves when they’ve achieved a goal they’ve set.  As a dietitian,  my objective is educating clients about nutrition, food, and diet so that they can make choices for themselves, but I love to see when they take that information and continued to learn for themselves. I think those ​self-discovered “ah-ha” moments really stick with them long term.

You lived somewhere very cold before moving to Wilmington. Do you have tips for tolerating cold weather?

I’m from Michigan, where you could get all 4 seasons in one day, so dress in layers! It’s worth it to invest in good winter gear since you will not escape the cold that lingers 1/2 the year, sometimes you need to sacrifice function over fashion. Buy a car that has a remote start and both heated seats and heated steering wheel, this improves any frigid morning, 100%.  While I’m not a fan of cold weather, I found the 6 months between Nov-April filled with darkness and gloom harder to bear. My last winter there, I finally invested in a sun lamp which I found extremely helpful, just wish I’d made the investment 40 years sooner.

What are your favorite things about living in Wilmington so far?

​Sunshine…see above. My partner and I chose a place in Midtown, so I love how conveniently located we are to everything. Central to the beach and downtown, allows for little excuse for us not to get out of the house. We’ll have to live here for the next 40+ years to eat our way through Wilmington, the restaurant options are limitless. We’re trying to create a Sunday morning routine of yoga on Wrightsville Beach followed up by either Drift coffee or Zeke’s Beans & Bowls, two of our instant faves.