Growing up, no one taught very much about cooking or nutrition in general, so I pretty much started from square one in my mid 20's. Back then, I lived on Easy Mac, cereal, and Bud Light. I mean...my metabolism allowed me to get away with this kind of lifestyle, but it eventually caught up with me.

I didn't know what an avocado was until I was 23 years old. Literally, never even heard of it... and it makes me sad to imagine all the avocados I could have had if I had only known. SO many! But seriously, I was beyond naive when it came to anything food/nutrition related. Over the course of a few years, I started to educate myself in the kitchen and at the gym. I became a certified Spin Instructor and also instructed a few Pilates classes. At one point I considered becoming a Personal Trainer, but that's when everything started to change.

I've always been the type of person who stays busy, but also the type that tends to not see things through to completion. I held 2 part-time jobs while in high school and then worked full time right after graduation. Since I graduated in 2006, I've always had a full-time job and at least one (sometimes two) part-time gig(s). My jobs included: waitressing, bartending, fitness instructor, MeetUp group organizer, Community Coordinator for a social sports league, and also started an Etsy shop for my crochet hobby. I have an extreme Type A personality (if you couldn't tell already), and I always need something to do. This constant go-go-go finally caught up with me in 2015.

I almost lasted a decade through sleep deprivation and pure drive. Suddenly, I found myself gaining weight, unable to sleep at night, having zero energy during the day, and feeling irritable and sensitive (e.g., crying all the time at nothing significant). I was spending 2+ hours at the gym trying to get the extra weight off, but it never worked, it was actually counter-intuitive. I felt like I was living every day with that "out-of-body" feeling. This went on for a few months and I finally decided to find a doctor. After speaking with the doctor for all of about 15 minutes (never having met this doctor before), he sent me away with sleeping pills and anti-depressants. I've never been one for medication, but I was so sleep deprived and pretty depressed from feeling awful every day, so I just took them. 

They didn't help. The sleep medication helped a little, but the anti-depressants made me feel even more "out-of-body". I didn't realize it at the time though, so I continued to take them. I gained even more weight because the medication made me binge eat. I felt like I wasn't in control of anything at all, including my own body. Again, I didn't really realize what was happening while it was happening...so I continued on the medication for about 6 months.

During that 6 months, I also broke my wrist. This just added insult to injury (literally). I felt helpless, useless, and fell even deeper into depression. Shortly after my wrist finally healed, I decided to stop taking my medication, and just take it easy. I stopped beating myself up for the weight gain, and stop playing the "poor me" card. I just let my body get the rest it had been desperately screaming for the past decade. After the medication cleared out of my system, I no longer found myself binging and obsessing over food. I started a yoga routine, a meditation practice, and I just let my life "be". I got rid of all the expectations I put on myself and focused on letting my body and mind heal. I put myself first. 

The outcome was pure magic. Seriously...it's fascinating what your body will do when you provide the rest and love it truly needs. Our bodies are quite literally mini ecosystems, and if you give them a chance, they will heal. Filling our systems with medications and poor nutrition puts your internal ecosystem into panic mode, resulting in a constant state of anxiety. 

After my self-guided journey into finding my personal definition of health and happiness, I decided I wanted to help others do the same. This led me to the Health Coaching Program at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. I graduated in May 2018 and am now loving my life and career as a Certified Health Coach.

Now that I’m a mother, I have come to appreciate and understand the importance of listening to my body. I love working with expecting and new mama’s to help navigate the ins and outs of pregnancy and postpartum above and beyond nutrition. Growing and raising humans is no joke. It’ll take more than just a good diet and some walking in order for you to thrive. It takes mental endurance, emotional support, and self care. That’s where I come in. I’ll help you re-evaluate and make sustainable changes in your life in order to find balance and thrive.

We need to nourish our bodies in every way we can, because we only get one! Let me be your guide to finding balance in your life.