Dietitian trailblazer: Karen Inge

The incredible Karen Inge has had many firsts in her remarkable career: she was the first dietitian appointed to an AFL club, the founding Head of Nutrition at the Victorian Institute of Sport, the inaugural Vice President of Sports Dietitians Australia and the first dietitian to be made a Fellow of Sports Medicine Australia. In this podcast, Karen talks about the sliding door moments that shaped her career and modestly describes the profound impact she’s had on the field of sports nutrition. Karen also touches the importance of creating meaningful relationships and explains why some of your biggest disappointments can become your biggest opportunities.

Biography

Karen Inge is a leading Australian dietitian. Karen has her own business and is also part owner of the meal delivery company Dineamic, and recently opened the Georgie Bass Café and Cookery in Flinders, Victoria.

Karen has a long history as a sports dietitian with many firsts. She was the first dietitian appointed to a VFL/AFL club (Collingwood Football Club), in 1980 and then joined Hawthorn Football Club in 1988 where she developed innovative nutrition strategies to help them achieve a dominant position over eight seasons.

She was founding Head of Nutrition at the Victorian Institute of Sport and advised our elite athletes for 21 years; becoming the inaugural Vice President and later President of Sports Dietitians Australia.

She was the first dietitian to be made a Fellow of Sports Medicine Australia and was made an inaugural Fellow of Sports Dietitians Australia.

Karen has a weekly segment on Melbourne’s top rating 3AW radio station. She also regularly appears on TV; and is sought after for advice by newspapers and magazines – she was the nutrition writer for the Australian Women’s Weekly for 17 years.

Karen is also a Director of St Vincent’s Institute of Medical Research (SVI) and Chair of the SVI Foundation, an Ambassador for Fareshare, a food rescue organisation.

In this episode, we discuss:

  • What led Karen to become a dietitian
  • How quitting her job catapulted her career
  • Her many different roles throughout her career
  • Why she initially had to push her way in and prove her worth
  • Her experiences setting up SDA
  • Her work within the food industry and the media
  • The importance of mentoring and having good relationships

Add address

Australia