My Story

For as long as I can remember I always geeked out on nutrition and “healthy” foods. I remember being in middle school and trading my Twinkie with my best friend for her cheese and crackers (this was a “healthy” food). I grew up when Kraft Dinner and hot dogs were quick meals to get us out of the house and onto our practices. I would constantly be fighting colds, that led to bronchitis and pneumonia, quicker then the average person. When puberty hit I developed Asthma and started my long term use of an inhalerx2 a day and a quick acting one for acute instances. Although I was extremely active the weight kept creeping on and my periods became extremely painful, insert the birth control pill to control bleeding and pain. In an effort to lose weight I dove head first into a low fat diet (later I learned that this is why I have difficulty digesting fats) and started my love affair with lifting weights and running. Weight started to melt off and for once I was happy with the way my body looked. I went to college on a field hockey scholarship and no longer struggled with weight, asthma, colds or pneumonia. Fast forward a few years I get married and came off the birth control pill, and my downward spiral starts. Within months I develop fibroids so bad that my doctor thought I had a miscarriage, put me on Prozac thinking I was depressed, all to find out that I was severely anemic and I required surgery to remove the fibroids. This part of my story is on repeat 3 more times, then when I was 38 years old I had a complete Hysterectomy because this last round of fibroids included three softball sized ones and my uterus was a bag full of marbles, oh and my anemia was the worst it got (ferritin was 5 and hemoglobin was 12). This hysterectomy placed me in surgical menopause. Essentially my 38-year-old body became that of a 60-year-old lady overnight. So many changes were to come from this procedure that I had no idea how much my life would be altered.

Three years leading up to my Hysterectomy I found a great functional medicine doctor who determined some underlying conditions that were causing many of my symptoms (fatigue, weight gain, ringing in the ear, brain fog, need to sleep, inability to focus, cold hands and feet, bloating….). I found out that I have Hashimotos, severe mold allergy (and at that time I was toxic in mold exposure), MTHFR double gene mutation, candida, SIBO, parasites, and adrenal fatigue. With every new diagnosis came a new way of eating to navigate through (Low-FodMAPS, Low mold, Paleo, AIP) each symptom, some helped others did not, at the end of the day something was still missing.

Why do I tell you this? Because this is my story, this has got me to where I am today, at a place to be able to help you. Throughout my years, and the doctors & practioners that I have seen, no matter how great they have been I always left appointments feeling that something was missing and always with armfuls of supplements not knowing if what the doctor gave me will work. Once I heard about the Nutritional Therapy Program, I knew I had to sign up for it. I wanted the nutrient dense whole food education with the skills from the functional clinical assessment so I could help someone like myself and they would not have to wait 20-30 yrs for answers.

Certified Functional Nutritional Therapy Practitioner (FNTP), November 2019

As an FNTP, I use a foundational approach coupled with a Functional Clinical Assessment to identify and address nutritional imbalances in the body coupled with bio-individual nutrition strategies to help each individual reach their optimal health and wellness. My education through the Nutritional Therapy Association provides the most powerful and customizable nutrition program available.

Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist(CSCS), June 2003

As a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialists (CSCS) I apply scientific knowledge to train individuals, conduct sport-specific/functional testing sessions, design and implement safe and effective strength training and conditioning programs and provide guidance regarding nutrition and injury prevention. I train individuals across the aging spectrum and understand each persons bioindividual need. My certification through the National Strength and Conditioning Association is the gold standard in the strength training industry.

University of Louisville, 2003- Maters of Science, Exercise Physiology

University of Louisville, 2001- Bachelors of Science, Exercise Science Sports Medicine