It's time to learn how to live your life without a diet. 

Hi, I'm Irene Markulik

The Rebel Dietitian

This is Irene's Story

As a Greek-American, Irene grew up in a family focused home with strong cultural traditions. Food is part of nearly all aspects of the Greek Culture and is often the center of family gatherings. As a kid, Irene traveled to Greece often with her family and has a strong connection to what feels like her second home. Strong flavors, fresh ingredients and home made comfort food are at the core of Irene’s palate; she loves to cook and share meals with family and friends. Her interest in nutrition began in high school, a time when she, as an athlete, started recognizing the impact of food on her changing body. During her teens and twenties, she experienced the oh-so-common challenges with emotional eating, binge eating, chronic dieting, negative self-talk, and weight cycling. Despite years of education, passing exams, completing internships, and working as a clinical dietitian, Irene’s personal struggles with food and body image ultimately led her to step away from the field of dietetics for several years.

After having 3 kids and finally healing her own relationship with food and body through intuitive eating, (we skipped over a LOT here), her passion in the field of dietetics was re-ignited and she has since committed to helping others who are struggling with disordered eating, self-deprecating thoughts, shame and guilt with food, overall unhappiness in their body and those stuck in diet and wellness culture. Irene advocates for and provides an evidence based, weight-inclusive approach that prioritizes emotional and physical well-being over weight loss.

Irene's training in Medical Nutrition Therapy can support clients with a wide variety of conditions including diabetes/pre-diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and heart disease as well as disease prevention and overall wellness. Her history and personal experience with diet and wellness culture drive Irene's additional passion for disordered eating/eating disorders, emotional eating, body image support, chronic dieting and overall body dissatisfaction.

Irene believes there is a huge gap in health care which on one hand stigmatizes people for their weight and body size and on the other hand doesn't provide adequate or appropriate support for them to live healthy, happy lives. Weight and body size stigmatization, judgement and the constant underlying feeling of "needing" to lose weight can lead to intense anxiety, depression and further weight gain.  Her lived experience with this helps Irene connect with her clients struggles and understand how it feels to be stuck in this never ending cycle. She knows that every single person struggling with food, body image, and/or their health in general can heal and make peace without dieting, to live a much more fulfilling and empowered life with the right support and behavior change facilitation. Irene thoroughly enjoys guiding her patients through their complicated and deep rooted history in order to uncover what's keeping them stuck and help them find their own, individualized path to food freedom and body peace.

Irene graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Nutrition and Dietetics from James Madison University and completed a Master’s Degree from Bowling Green State University. She completed her internship at Virginia Hospital Center and various other sites around DC and Maryland, and now runs her private practice with both virtual and in person visits available in Olney, Maryland. 

Irene enjoys DIY projects around her home, crafting, pottery, crocheting, following her "I can make that" mindset to learn new skills on the regular, laughing at her husbands "dad jokes", spending time with her 3 kids and relaxing with her 2 rescue dogs (in all her spare time).