Wife; mom to two daughters, one adorable golden doodle, and four kitties; freelance writer of 20+ years; and now a Certified Nutritional Therapy Practitioner (NTP). My journey here has been a long and winding one:

As a teen I was diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome but wasn't offered any solutions for it. So I just ate what I ate - and oftentimes paid for it. Later in college I nearly decided to become a Registered Dietician. After working in the diet office at a local hospital and seeing the soda and other questionable foods served to patients, I think my gut just knew it wasn't the right place for me.

My first thoughts about food quality came when my oldest daughter was a year old. Wanting to give her the best, I started considering this new thing I'd heard about: organic foods. One day I was lamenting the cost of said organic food to a food-minded friend of mine: "Whyyyyy does it have to be SO expensive?!" To which she replied, "But why should food be cheap?" Cue the mind-blown moment. She was right: food is what nourishes and fuels us. It’s literally what provides us with what we NEED to live and thrive. Why SHOULD it be cheap? And so my passion for quality food began.

Fast forward a few years and my mom was diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer, which she died from a year-and-a-half later. My marriage then almost imploded. Then my best friend died in a tragic accident. Then my oldest daughter became a teenager, upending the relative emotional balance we'd previously enjoyed in our home. Then came COVID.

Suffice it to say my mind and body had taken a beating: fatigue, weight gain, overall pain, skin issues galore. Not one to race to the doctor, I tried lots of things on my own with little to no success. Yet desperate times kick in, doctor visits are made, and still no real solutions are found.

Then there are my girls, both of whom experienced their own drastic changes after starting their periods. Gone were the happy, carefree girls I’d always known. Nothing at home had changed - their bodies had. Where is the support for our children and teens who are growing by the minute and experiencing stress like never before?? Oh right, there is none other than diagnosis, pills, diagnosis, pills - both of which often leave people still looking for relief and answers.

All along, I continued to think about the power of food. I knew it was there. I knew it was the foundation to empowering our bodies to do the amazing things they're built to do. I just didn't know how to harness it. As an NTP, I do now. And I can't wait to work with you and your family.