I started working out, running, and sprinting in high school with the track and volleyball teams, building a foundation for lifelong fitness. My education in college started in a Physical Therapy program then transitioned into a degree in Exercise Science from Illinois College, where I studied biology, psychology, and nutrition — all knowledge that has guided my career in health.
I went on to compete nationally as a bikini competitor and published fitness model for over a decade, training intensely throughout that time and following the extreme methods common in the fitness industry—high animal protein, low carbohydrate, and heavy supplementation. While I looked healthy, I was struggling internally with severe gut issues, chronic inflammation, adrenal fatigue, hypothyroid, high cholesterol, high cortisol, and anxiety.
Determined to heal, I went on to study nutrition for preventing & reversing disease at Cornell University, integrating this knowledge with my exercise science background and decades of nutrition and personal training experience. This approach restored my health, healed my gut, and gave me more energy and vitality than ever before.
I learned that what you eat shapes your gut microbiome: colorful, antioxidant-rich plant foods—vegetables, fruits, grains, legumes, nuts and seeds—feed the beneficial microbes that protect cells and reduce inflammation, while meat, dairy, poultry, eggs, and fish promote a toxic gut environment that breeds chronic disease.
Every meal truly is an opportunity to heal your body, mind, and gut.
