It's your life – choose health!

Through a journey of discovery I figured out how To achieve optimal wellness for myself and my family.

Now, I’d love to help you with your journey!

I’m here to help you skip past the heartache and make simple fixes that will have a big impact on your entire life.

I grew up the sixth of seven children in a healthy, active family. The kind of family where, when you wanted a snack, you went out to the garden and picked some cucumbers and cherry tomatoes and ate them on the spot! An endless salad full of home grown veggies was a staple at dinner every night. I feel lucky to have experienced this kind of healthy childhood. I didn't realize at the time what an influence it would have later in my life.

When I was about 14 years old, I was diagnosed with Raynaud's Syndrome, a circulatory disease that is closely associated with autoimmune diseases. The doctor didn't make a big deal out of it, he told me never to smoke and to keep my hands and feet warm in the cold weather. That was that.

Fast forward – I am married and trying to get pregnant without much success. My doctor ran some tests and we discovered that I had Hashimoto's thyroiditis, an autoimmune disease of the thyroid. I remember my OB-GYN doctor telling me I was “lucky” to have this particular disease, all I had to do was simply take medication for the rest of my life…

No one explained WHY I may have ended up with these diseases or discussed the ways I could support my body as it struggled with its own immune system. I was simply sent on my way with a prescription and instructions for lab tests twice a year. Being young and naive, I didn't ask questions because at that point I took the doctor's word as the gold standard. Who questions doctors...conventional medicine has all the answers...right?

Fast forward again – I am the mom of three great kids. I am very involved in the world of triathlon, both competing and coaching. My family is very athletic and we ate what we considered a healthy diet – whole wheat pasta, whole grain breads, plenty of veggies, organic dairy products, legumes, chicken, etc. To look at me, you would think I was at the peak of fitness and health, but it turns out this was not the case.

In 2010, I developed rosacea, another disease closely associated with autoimmune disorders that left my face covered with a red, sandpaper like rash and a constant burning sensation. My doctor prescribed topical antibiotics and steroids but I intuitively had no interest in using these. I was also diagnosed with IBS and severe digestive issues caused me to put endurance training on hold. Lab tests showed high levels of inflammation but no one told me what to do about it.

That very same year my daughter, who was 14, started to experience her own serious health issues, one after the other. Double pneumonia, MRSA infections, asthma like wheezing, odd rashes that wouldn't go away, and it turns out, she also tested positive for Hashimoto's thyroiditis. This was all perplexing and concerning! She was a triathlete and cross country runner but these health conditions were taking their toll, she was struggling. The doctors gave her various medications for each condition which had side effects of their own.

None of her doctors seemed concerned or curious as to WHY this was all happening to my daughter within a few months time. They treated each symptom separately rather than noting that these symptoms may have a common connection. I was determined to get to the bottom of all this. I had a gut feeling that our symptoms were somehow connected and that something more could be done.

As illness and autoimmune disease piled up around us, I made researching our health issues into a full time pursuit. I dove into the expert sources, studying everything I could get my hands on that had any relation to what we were experiencing. Finally I discovered the term leaky gut (or Intestinal Permeability), and I learned that having leaky gut and the accompanying inflammation creates an open door to autoimmune diseases. If I hadn’t done my own research, my daughter and I very well may have continued to "collect" autoimmune diseases such as lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, MS, Crohn's disease, etc.

Knowing that we could possibly develop other auto-immune diseases, I decided we would immediately work to lower inflammation and heal our leaky gut issues. We supported our selves with repairing foods and natural supplements. It was amazing to see my daughter's skin rashes and asthma symptoms clear up in less than a month! In a few more months, I went from bumpy, burning, inflamed skin to clear, smooth, beautiful skin again. My gut inflammation and digestive issues took a bit longer to heal, but leaky gut was clearly the major culprit in this scenario. Aside from seeing our health improve dramatically, the most exciting part of this was feeling the sense of accomplishment that came from being proactive about solving these issues rather than taking prescriptions for life.

I feel blessed to have attained this knowledge because seven years down the road, my middle son told us he was experiencing symptoms of depression. Knowing what I did about leaky gut and inflammation I was confident of the path to take. He was the teenage skeptic, so we had multiple lab tests done “for proof”. His inflammatory markers which had tested quite high, dropped to normal, and he said, with much relief, that within weeks he felt like a new person! Energized, clear headed, able to feel happy emotions, and rejoin life again…priceless! I shudder to think he could have been put on the antidepressant track for life when the culprit was inflammation from his diet!

I was always curious to know the root cause of our issues, not put band aids on the symptoms for the rest of our lives. I referred to my process of researching beyond conventional answers to find the root cause of our issues, as "going free range". I intuitively knew there was an answer aside from the conventional pharmaceutical path and I was going to find it! While I do not have MD behind my name, by trusting the body’s innate ability to heal when given the chance, I was effective in finding ways back to optimal health.

This experience is what led me to becoming a certified Transformational Nutrition Coach on top of my other pursuits as an endurance sports coach, personal trainer, athlete, wife, and mom of three. It has been thrilling to learn about the many holistic approaches we can utilize for optimal wellness! I consider myself to be eternally curious, a student of life, and I continue to study all things related to natural health and optimal wellness and love to share what I learn with others.

I am here to guide you in creating YOUR unique path to wellness and to support you as you begin building a more vibrant, healthful life!