This week, we’re chatting with Danielle Kiser! She’s a dietitian with a long list of jobs, the cutest pup, and a new love for Glens Falls after having just recently moved here. Get to know more about her below, including her favorite workout spots and a sweet story about neighborhood life in Hometown USA!
Tell us about yourself!
My name is Danielle! Some people call me “D”, and a select few call me “Danny”. I’m a Registered & Certified Dietitian, Spinning® Instructor, runner, and proud dog mom. I have my Master’s in Community Nutrition and I have a “few” jobs to say the least. I’m actually new to Glens Falls and honored to be featured in Glens Falls Living.
I’m a Sports Dietitian consulting through Richard Kim Medicine in Saratoga Springs but my outreach goes far beyond Saratoga. I have virtual patients across the country. But I pride myself in “out of office” consults in my work with Dr. Kim. For instance, hands on interactions like Grocery Store Tours, Cooking Demos, etc. that I can do right here in Glens Falls. I’m also a clinical dietitian in a nursing home. I’ve worked at YMCAs for the past 5+ years teaching Spinning® and last year developed and led my first Diabetes Education Program at the Y. One of my favorite things to do is present. I consult with CDPHP traveling all over upstate NY, sometimes presenting to 100+ people. As you can probably tell much of this has changed since COVID, almost all of my jobs have moved to virtual for now. I am still in person at the nursing home, shout out to all of my fellow front line workers!
As far as family, I’m engaged to my best friend. We are getting married in October of 2021 in Brant Lake, NY. We have a 2 year old golden retriever/lab mix that we adopted as a puppy. Her name is Annie and she is super sweet and everyone loves her/offers to puppy sit.
On Life in Glens Falls
I grew up and went to college in Oneonta, NY and my fiancé grew up in Saranac Lake, NY. We met at Hartwick College our Freshman year and to sum it up he is just the kindest, most hard working person I know. Anyway, Glens Falls happens to be perfectly right smack in the middle of our families.
After college, Kellen got a job at Hughes Insurance Agency in Queensbury where he still works today. My first job out of college was south of Albany so we started out in a townhouse in Clifton Park. After a year of the “townhouse life” in a big city, we decided we were ready to buy a house. Clifton Park was too big. We eventually found our dream home in Glens Falls. The prior owners had moved in right after becoming engaged (just like Kellen and I!). It was their first home that they started their family in. They caught wind that Kellen and I were also a newly engaged couple and left us a bottle of champagne the first time we looked at the house. We were sold.
It was over a 90-minute commute to my job south of Albany. But I didn’t care, this was our home, this was our new community. So I quit my full-time job. Thankfully while working full-time I always had at least 2-3 other part-time gigs. It was a big financial risk, but I just knew everything would work out. And it did. We moved in August 2019 and since then, Glens Falls has welcomed my family and nutrition expertise with open arms.
On Good Neighbors
The night we moved into our new home, Kellen had a mandatory work dinner. So the two of us packed up our entire apartment in Clifton Park into a U- Haul that day and plopped it out front of our new GF home. Kellen took off to his work dinner and I began the unpacking process. Thankfully we put all of the heavy items in the back. I unpacked probably 70% of this thing all by myself. The last 30% were heavy items (dressers, beds, etc.) plus it was getting dark outside with no lights in the U-Haul.
As I’m standing in the dark U-Haul staring at these heavy items thinking “how am I ever going to move the rest of this stuff”, I heard voices behind me. About 8-10 other young adults (and their dogs) were standing behind me asking if I wanted a hand. The neighbors across the street were apparently having a bonfire and saw me unpacking by myself. Each one introduced themselves as they started hauling my heavy furniture into my house. In less than a year these people have become our family. I will never forget that first night moving in. It was like something out of a super cheesy small-town movie.
Some Glens Falls Favorites
Some of my Glens Falls Favorites:
- Acupuncture Nirvana - they have some of the friendliest, most down to earth people in a very welcoming environment.
- Common Roots Brewery - their beer delivery system through COVID has been amazing! I can’t wait to see their renovations.
- Favorite Workout Spots - Glens Falls YMCA (of course), Kind Cycling, Go For Fitness Gym, and Restore Yoga - weighted blankets, enough said.
- Adirondack Balloon Festival - this was the first event I went to in the area when we moved. It was incredible, well worth waking up at 4AM.
A Perfect Glens Falls Day
It would definitely start at the Glens Falls Farmers Market. Kell and I have been going almost every weekend religiously. I like to pick up local coffee, seafood, produce, cheese, milk, and other goodies there. Next Kell and I would whip up a brunch smorgasbord because we both love to cook (and eat). Kellen works 6 days a week usually until late in the evening, so I really cherish Saturdays together. After we eat our feast, we would take Annie for a walk around Havilands Cove trails. Later we would walk into town and enjoy an early date night dinner with friends. This could include cocktails at Farmacy or wings and a beer at the Bullpen Tavern. Many of our friends also live walking distance to downtown.
Since COVID has hit, we have been trying out many of the restaurants doing take-home dishes. One of our current favorites is the Queensbury Hotel! Their chicken and biscuits are to die for. The portion could seriously feed a family of 10. Another favorite is the Downtown City Tavern. Ask any of my friends, I am addicted to their beet salad. We feel it’s extremely important to support local businesses right now so ordering at restaurants downtown the past few weeks has been a fun way to help out.
On the Future
Right before COVID hit, I organized a coffee date with three ladies I have met since moving here that have similar interests, values, and drive. We are all relatively new to GF so I thought it would be great to create a networking group. Tori Torrisi runs the Queensbury location for Capital Area Physical Therapy and has her Doctor of Physical Therapy. She moved here right after us and has quickly become one of my best friends. Carly Samach is a clinical therapist who works at Restore Yoga right in Glens Falls. Her and I met through Kat at Acupuncture Nirvana and have since run a Wellness Workshop together focusing on the connection between food and emotions. Hillary Williams is a prior athletic trainer and current licensed massage therapist right in downtown GF at Adirondack Spine and Sport Chiropractic. I slid into her DM’s on instagram and we became instant friends after a coffee date at Spot. We all have an interest in health and wellness. Our dream is to collaborate and create a resource for local people interested in targeting all aspects of wellness. We would incorporate all of our specialities; massage, physical therapy, nutrition, and mental health into a multidisciplinary approach to create a healthier Glens Falls. Stay tuned and keep an eye out for us in the next few years. We are also up for recommendations on a name for our boss lady group!
By the Way…
One of my quarantine hobbies has been increasing my presence on Instagram (@kiserdanielle). I started doing “Trivia Tuesdays” a few months ago. I create 6-10 questions every Tuesday about various nutrition topics ranging from nutrition for runners to food safety. People seem to really love it and honestly my followers are getting better with answering correctly! Which either means my education is sticking and I’m a great teacher… or they are googling it. Either way I love doing it. It allows me to reach a huge span of people all over the world, connect with other dietitians, and teach people about nutrition in a fun way.
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