helping create a culture of health for women and the communities we live in

I am a certified applied functional medicine practitioner and health coach and have worked in the wellness field since 2009. I have worked with many clients over the years and love the partnership that’s created while working with a client to support their wellness goals. I’m committed to supporting women and womens health initiatives including founding FoodAfter40, an online community designed to support women with holistic education, inspiration and empowerment toward a healthier happier life. I study herbal medicine and am working toward my RH accreditaion through the AHG. I love science and research, hiking and travel, my clients and esteemed collegues, cooking, foraging for medicinal plants, and good wine. I am passionate about supporting people in transcending their diagnosis (or sometimes, their lack of definitive diagnosis). I work with increasingly complicated cases and if I’m tossing and turning at 3 a.m., it’s because I’m busy putting the puzzle pieces together on their behalf. I believe in the art AND science of health coaching with functional medicine as the foundation of my approach. The deep privledge I have in supporting my clients is the inspiration, the fuel, to continue growing my expertise in this field.

insights from my own wellness journey

Having overcome chronic illness through food and healthy lifestyle practices, I know first-hand how the choices we make every day can impact our lives.  

Here’s a little of my story… 

I began having health issues in my teens with chronic viral infections. In my early 30s, I was diagnosed with a little-known auto-immune disease. Without acceptable or tried treatment options, I had to do my homework and figure out what I could do, all I could do, to restore some quality of life. I researched the disease, changed my diet dramatically, made lots of lifestyle changes, introduced a supplement regimen and began to repair and rebuild my immune system. One year later, I was in less pain and better health but I still had a long way to go.  

Today, looking in the rear view mirror, it’s been over 15 years since I’ve taken antibiotics, which used to be a 6-7+ course per year routine. It’s been as many years since I’ve experienced symptoms of the auto immune disease that hijacked my life back then. But, I’m not naïve; I know that my immune system can and has gone haywire…so I pay attention, every day.  

The challenges I had forced me to navigate my own path to optimal health. It took trial, error and time to restore my health and the lessons I’ve learned along the way have been invaluable: I learned that wellness is my #1 responsibility to myself and those around me. I learned that the journey is fluid; optimal health evolves with age, environment and events. And I learned to invest in, and nurture, all aspects of my health. Because simply put, I AM my greatest asset.  

…and YOU are yours.