Over 30 Years Experience With Counseling and Nutrition Education
Sparkman Nutrition can help you today, call now to schedule an appointment.
Over 30 Years Experience With Counseling and Nutrition Education
Sparkman Nutrition can help you today, call now to schedule an appointment.
Meet Our Team
Susan Ivester RDN, LD
Susan has loved helping people achieve their nutrition goals in many different health care settings. She has worked in private practice twice in her career, in the 1990’s and again since 2014 with Sparkman Nutrition, LLC. She has specialized in eating disorder therapy both in private practice and at Meridell Achievement Center which is a residential treatment center for ages 10-18. As a Clinical Dietitian working part-time at Round Rock Medical Center, she is well versed in developing realistic strategies to manage health challenges like Renal, Cardiovascular, and Gastrointestinal disease as well as Diabetes and Cancer. To stay young in mind, body, and spirit, she spends time outdoors cycling, swimming, hiking, or walking her Pomeranian, Marley. She loves to cook and shares creative approaches to recipes with her patients at Sparkman Nutrition. Volunteering has been a way of life for many years in different areas including the health care arena as well as the arts. Susan’s specialty areas include: oncology nutrition, diabetes and prediabetes, cardiac nutrition, renal nutrition, eating disorders, mindful/inituitive eating, tube feeding and gastrointestinal disorders.
Lauren Brauer MS, RDN, LD
Lauren has over 15 years of experience working as a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist with both children and adults. Using a weight-neutral, non-diet, client-centered approach, her goal is to help people find a positive, joyful way of eating that supports their overall health and well-being. Lauren has completed advanced training in Ellyn Satter’s Childhood Feeding Dynamics and Eating Competence Models. She particularly enjoys applying Satter-informed care to address child feeding/eating concerns and help adults heal their relationship with food and eating. Lauren has co-authored a book chapter about pediatric nutrition as well as an expert-consensus article about nutrition therapy for children. She has created multiple curricula for nutrition group programs and has been an invited expert speaker for several professional medical and nutrition organizations both in Massachusetts and in Austin. She has served as a preceptor for dozens of students in both the Texas State and University of Texas nutrition programs. In her spare time, Lauren enjoys walking & hiking, dancing, gardening, cooking, and of course eating tasty food with her friends and family. Lauren’s specialty areas include: Childhood nutrition and feeding, eating disorders, Intuitive Eating/Eating Competence, heart health nutrition, prediabetes and IBS.
Maria Rowe RDN, LD
Maria is a Registered and Licensed Dietitian, and Board-Certified Specialist in Sports Dietetics (CSSD). She is a competitive master’s runner and mom of high-performing teenage athletes. Maria is passionate about helping athletes and active individuals learn how to confidently fuel for life and sport without sacrificing their relationship with food or body. She endeavors to help her clients understand the difference between "bare minimum" nutrition and fueling optimally. Maria has outpatient experience working with high-level adolescent athletes and recreational athletes of all ages and abilities in addition to experience working with individuals with eating disorders and those struggling to maintain a positive relationship with food and body. Maria uses a non-diet, Health at Every Size (HAES) and practical approach in counseling. She strives to meet her patients and clients where they are in a collaborative effort to help them discover their definition of health without shame or guilt attached. Maria’s specialty areas include sports nutrition, Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (RED-S), eating disorders and intuitive eating. Maria is an active member of the national and local chapters of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND), Collegiate and Professional Sports Dietitians Association (CPSDA), and Sports and Human Performance Nutrition (SHPN) dietetic practice group.
Sarah Zacharia MS, RDN, LD
Sarah, a highly experienced and licensed Registered Dietitian, is dedicated to helping you achieve your physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual wellness goals through both telehealth and in-person consultations. With a Master’s degree in Human Sciences from Texas A&M Kingsville and years of experience working with children and adults, Sarah is equipped to handle a variety of concerns including pre and post bariatric surgeries, diabetes management, enteral nutrition support, food-drug interactions, and chronic diseases such as heart disease, hypertension, gastro intestinal disorders, renal and hepatic disease and chronic pressure wounds. Sarah has worked in various hospital settings including the number one trauma hospital with 368 beds, and Driscoll Children's Hospital. She is experienced with stem cell or bone marrow transplant patients in oncology. She is also a certified insulin pump and CGM educator. She specializes in helping new moms with breastfeeding, as well as children and their parents with feeding, eating, and growth concerns. Let Sarah help you restore a positive relationship with food and your body, reach your ideal healthy body weight, and create personalized meal plans tailored to your specific needs.
Krissy McCarthy MCN, RDN, LD
Krissy holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Neuroscience from Oberlin College and a Master of Clinical Nutrition degree from UT Southwestern Medical Center. She has always been fascinated with the mind-body connection and works to improve her patients’ relationships with food using a non-diet Health At Every Size (HAES) approach. Krissy has 4+ years of experience providing Medical Nutrition Therapy working in both general and mental health-focused medical facilities. Most recently she has worked in eating disorder recovery at the partial hospitalization and intensive outpatient levels of care.
In her spare time, Krissy enjoys cultivating her mind and body with hiking and playing board games.
Krissy’s areas of specialty include: Eating disorders, mindful/intuitive eating, gastrointestinal disorders, and prediabetes
Courtney Watring RDN, LD
Courtney holds a bachelor's degree in nutrition education from Southeast Missouri State University. With experience in higher level of care facilities as well as outpatient nutrition counseling practice, Courtney’s passion is helping clients heal their relationship with food, their body, and movement. Courtney comes from multiple years of working with those struggling with eating disorders and building sustainability in their lives. She strives for inclusiveness, compassion, and understanding when working with clients.
In her free time, she enjoys spending time outdoors hiking, kayaking, camping, or indoors baking with her kiddos.
Kira Alarcon, Social Media Intern
Growing up as a competitive dancer with a passion of cooking. Kira's interest in nutrition sparked at a young age. Now, Kira is pursuing her degree as undergraduate nutrition student at The University of Texas at Austin. She is currently following the Didactic Program in Dietetics (DPD), and is planning to apply to the Integrated Coordinated Program in Dietetics (ICPD) in the fall. Her career goal is to become a certified RDN.
Currently, she researches the latest studies in nutrition, writes blog posts, and creates graphics for social media. In her free time, Kira likes to walk around Town Lake, watch movies, and paddle Board.
Caty Davis, Owner
Caty started at Sparkman Nutrition in 2022 as the Office Manager, where her love for Sparkman Nutrition grew. Her passion for nutrition and case management flourished while caring for her diabetic father. As a child of an individual with chronic health issues she witnessed the negative effects of how poor nutrition and lack of education can be a determent to one's physical and mental health. In June of 2024, she acquired the business from our founder Alexa Sparkman and hopes to be the go-to practice for all your nutritional needs.
In her free time, she loves spending time with her husband Jeremy and baby girl Fianna.
Alexa Sparkman
Our founder,Alexa holds a bachelor’s degree in nutrition from Texas Tech University and a master’s degree in nutrition from the University of Texas at Austin. A nationally recognized specialist, Alexa worked more than 45 years as a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist. She formed one of the first nutrition counseling practices in Central Texas and developed the Overcoming Mind Hunger program which focused on treating Binge Eating Disorder.
Now retired, Alexa serves in an advisory capacity Sparkman Nutrition.
Contact Information
Tel. 512-257-0898
E-mail: info@SparkmanNutrition.com
Main Office: 4501 Spicewood Springs Road,
Suite 1022 Austin, Texas 78759
