Bryan Lian, MS, RD, CPCC · he/him
From the plate to the whole system
I'm a Registered Dietitian and well-being coach with 15+ years across leading hospitals and universities — including Stanford Children's and Stanford University. It started when I was a first-gen college student who spotted a flyer for a free session with a campus dietitian. That one conversation turned food into a doorway to self-discovery — and a career.
Today I bring that same both/and heart to a wider lens — training as an organizational psychologist to help not just individuals, but the teams and systems around them, design well-being on purpose.
What makes this different
15+ years at leading institutions
A Registered Dietitian and well-being coach shaped across top hospitals and universities — including Stanford Children's and Stanford University.
From the ceiling to the system
I left clinical ladder-climbing when systems kept outranking people. Now I train as an organizational psychologist (PsyD, in progress) so I can work on the system itself, not just the people inside it.
Intersectional at the core
An intersectional, social-justice lens — making space for neurodivergence, trauma, gender, income & class.
Relational, not transactional
I partner with you, the expert of your lived experience. Curious questions over directives.
The turning point
From following the script to leading with purpose
I know what it feels like to chase the next title, credential, or project — only to wonder why I still felt stuck. After years of climbing the clinical ladder, I hit a ceiling: systems kept getting prioritized over people, and I was burning out firefighting instead of creating change.
The turning point wasn't dramatic. It was an ordinary evening — worrying about my wife managing bedtime while I worked late, burning the candle at both ends — when I stopped trying to fit into a broken system and reconnected with my humanity. Coaching became the leadership style I didn't know I needed: strategy with self-compassion, curiosity, and clarity.
How we'll work together
Three practices, one collaborative space
Align with values
Explore what truly matters to you. We connect your nourishment to your values, building habits that feel authentic and sustainable.
Grow with resilience
Food as a metaphor for life. Practicing flexibility, creativity, and self-care strengthens your ability to navigate change with confidence.
Nourish with compassion
Move away from diet culture and shame. Embrace self-compassion, body respect, and realistic strategies that support your well-being.
The road here
A winding path, on purpose
The spark
I was a first-gen college student with no idea what I wanted to do. A free session with the campus dietitian was the first time anyone had asked about how I took care of myself and why — and that question stuck with me more than anything in my classes did.
Learning what's broken
Running programs for teenagers at a summer camp, I kept seeing the same pattern: their stress traced back to the adults and systems around them, not just their choices. I started specializing in adolescents and young adults.
Hitting the ceiling
An MS in Healthcare Administration got me promotions, not answers. I was solving the same problem for a new patient every week because the system around them never changed.
The reset
I took a university role people warned me was a step down. It turned out to be room to raise two kids through a pandemic and train as a coach — the first framework I'd found that treated leadership and self-compassion as the same skill.
The practice
Launched an independent practice: nutrition coaching for clients, supervision for clinicians, well-being coaching for leaders — three audiences I'd been serving separately for fifteen years, finally under one roof.
Well-Being by Design
Started a PsyD in organizational psychology because individual coaching kept running into the same wall: a healthy person can't out-cope a broken system. So now I work on the system, too.
Core values
A practice rooted in six commitments
The same three movements above — align with values, grow with resilience, nourish with compassion — run all the way down to how I see myself.
Hover — or tap — any value to see what it means to me.
In the room with me
Deeply curious, never judgy
My coaching style is curious, inquisitive, and non-judgmental — grounded in critical awareness and perspective-taking. I believe in creating a space where you feel seen, heard, and understood, exploring the interconnectedness of your identities and relationships.
Outside the work: a Queer XL Chinese-American dad of two spirited kids, curator of art and recipes of the Asian diaspora, recovering NYC rise-and-grind turned California-chill.
Frequently asked questions
Things people wonder
What inspired you to become a dietitian and well-being coach?
Growing up, I watched my parents work tirelessly to provide for our family, and their dedication inspired me to find a way to give back. I was drawn to science but had no clear career path — until a flyer in my college dining hall offered free consultations with a dietitian. That one encounter changed my life. Later, as the campus dietitian at Stanford, I realized my passion extended beyond food to whole-person well-being, so I trained as a CPCC and Applied Compassion Ambassador. Now I help people rediscover their passions, thrive in their careers, and become the leaders we need for a more just and equitable world.
What is your practice philosophy?
Reconnection: creating a space where you can rediscover yourself, your relationships, and the world around you. Curiosity: encouraging open-mindedness and new perspectives. Healing: supporting well-being on multiple levels — physical, emotional, social, existential. I'm always learning, and committed to making my practice ever more inclusive and accessible.
Who are you outside of the work?
I'm a Queer XL Chinese-American dad who feels very lucky to come home to two spirited kids and a loving wife. Enneagram 5, MBTI INTP — I love asking questions and building solutions. Off days are for fantasy shows and curating art, music, and recipes that speak to the Asian diaspora experience. Salty, don't mind sweet, spice is nice. A recovering NYC rise-and-grind turned California-chill dad.
What if we come from different backgrounds?
Lived experience matters, and I respect the desire to work with someone who shares yours. At any point — from our first call to our last session — we can co-design working agreements around what feels supportive, including resources or referrals that better meet your needs. I'm engaged in ongoing DEI work, supervision, and learning/unlearning; I don't expect you to teach me. You always have agency and choice.
“We're partnering with you — the expert of your own lived experience.”