high school

My journey towards becoming a dietitian actually began in high school, with my own health struggles. 

At that time, I was plagued with bloating, intense stomach pain, nausea, and dizziness. I tried to “fix” this on my own with different diets but was left with more questions than answers, a poor body image, and a debilitating fear of far too many foods to boot.

Turns out, I had IBS and a thyroid issue; both conditions are very manageable once you have the right diagnosis and support from your healthcare practitioners. What surprised me then was that my healing wasn’t just about food: I learned stress management techniques, yoga, and mindfulness skills that serve me to this day. 

In college, we dove into the science of how our bodies thrive with the right nutrition. We learned specific medical nutrition therapy for various conditions. Yet we were also taught the old ways of diet culture - Calorie-controlled diets. Weight management. The weight-centric healthcare model. This never sat well with me, and never worked in the real world with my clients, which is consistent with the research. 

This training was robust and difficult, but I still felt that something was missing when I went on to work with individuals.

Beyond my bachelor’s degree and internship to become a registered dietitian, I quickly felt at home with the training offered towards becoming a Certified Intuitive Eating Counselor. Finally! The missing piece of the puzzle for how I wanted to work in the field of nutrition and effect real and lasting change for my clients.

Food is so much more than vitamins and minerals. Our relationship with food mirrors our relationship with ourselves, our self-esteem, and our emotions & needs. They’re all intertwined. As I work with clients, I take a comprehensive approach to nutrition counseling that includes your mindset, experiences, and history – they all matter!