I’m a certified Master Nutrition Therapist, a certified Natural Foods Chef, and a certified Kripalu Yoga Teacher. I’m a very kind and compassionate person who just wants the best for everyone. I often find myself stuck in the middle. I’m the second of three children, I’m neither vegan nor carnivore, I can usually see both sids of an argument… middle, middle, middle. I feel my middle-ness helps me have a broad perspective and allows me to hold the space that people need in order to feel heard and to feel like they are worthy of that space. I have a tendency to want to really KNOW what I'm getting myself into; but I also know that despite my cautiousness, an occasional leap of faith is what really keeps us ALIVE. I’m my happiest when I’m in nature among the trees, grass and wildflowers, with my dogs and my beau, listening and watching and being.
“Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier.”
connection
One thing you'll hear me speak of often is how we are all interconnected. The birds, the trees, the garden veggies, the creepy-crawlies, the falling leaves, the fungi, the grazers, the climbers, the swimmers, and of course the humans. We are all made up of the same elemental ingredients and each of us contributes to the well-being and nourishment of another. Whether that nourishment is attained through physical/nutritional components like the living soil created through decomposed plants, or through energetic/emotional components like a pets’ unconditional love, there is a place for every being in the health of us all.
awareness
Some might say the first step toward true, health is to create a positive sense of self-awareness. This allows you to learn and grow from what has made you who you are and how this affects your everyday choices and interactions. The practice of yoga, which means "union" or "to yoke", played an integral role in my health journey by fostering this development of self-awareness. From my very first class I became fascinated by the practice of introspection and how it affected me physically, mentally, and spiritually. Immersing myself in an intensive yoga teacher training provided a great starting point for me, allowing me to better understand my physical body, expand my ways of thinking, and accept life’s ebb and flow.
Relationship
It has been my experience that the relationships we share with ourselves, with each other, with nature, and with food are multidimensional and always evolving. They are also a huge part of what keeps our bodies and spirits thriving. The roots of plants intertwine as they grow, allowing for the exchange of nutrients from surrounding plants and the earth they inhabit. This relationship has a cyclic rhythm of give and receive - just as we intertwine our roots with other people and our surroundings, exchanging energy, emotions, nourishment - as we grow along our way.
Nourishment
Throughout my life I have weaved back and forth through various changes in my dietary choices and needs. My nutritional education taught me the importance of real, nutrient-dense food and how each individual nutrient and other components within those foods affect the body. Nutrient-dense foods provide our bodies with all the teeny tiny puzzle pieces we need in order to make us whole. They are what sustains us and keeps us living healthy, enjoyable lives. The vegetables, the fruits, the animals, the herbs, the nuts, the grains, and the earth they live and grow in - all have elements we cannot truly live without. I am an open-minded eater who chooses foods according to quality, nutrient density and the needs of my body at any given moment.
“In the midst of movement and chaos, keep stillness inside of you.”
Education
Natural Foods Chef Certification - Nutrition Therapy Institute
Master Nutrition Therapy Certification - Nutrition Therapy Institute
200 hr Yoga Teacher Certification - Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health
BS in Hospitality & Food Management w/ minor in Psychology of Human Development - Ball State University