More About Me

These days I'm in this ever constant ebb and flow of busy-relax-busy-relax. No matter where, you're sure to find me in some comfy clothes, messy hair, perhaps some lipstick, giggling about something, chillin' with loved ones, and indulging in a self-care routine. My life hasn't always looked like this though...

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​​My parents divorced when I was two and my dad's parents took me into custody by the time I was seven. I didn't have a family who taught me mindfulness, I sure as heck wasn't into sports, and we also didn't eat organic. My journey has been quite an unfolding, as I'm sure yours has been too.

​I grew up eating your Standard American Diet (SAD). A fine mix between fast, convenient, low fat, and refined carbohydrate foods, and fresh veggies from a Round-Up Ready garden. Thankfully, I lived through a childhood where prescribing pills to children was not as prevalent as it is now, and though I grew into an extremely irritable, melancholy teen, the grandmother who raised me did not believe in putting me on medication. Even though at one point in time, I suggested it to her!
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​As a kid and teen, food never meant much to me. Though my grandfather often made comments about my weight and I saw both my grandparents attend Weight Watchers and try various diets over the years. Fitness never really registered for me either until I became a senior in high school. Even though I started going to the gym, in hindsight I had no idea what I was doing and I was still paying no attention to the food I was putting in my body. I was going by the general idea of movement = health. 

​​​For my entire adolescence and into early adulthood I was depressed and had a general scornful view on the world. Perhaps you know which one I'm talking about: people suck, we're all doomed, religion separates us all, politics are confusing as hell, no one ever wins, we've all got to work 'til we die, so do what you want and try to die happy. Or something close-minded along those lines.

​Fortunately, despite my bitter outlook on life, I've been a pretty social person, even if some of it was in a convoluted attention-grabbing, kind of way (see definition: adolescence). Eventually I found myself lead down a path filled with close, outgoing friends, one of whom shared a very open minded, hopeful view on the world, and the least I can say is it started to rub off on me.

When I moved to Portland, Oregon for culinary school, as a 19-year-old vegetarian, I found myself incorporating a lot more movement into my life. Within two years I had decided to invest in a local, organic, community supported agriculture (CSA) box as a way to support my local farmer and I also, eventually, took up running. I didn't know who I was becoming, but it was approaching Fall 2011 when it dawned on me that I couldn't remember the last time I felt depressed. ​

​​​Though I was starting to grasp fitness as an anti-depressant, I also thrust myself into the realm of calorie counting, portion control, and weekly weigh-ins. About a year after graduation, I had lost the 20 pounds I gained in culinary school and decided to go back to school for personal training. During this 6-month, hands on course, I learned functional movement and posture analysis, began to crack my skull open to a slightly alternative view on nutrition, all the while chasing that number on the scale and the longing to be skinny. 

​After moving back to Seattle a couple years later, I started to eat thoughtfully sourced meat, I got an amazing job working at a local gym where I started weight lifting and teaching fitness classes, I got involved in roller derby, yet I was simultaneously living a type of double life. I was sassy, lovable, and professional by day and come nightfall I consistently had some of my craziest drinking years on record. A deeper, darker part of me thrived on this. I literally became a different person and I subconsciously loved it. Clearly, something wasn't right, however I didn't give this much thought. I truly thought I was the happiest and healthiest I had ever been in my life that far. Nothing could slow me down or change my perspective. Though a roller derby induced dislocated knee injury surely taught me some foundational self-care practices, I still drank a lot and went out every chance I got. It was just who I was. I continued to ride the waves of life and eventually my intuition piped through to a decision to leave everything I knew to go travel. I started planning one year out.

This was the original spark of my now minimally minded lifestyle that lead me on a nine month excursion through Mexico and Central America that was nothing short of life changing. This is where I fell into love and practice with yoga. This is where I fully dislocated my left shoulder for the first time. This is where I felt most connected to spirit and the Universe, and sort of started trying to drink less. This trip was eye opening, heart-filling, with one cultural and spiritual experience after the other, after another, finally ending my adventures with a three week intensive 200hr yoga teacher training on a nature reserve in Costa Rica - where I truly learned a lot about myself.

​Yet, upon returning from those travels I turned my back on the self-care, yoga, and spiritual routines I had grown into. I was catching up with old friends and family, I traveled a bit more short-term, fell in love, and before I knew it seven months passed and my drinking finally got the best of me. I decided to give it up for good November 2015. I decided to settle down in my home town of Skagit Valley, WA for a couple years and this is where everything really and truly, finally, caught up with me. I fell into culture shock, depression creeped back in, and with it brought two new friends formerly unknown to me: high stress and anxiety. Though it was a struggle, I used this time for self reflection and getting back on my feet. I delved into many self-experiments revolved around fitness, mindset, and food. 

Over the past decade I have experienced the reward of fitness as a type of overall anti-stress medicine. I have learned the value in working on one's self, flipping your perspective and being open minded. I have realized the tie back to nutrition - food - and our earth. In these realizations, I have found my love and gratitude for life.

It was in completing four nutritional resets (Whole30s) over four years and consistently checking in with my food/mood relationship, that I started to not only suspect food as a leading component of this intricately woven wellness puzzle and my mental battles, but I started to become aware of sugar addiction patterns in myself, as well as my clients. ​This drew me to the nine month nutrition course at The Nutritional Therapy Association where I studied in-depth the body's systems (digestion, blood sugar, adrenal health, and much more) and the affect of food and mindset on our overall wellbeing.

​It is here that my love and instinctive pulls towards real food and nature itself as powerful medicines to our body, mind, and soul truly blossomed. The realization that everything I had felt drawn toward my whole life is actually grounded in science and there is a whole tribe of beautiful people who also know this to be true and live by it, totally rocked my world! I still feel immense gratitude and excitement to be a part of the holistic, natural medicine, alternative therapies, and healing arts communities. ​

​Through my personal experiences and education I have come to see the healing powers that are gifted straight from our earth, our minds, and the way our food choices directly affect our perceived realities and mental health. I've made friends with and practiced along side people who have single handedly overcome their own auto immune diseases and other ailments by adopting a real-foods diet and having a positive outlook on life. I've now been humbled with the opportunity to work along side doctors of all kinds, (medical, natural, chiropractic, sports, and more) as well as other healers and therapists. I've attended many lectures and heard all about the "new science" grounded in ancient traditions that is emerging: Most everything we've been led to believe about our health and our bodies over the past century has been deeply flawed. In fact, it's caused more damage than healing, which is easily seen by the epidemic of various health conditions prevalent in today's society.

I'm here to take a stand and make a difference, because I know it starts with me and it starts with you. We can live optimally healthy and happy lives, and we do have the power to take our health into our own hands. I've done it myself, I've helped others, and I want to help you. Why not love the life you live?​

My journey is never ending. I will always be learning, growing, sharing, helping, guiding, healing. Let my mission be clear: with self-care focused around growth mindset, daily movement, and a delicious real-foods diet, you can live a truly happy and healthy life, and you don't have to do it alone!  ​