My Story
Why I Do This Work
When my son was 6 months old attended a lecture by Ken Cook of Environmental Working Group. I'd been interested and working to reduce the toxins
in my life for years already. His talk shook me to my core as I listened to him make clear how small amounts could impact us
and the punchline of the talk was that over 200 of these questionable chemicals were showing up in cord blood.
That event renewed my belief and passion that toxins are a foundational issue for families
and everyone else. I realized how much more there was to learn and take action on, and how overwhelming it could feel to open the conversation.
I am passionate about teaching people to take control where they can through knowledge and making informed choices.
I like to talk about a 'Healing Home'.
We spend about half our daily 24 hours insider homes, on average. By taking charge of that environment and what we bring inside, we can have a major impact on our health. We can reduce our exposure to chemicals that mess with our various different hormone systems, worsen or trigger ADHD, contribute to various cancers and autoimmune problems, make weight loss harder, and so much more.
For me, this is one of the foundational things to be considered and worked on with every client. People are afraid to turn and look at this issue because it feels overwhelming. I only discuss what is actionable with the purpose of leaving people feeling informed and empowered.
Then came my daughter. When she was in preschool, she started getting stomach aches, got overwhelmed in social situations easily and would have these fits of distress that were daily and always lasted 45 minutes.
It went on for years, and we consulted a variety of specialists. One M.D. told me it was all in her head,
in front of her! Then I painted a full picture for a wonderful functional medicine M.D. who helped us look for the
root of it all. My daughter was sent in for testing to rule out high functioning autism.
It turned out she was severely gluten intolerant, was missing basic probiotics and had leaky gut. We changed her diet, focused on healing her gut and other things and now she blows my mind with how completely she is thriving! I wouldn't have thought it possible. That's why I focus on what I call Forgotten Middle Families, not the kids who are already thriving, and not the ones who are highly supported by the schools, but those families in the middle, where I feel I can have the biggest impact as a coach.
Training and Credentials
In 2012, I completed my first Health Coaching Certification through the
Dr Sears Wellness Institute ,
focused on working with families around the foundations of health and how to get that implemented into daily life . As a life-long learner, I continued to earn more certifications: teaching adults how to build a long term health plan, and another for moms during and right after pregnancy. I've been
guest teaching at elementary schools since, with my signature kids talk about how to make basic heathy food choices and a game that always shocks teachers and students alike about how much sugar we drink.
I began my
Master Health Coach Certification in 2016 to deepen my coaching skills. In September 2019, I was very proud to be part of the first cohort to pass the
National Board Exam for Health and Wellness Coaches , earning the NBC-HWC behind my name. Since then, I have also taken a variety of courses around Environmental Health
focused on toxins in our personal care products, furniture, cleaning products, water and more , culminating in 5-month intensive course on Environmental Health.
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5 Month course in everyday toxins, their impact and how to reduce exposures.
Five month course in Environmental Health about toxins, their impact on our health and how to reduce exposures covering- from personal care, to furniture and water quality.
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National accreditation designation for Health Coaches for completion of an approved program, practicum coaching hours and passing the exam administered by the National Medical Board.
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A deep dive on conversational techniques based in therapy to develop coaching skills that support client led growth and change. Recognized by ICF.
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Lifestyle, Exercise. Attidue and Nutrition- training to coach families on the basics of supporting kids and parents into healthier lifestyles,
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Focused on adults of all ages on lifelong skills and foundational knowledge on how to build a healthy lifestyle and how to work with your doctor for lifestyle change before medication.
Raised in Ottawa, Canada, I grew up amid the diplomatic and policy communities surrounded by people from around the world. My curiosity led me to Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan, and a year at Neuchatel Jr College in Switzerland where I managed to visit 50 cities in 10 countries in 10 months. I pursued my interest in the world and its people and cultures through my BA in International Relations (history, political science and economics) with minors in Social Cultural Anthropology and Comparative Religious Studies at York University in Toronto. After graduation, I worked as a Tour Escort, bringing seniors to Europe and various places in North America, Leaving that work behind, I went backpacking around South East Asia riding elephants, hanging out with tribal villagers and watching sea turtles hatch eggs in the night.
After my travels, I moved to Boston where I earned my M.A. in Mass Communications which brought me to LA. Following my successful tenure in the entertainment industry as associate producer creating marketing videos for games such as Call of Duty, I left the corporate world behind to align my career with my values of being of service and engage my long time fascination with the impact of food and toxins in our lives.
I love to travel, read, drink good tea, run, kayak sometimes, and mostly play with my family. I live in Southern California with my husband, two kids, a pair of mischievous house rabbits and our little dog.
