When I was 30 years old, I was diagnosed with stage IIIc metastatic melanoma. My course of treatment was an aggressive year long debilitating immunotherapy regimen. During this time trying to manage the side effects from treatment, I became fascinated by the way my body started talking to me through cravings about what it needed. These were foods that I wasn't eating on a regular basis prior. They were foods full of zinc, B vitamins, fatty acids, omegas, antioxidants, and phytonutrients. What we now refer to as the Mediterranean diet. I was amazed at how these foods lessened the impact of my side effects from treatment. From then on, I was captivated by the power of food.

​I went back to college to become a registered dietician, but during my volunteer work, the patients I visited wanted to talk to me more about their stories than the foods they liked to eat.

​I switched paths and became a clinical social worker. I worked as an oncology social worker and then as a generalist practitioner counseling adult populations with diagnosed mental illness or temporary challenges and struggles. I loved my work, but after getting pregnant with my first child at 41, I knew I needed to take a step back from the mental health profession.

When my son was 4 years old, I found a lump in my breast, and I knew immediately it was cancer. A two year aggressive treatment plan to combat the cancer finished with ovary removal and medically induced menopause. This fast and enormous biological shift left my mind and body reeling trying to adjust to a new normal. I had to learn how to adapt to my new reality, new body and to embrace the challenges that estrogen eradication presented.  I had to find a path that would yield a return to vitality, vibrancy, balance and joy. 

I became a certified Health and Wellness Coach so I could help myself and others allocate time, energy, and joy into a permanent self-care lifestyle. The modern world can feel like it barely allows time for a bathroom break,  and we are reading emails while doing so, the constant multitasking, and putting ourselves last, if at all. If this sounds similar or identical to how you and your life are feeling, I can help you find the reset button, and a path forward. Because you deserve to feel well.