Meet Dolapo Balogun | Content Creator, Entrepreneur, & Dietetic Intern

We had the good fortune of connecting with Dolapo Balogun and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Dolapo, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
In my eyes, creativity is an element of life that has kept me sane. Creativity of any form – photography, cooking, writing – is how we let our inner child play. When we create for the pure passion and reason to create and not for money or acceptance, we are operating from a place of love. And to be honest; our world needs a little loving.

Over the years I’ve been able to use my love of photography, design, writing, and more as a way to not only generate income in an unconventional ways, but as a way to make my soul happy. Most of the time, my artistic expression is an extension of who I am and how I am forever evolving day by day. When I get to share that expression of myself with the world it’s an act of vulnerability that brings us together. I’ve been able to do this with selling clothes, photography, and social media content creation.

I’ve always been a creative since before I can remember, and I always knew that my path would be “unconventional”. I couldn’t be happier that my art and creativity gives value to my family, friends, followers, and brands! I look at life as a bucket list and I do not want to be in one field for the rest of my life. I want to accomplish things as I go and as I grow, and a creative career allows me to do just that,

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I’ve always had a love for health and fitness since high school, and with college basketball, I was able to get my degree in Dietetics for free. I’m now in my Dietetic Internship which is the point in a dietitian’s career where he or she completes supervised practice of at least 1,200 hours to sit for the board exam. This field is HARD. But dietetics, unfortunately, has so many systemic issues and lacks diversity (race, socioeconomic status, etc). Upon completion of my internship and passing the board exam, I will be in the 3% of dietitians that are African American. This journey has been extremely daunting, and I don’t know where I would be without college basketball helping me financially, and mentors who have put me in positions to be successful upon realizing the voice I have to make a difference.

The impact I can see myself making as a dietitian is highlighting diverse dietary patterns and provide a sense of cultural sensitivity and awareness to nutrition counseling and medical nutrition therapy. I strongly believe it is extremely valuable to let a person keep their cultural identity while becoming the very best version of his or herself. As a dietitian of color who has unique experiences, I feel that I can help articulate to a patient the necessary mindset changes that he or she needs to heal their relationship with food and see that he or she can enjoy their favorite ethnic dishes while consuming a better diet to address health concerns. Every person deserves to be true to their ethnicity and feel as though their cultural identity is at the forefront of nutrition counseling. While nutrition is a science, food is something personal; it is a link to a person’s childhood, religion, traditions, and more.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
A weekend with me in San Diego would be super laid back!

We’d obviously start our day with a walk; one of my favorite walks in the trail in Lake Murray! I love being in the sun early in the morning and walking is so essential to my mental health.

Then we’d hit up the coffee shop! I adore Public Square in La Mesa. They have the best scones I’ve ever had! We will get a flavored butter flight for our scones and their Pandan Latte with almond milk.

Then I’d take you to Mr. Moto’s pizza – it’s the closest thing to a NYC slice I’ve been able to find since moving out here!

Finally, we’d go to the Rooftop Cinema and watch a classic movie downtown! It’s my favorite place to take my friends because their movie line ups are nostalgic and there’s yummy options to eat and drink!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My family and friends deserve the most credit in who I am today. My parents have always pushed me to excellence since I was a little girl, and that standard that has been set is one that has allowed me to accomplish my wildest dreams. My friends, since childhood, have stuck by my side and have loved every version of myself as I’ve evolved over the years! I also have an amazing group of mentors that I’ve picked up on my journey from college, basketball, and work!

Instagram: www.instagram.com/heytheredolapo

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/moriambalogun/