I believe in the power of story. Here is a bit of mine...

A very unremarkable photo of me in college became a turning point in my health journey. I’d always enjoyed cooking and entertaining, but also loved breakfast burritos, pasta, and beer. I knew I’d put on weight, but seeing my round, puffy face in that photo was a wake-up call. My mother had recently started following a simple food mantra: “If God didn’t make it, don’t eat it.” Basically, this called for removing processed foods.  I decided to give it a try.  I lost 30 pounds (hello, inflammation) and the chronic constipation I’d suffered from for years vanished.  This was my first glimpse into the powerful connection between food and well-being.

At 30, I moved to Santa Fe to pursue a career in travel photography and education.  It was here that I also discovered ashtanga yoga, mountain trails, and holistic healing. Teaching photography carried me across the globe and helped me develop a gift for translating complex ideas into something people could truly grasp. During this time, I got certified in nutritional therapy — not to build a business yet, but to better understand my own health. I felt strong, focused, and alive.

But life shifted. Burnout, loss, and chronic pain crept in. Though my job took me to incredible places, I began battling depression, migraines, and fatigue. I knew I wasn’t caring for myself the way I used to, but I didn’t have the energy to change — until I returned to nutritional therapy, this time as a client. Functional testing revealed gut imbalances, food sensitivities, and more. Through customized protocols that incorporated diet changes, supplements, and strength training, I began to turn things around. Slowly but surely, I felt like myself again.

Looking back, it’s hard to believe how far I’ve come. From the outside, I looked healthy and high-functioning. But I was struggling. Now, thanks to targeted nutritional therapy, I’m feel strong, focused, and energized.

This personal transformation led me to pursue functional nutrition professionally. With advanced training in gut health, hormones, blood chemistry and more, I create personalized programs that address specific imbalances my clients are facing. My focus is to let people know that the tiredness they feel does not have to be what shapes their future.  There are alternatives to the thinking that feeling worn down is simply a part of the aging process and that, for women, unstable emotions come with the territory of perimenopause.  My work is to help people feel alive again.