Me, My Training & Contact

I grew up in Wisconsin and loved athletics from an early age.  I enrolled in gymnastics and swimming when I was 3, and softball when I was 6.  I played high school volleyball, gymnastics and softball, coached gymnastics, taught swimming lessons and was employed as a lifeguard.  I then went to college at the University of Wisconsin - Madison where I studied pharmacology and toxicology.  I participated in the occasional beer league softball game and summer volleyball game, but my nutrition suffered and I wasn't moving around as much, as studying was the name of my new game. Between college and optometry school, I found my love for running and my passion for nutrition.  It was during Optometry school that I ran my first half marathon!  Following Optometry school, I completed my holistic health coaching certification through the Institute of Integrative Nutrition, my personal training certification through the ISSA and ran two marathons for Team One Step and raised over $1000 to help children with cancer go to summer camp!

During my training at IIN,  I studied over 100 dietary theories, practical lifestyle management techniques, and innovative coaching methods with some of the world’s top health and wellness experts. My teachers included Dr. Andrew Weil, Director of the Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine; Dr. Deepak Chopra, leader in the field of mind-body medicine; Dr. David Katz, Director of Yale University’s Prevention Research Center; Dr. Walter Willett, Chair of Nutrition at Harvard University; Geneen Roth, bestselling author and expert on emotional eating; and many other leading researchers and nutrition authorities.

My education has equipped me with extensive knowledge in holistic nutrition, health coaching, and preventive health. Drawing on these skills and my knowledge of different dietary theories, I love educating people on proper nutrition and healthy lifestyle choices.  Nutrition is also very important for healthy eyes!

I currently live in the Chicago suburbs with my fiance, Keith, and my dogs Stella and Maeby (Stella is on the left, her best friend Mika is on the right).  Stella can be found in most of my fitness photos.