From Diet Addict to Nutrition Guru: How I got here.

I have been pursuing health and wellness since overcoming an eating disorder at the age of 15! Though my road to healing was long, I haven’t looked back once. Truthfully, my career as a nutritionist began during that troubling season of disordered eating. I struggled with an addictive and negative mindset for years, but I know now that it was all for a purpose. 

Had I not experienced the great depths of loneliness and despair during that season of my life and worked to get myself out of it, my passion and hunger for this profession would never have begun. And I wouldn’t have the fortitude to teach others how to overcome their own battles. 

Now, I’m using that experience and years of training to help other women live their life more abundantly.

You constantly tell yourself that there is not enough time in the day to do anything, let alone take care of yourself.

Meal planning, grocery shopping, and cooking healthy meals are what you want to do, but in reality are too exhausting and time-consuming.

You're doing good to get the laundry done, let alone find time to look up doctors, treatments, and protocols for your nagging symptoms.

You are too overwhelmed by the demands of life to take on anything else, even though you desperately want to feel better.

You've seen various practitioners and tried countless health programs, yet you have experienced little to no change with your health concern.

You hate navigating and figuring out your health issues on your own, but you feel like you can't afford any other option.

You would consider yourself a "lemon" when it comes to health in general, so why even bother?

• Sleep? What's that?
• What does "healthy" even mean these days? 
• I'm so confused by all the information that it's just easier to stick with my whatever-sounds-good-and-feels-good-I'll-eat plan.
• I'm just tried of trying.

Yeah, I’ve been there too.

From the young and impressionable age of 13 to my mid-30s, I struggled with all of these thoughts and more.

I was never content with who I was or what I looked like. I went from one diet program to the next, read every nutrition and diet book I could get my hands on, and struggled with an eating disorder for a good portion of my youth.

This obsession controlled my every thought and decision. I felt like I was in chains. I was unhappy and discontent and I missed out on so many joyful and fun moments.

It wasn’t until my senior year in college that I finally was freed from the bondage that held me for so long.

When I finally realized I had a God-given instinct to listen to and follow my body’s cues and signals, my eating and thought habits started to change.

I finally experienced FREEDOM!

My obsession with food, dieting, and exercise started to morph into a passion for nutrition and wellness.

I was captivated by the science, and I loved learning about how foods actually affect your body and your mind.

And due to my early exposure to health foods (ironically, I worked at a family health food store during my school-age years), I started exploring alternative health methods and philosophies, as well as new and different foods.

In short, I fell in love with the world of health and nutrition

I took every opportunity to learn and grow in this newfound field and served others where I could with my growing expertise.

However, it wasn’t until after having four children with varying health issues that I pursued nutrition as a profession and received my Masters in Holistic Nutrition.

After years of helping friends and family with their health concerns, it was time to take my expertise and desire to help others "to the streets."

And this is where you find me now.

After completing my master’s program, I became a certified health coach, Board Certified in Holistic Nutrition®, and completed a 10-month course in functional nutrition.

My passion is helping women, in particular, find a balance between optimal health and living at peace with themselves. And this is not an easy thing in this day and age!

Our world is so noisy in telling us which fad diet to do, how we should look, and even how we should think and feel!

All of this makes it incredibly difficult to find satisfaction with who we are and experience success in our decisions.

BUT, it is possible to stop the noise (or at least ignore it), listen to our bodies, and learn how to best steward our mind and bodies.

• It's being able to walk down a candy aisle or into a pastry shop or to be at a party without losing complete control.
• It's waking up in the morning and being ready to face the day instead of wishing you were already back in bed.
• It's regularly being clear-headed and alert instead of foggy-brained and fatigued.
• It's actually enjoying your family, your friends, and your life instead of desperately trying to get through the day.
• It's feeling in control of your schedule and your time instead of constantly saying, "I'm so busy!" and "I don't have any time!"
• It's knowing AND consistently utilizing the foods and lifestyle habits that actually serve you versus making excuses for why you don't.
• It's feeling strong and capable to face life's challenges instead of turning to pills and substances to numb the pain.
• It's living this ONE LIFE you've been given on God's green earth to the fullest!

Does that sound like something you want??

I can help you achieve these things because I have faced these challenges and overcome them.

I can help you overcome your health issues by adjusting your nutrition, lifestyle, and mindset. 

I believe God walked me through these seasons of life and gave me certain skill sets so I could help other women find freedom from the sticky clutches of food obsession and dieting, stress and overwhelm, and addiction and depression, in particular.

I also have training and expertise in holistic and functional nutrition, two philosophies that  approach health concerns using “root cause resolution” (addressing the root cause of a client’s particular health issue versus addressing only the symptoms) and a whole body approach (versus focusing on only one area) to help navigate health concerns.

So, if you’re suffering from anxiety or depression (been there), fatigue and mental fog (done that), food allergies and sensitivities (lived through that too!), adrenal fatigue and thyroid trouble (both were my middle name at one point) – I CAN HELP YOU! 

I CAN! I have lived through these trials and come out on the other side a survivor AND a thriver (is that a word?) And you can too! 

Have I sold you yet???

Let me land this plane and help you decide…

My one-on-one Foundations Coaching Program and online nutrition & lifestyle courses dive deep to discover the root cause of your health challenges, be it unexplained weight gain, fatigue, pain, never-ending food cravings, disrupted sleep, digestive troubles, disordered eating habits, and more.

A HUGE part of the work I do is helping you find that balance between optimal health and living at peace with yourself. Because how hard is that???

Most people I know are seriously struggling to find balance and peace.

They’re either stressing out over what diet to follow, which foods to avoid, or how to attain the perfect version of themselves; OR they’re saying “forget it” and settling for an unhealthy and unhappy existence.  

You don’t have to live there, my friend. You don’t! 

Establishing a healthy, positive mindset is the key to long-term health and consistency, and I am here to show how to do just that!

I will teach you how to become super savvy at recognizing and stopping the mental roadblocks that will attempt to sabotage all your rock star efforts. "Why," you ask?

Because I had to overcome all those mental roadblocks too!

Your belief in yourself to enact positive change will skyrocket as you become more aware of your thoughts, and when that happens –

Girl, you will watch your mental and physical health transform!

I will teach you how to make a decision and stick to it. More importantly, you will learn how to fight the resistance your brain throws at you when change is on the horizon. 

BECAUSE IT WILL HAPPEN, MY FRIEND!

And I’m here to help you prepare for the battle AND WIN!

You will leave this program feeling empowered to be the master of your own health and with a newfound freedom to live the life you choose.

No more analysis (& action) paralysis!

Now, before we get too much further, I suppose I should give you a little more info about me. But only the really important stuff.

• Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance from the University of Oklahoma (Go Sooners!)
• Masters in Holistic Nutrition from The American College of Healthcare Sciences
• Board Certified in Holistic Nutrition®
• Certified Health Coach
• Graduate of the Full Body Systems Program through the Functional Nutrition Lab
• 6 years active duty as a vocalist in the United States Navy Band (traveled and performed all around the U.S. and the world.... just sayin'!)
• Self-proclaimed Garden Guru - Seriously, I have become the garden expert among my circle of friends and beyond. I can grow some serious veggies and flowers, y'all!
• Crazy Chicken Lady (as my kids call me!) I LOVE MY GIRLS - all 23 of them...
• Enneagram 4w3 (aka creative, energetic, productive & social)
• Future homesteader! We just bought 7 acres of land to start our farm! A dream come true!