My passion is to extend dignity and grace to those who are suffering while working with them to improve quality of life, gain self-empowerment, and understand more about what may be going on in their bodies through the intricate and beautiful world of food. I have unique training working with those who have autoimmune disorders, and thrive on helping clients overcome weight loss resistance, fatigue, and other chronic issues.

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My journey into the world of nutrition is one of survival and a search for hope. I grew up with the mindset that the harder you push yourself, the stronger you are. Upon joining the U.S. Air Force, I began to push myself harder than ever before. Sickness, fatigue, depression, anxiety - all of these were just weakness to be overcome by ignoring them and pushing onward. Six years, three warzone deployments, and one exhausted twenty-five-year-old later, I flat-lined. I began experiencing severe sleep deprivation, emotional and mental agony, and a host of physical symptoms that made normal daily life impossible. After seeking the care of a series of doctors I emerged with a prescription for an antidepressant and absolutely no answers. Panic and helplessness always threatened to take control. 

I took action. I experienced for the first time what is called functional medicine and functional nutrition. Attending online health summits, I listened to doctor after doctor present segments on gut health and disease all from a functional perspective and all adhering consistently to a science-based yet holistic view of health. Medications were by no means dismissed, but the focus was on the intense ability of the body to heal when supported appropriately, with nutrition offered as a first line of defense. Enthralled, I began to see that I needed advanced training to really gain answers and enrolled in a functional nutrition graduate program. My approach to health has never been the same.

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With each project I undertake (a master's in nutrition, weekend seminars for health practitioners, and online continuing education courses), I see how incredibly powerful nutrition is for each person's unique biochemistry. One-size-fits-all approaches often fail. Too many complaints are masked by pills or, worse, assigned to the psychosomatic category. I am in awe of this masterpiece called the human body. And I cannot believe the courage and grace I meet with daily in those who are suffering. We are human souls, not charts and labs. Never discounting the value of quality science in the pursuit of using nutrition to promote wellness yet never forgetting to offer dignity and compassion to the man or woman suffering next to me: these are things close to my heart. I am so grateful to have been as sick as I was for those years and even more joyful to have begun unearthing the thousand ways we can impact our health and take back power over our well-being. It is my extreme privilege to be able to offer nutritional care: It is truly our first line of defense against illness. 

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