A Little Life Update From Herathlete 💌

I wanted to give the Herathlete community a little peek behind the scenes at what's been going on in both my life and the Herathlete brand.

For starters, running a business is not exactly my strong suit. Weekly newsletters, digital products, ads, and all the other things I'm supposed to be doing? Yeah, those aren't always happening. But honestly, I don't think that's why you guys are here anyway.

You started following Herathlete when I launched it as an Instagram account back in 2023, where I began sharing more nutrition education through a female-forward lens. Since then, Herathlete has grown alongside me, and it will continue to do so. I'm incredibly grateful to everyone who has stuck around, followed along, and engaged with the content over the years.

And for those of you I've had the opportunity to work with personally: I AM SO HONORED to have gotten to know you, support you, and be a small part of your journeys. Thank you for trusting me.

So, what has been going on? Here's the latest.

🎓 I'M OFFICIALLY A REGISTERED AND LICENSED DIETITIAN!

Holy moly, what a journey this has been.

My first college class was back in 2016, and since then, I've attended SIX different colleges (Parchment is basically a dear personal friend at this point). Between labs, traveling, competing at two whole Olympics (I have to remind myself of that sometimes), and navigating family life, getting here has been a process.

To officially earn my RD/LD credentials, I completed a master's degree in nutritional sciences, over 1,000 hours of supervised practice (much of it unpaid — and yes, I actually paid to work unpaid. Yikes), and one brutal credentialing exam that I studied for over four months while working as a dietetic technician.

It was a LONG road, but I'm so excited to finally be here. 🥹

🏃‍♀️ A NEW CHAPTER IN MOVEMENT

Did I mention I officially retired from Olympic weightlifting this year?

Yeah. That was scary.

But so far, I've been living the dream. These days, I consider myself the proudest average runner in a 10-mile radius and an enthusiastic rock climber (turns out I'm shorter than I remembered).

I'm loving this new chapter, even if watching Worlds in China this year is giving me a little FOMO. I'm still incredibly excited to cheer on the team from the comfort of my couch, though.

Retirement looks a little different than I imagined, but I'm enjoying figuring it out as I go.

🧠 WORKING IN EATING DISORDER CARE

Since becoming an RD/LD in September, I've started working as an eating disorder dietitian at a higher level-of-care psychiatric treatment center in the Atlanta area.

This work is hard, but I'm soaking up every bit of the experience. Eating disorders have been a clinical interest of mine since I started my master's program, and getting to do this work has been both incredibly fulfilling and incredibly frustrating.

Because, well, eating disorders suck.

My role involves a lot of counseling, meal planning, tube feeding, meal coaching, cooking classes, nutrition education, and so much more. (Okay, let's be real: a fair amount of charting for hours on end, too. Not quite as exciting.)

I'm learning a ton, and I'm grateful to be doing work that matters to me, even on the days when it's emotionally heavy.

🏋️‍♀️ HERATHLETE & SPORTS NUTRITION

Outside of my day job, I'm continuing to work with clients through sports nutrition coaching!

I also have some exciting opportunities on the horizon to do more work within the weightlifting community as a sports dietitian. I can't share much just yet, but I'm pretty stoked about what's to come.

Through Herathlete, I've had the opportunity to work with weightlifters, powerlifters, strongman and strongwoman athletes, runners, equestrians, cheerleaders, Spartan racers, and everyday people who simply love movement.

One of my favorite things about this work is getting to support such a wide range of athletes and active humans. No two journeys look the same, and that's part of what makes this work so rewarding.

Herathlete might not look exactly the way I originally imagined it back in 2023, but I think that's a good thing. It's growing and evolving right alongside me, my interests, and the work I want to put into the world.

And I'm excited to keep building it in a way that feels authentic to me and useful to you.

💌 SO, WHAT'S NEXT?

If you've made it this far, thank you. I appreciate you being here more than you know!

For now, sports nutrition coaching spots are open for those looking for support in their sport, training, or movement journey.

Spots are extremely limited, but while I have the capacity, I'd love to work with you.

Whether you're looking to support your performance, navigate nutrition as an athlete, or build a healthier relationship with fueling your body, I'd love to hear from you.

Thanks for being part of the Herathlete community — through all the changes, the sporadic newsletters, and everything in between.

More soon (and by soon, I mean when I have something to share and the time to write about it 😉).

About the Author

Jourdan Delacruz is a 2X Olympian and represented Team USA in the sport of Weightlifting at the 2020 and 2024 Olympic Games. Jourdan holds a Bachelor's in Nutrition and Dietetics from the University of Northern Colorado and a Master's in Nutritional Sciences from Texas Tech University. Jourdan is a sports and eating disorder liscensed dietitian, as well as founder of Herathlete®, a brand committed to supporting female athletes through education and community.