Areas of Focus

 

Digestive problems

Autoimmune disorders

Unexplained weight gain

Anxiety and depression

Chronic fatigue and pain

Metabolic disorders

Biotoxin illness (e.g., Lyme, mold)

From creative director to functional wellness practitioner

 

When I was in my 30s working as a creative director at an ad agency, symptoms started emerging. I was exhausted all the time, got sick often, had vertigo, night sweats, weight gain, chronic heartburn, chronic back and neck pain, skin issues, and worsening allergies. The knuckles of my hands ached in the morning, and I noticed my toes would turn white if it was even mildly cold out. 

 

My doctor told me some people just had vertigo. And allergies. That we all get tired as we get older. That Raynaud's was an autoimmune that could not be reversed. I was diagnosed with degenerative disc disease, which, I was told, we all eventually get. I was given prescriptions for my allergies, acid reflux, and back/neck pain. The rest, I'd have to live with.

 

I had my symptoms for a decade. Unnecessarily. I was functional and even happy, but I was always dragging, stressed out, and overwhelmed. Basically feeling crappy became my "normal." But as symptoms piled on, I knew something just wasn't right.  

​

The fact that no one was able to help me sparked a desire to help myself. Health and wellness became a passion. I read everything I could get my hands on. I started seeing functional practitioners and finally trained to become an FDN-P.

​

What I learned from all of this is as follows:

 

• Symptoms are not normal at any age. They are a sign of underlying stressors that, over time, cause dysfunction.

​

• When you treat the symptoms and not the underlying cause, the dysfunction continues and will usually lead to more problems.  

 

• When you instead work to remove those stressors, support areas of dysfunction, and create a healthier lifestyle -- your body actually has an amazing power to take over and heal itself. 

​

For me, the stressors found over several years were adrenal fatigue, mold exposure, chronic Lyme, a MTHFR gene mutation, thyroid dysfunction, hormonal imbalances, multiple food intolerances, and a gut pathogen. Wow, right? 

 

Yes, wow. Fast forward to today, and I’ve healed just about all of it. It's hard to describe the enormous power of that “wow” feeling when the vertigo and night sweats that had plagued me just stopped. When my back and neck pain went away. When I noticed my fingers weren't turning white anymore. When the weight came off and digestive issues disappeared. When I stopped getting sick all the time. When I got my energy back. When I started to feel like me again. THAT is what sparked this passion. 

 

I am still a work in progress, but I’ve come so far. I haven’t felt this good since I was in my twenties. 

​

I became an FDN-P not just to learn to heal myself, but to pay it forward. To help people who, like me, have been told by their doctor's that there's nothing wrong with them. Or that they are just getting old. Or that the only solution is a prescription that will mask the symptoms (allowing the underlying cause to grow unchecked).  

​

When we work together, I will spend time with you to understand your symptoms. I will run labs to discover what has gone awry. I will keep learning and researching and be determined to help you find your root causes. Then I'll coach you through lifestyle changes geared towards lowering hidden (and not so hidden) stressors so your body can get to a place where it can heal itself. You can learn more about the process here. 

​

I'm not a doctor and do not do physical exams. I am a health coach, and my office is virtual. We'll meet via phone or video chat. I'll listen, and we'll talk through issues, lab results, strategies, and how you are doing on the whole.

 

Your health is as much about your support system as it is about your body. I'll be here for you every step of the way. 

​

Schedule a discovery call today to determine if FDN coaching is right fit for you. I look forward to working with you!