About me
How I broke a 27-year cycle of yo-yo dieting to experience a huge transformation in health and happiness (and what it means for you).
I see you. You want to feel at peace with food, movement and yourself – without giving up hope that your body can have the energy, strength, and mobility to show up in life in ways that are important to you.
You want to support your health, but struggle to stay on track with any new eating or exercise program long-term. And yeah, you feel guilty and stressed out about it. Sometimes you aren’t even sure where the line between healthy eating and a fad diet IS, but you DO know a life of deprivation and willpower does NOT work. And not only is it exhausting how much of your time and brainpower is spent thinking about food (especially if you are the only one going to eat the stuff or you need to please your whole family), but life is just… Well, it’s a lot. So you bounce between feeling motivated and hopeless.
You want to take care of you, but life keeps getting in the way.
You’ve probably tried eating less and moving more, clean eating, Keto, Paleo or Whole 30, possibly Weight Watchers or South Beach. Maybe you’ve tried intuitive eating or just loving yourself the way you are. And to handle the stress of life, you’ve done checklists, time-saving hacks, and squeezing in a bit more self-care. But it’s just not cutting it.
You need more than tips and hacks, you need a long-term, nourishing solution.
I’m a mindset coach, and I help you explore a health journey with the least amount of toxic diet culture bullsh*t possible.
I’ve been there
I was put on my first diet at age 9 – when I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism. I took the same low-calorie sack lunch to school day-after-day while my friends ate the school’s pizza or chili with a cinnamon roll. I rode an exercise bike at home which quickly went from fun to feeling like a punishment for how bad and fat I had become. I snuck food – treats and extra bites as I was clearing the table.
Looking back on photos of that time, I see an average-sized kid who was led to believe she wasn’t good enough because of a number on a growth chart. I wish I could reach through time and give her a big ‘ol hug and tell her how amazing she is just as she is. Period.
Over the next 25+ years, I would bounce back and forth between gaining weight and losing weight – between dieting and feeling hopeless. I lost over 50lbs twice in my 20s, but it came back and more.
By my mid-30s, I was married, had 2 kids under three, was running a small business, trying to be a good friend, spouse, daughter, etc. I felt like I was eating pretty healthy, but the scale kept ticking up – about 10 pounds a year. Which was terrifying, because what did that mean for my 40s, 60s, 80s?! It was too scary to think about, so I often didn’t.
Plus, I was exhausted All. The. Time. Life kept dishing out a never-ending list of responsibilities and to-dos lists. I really wanted to enjoy my kids, but instead I was regularly losing patience with them and frankly, it was hard for my body to keep up with them.
My mind was a constantly ping-ponging between all the things I should be doing:
“What should I make for dinner?”
“My work inbox is out of control. I really need to get caught up.”
“Grr… just STOP and just be present with your kiddo right now!!!”
“Shit. I still haven’t texted my friend back.”
“Ugh…these pants feel SO tight. Should I try to do something about it AGAIN or go shopping?”
Dinner!
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Work!
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Be Present!
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Laundry!
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Don't forget your friends!
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These pants are so tight!
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Dinner! 〰️ Work! 〰️ Be Present! 〰️ Laundry! 〰️ Don't forget your friends! 〰️ These pants are so tight! 〰️
A turning point
I got a last-minute opportunity to go to Jamaica for a 4 night, all-inclusive vacation with two other couples. No kids. No schedule. No to-do list. I got to just go with the flow and say ‘yes’ to whatever sounded like fun in the moment.
It. Was. Glorious.
While sipping my cocktail on the beach, I realized I felt more like myself than I had in years. I felt happy and relaxed and free.
But that peaceful feeling quickly turned to panic. Would I only feel this way once every 3 to 5 years when I could afford to go on an all-inclusive vacation without the kids?!?...
No. No. Nooooooooooooooooo.
I didn’t know how I would do it. But I knew I needed a change. I needed less stress and more joy daily.
And it turns out that shift – joy as a strategy, rather than an outcome – was also a key to unlocking the path of healthy, sustainable weight loss that actually worked!
Why work with me 1:1?
If parts of my story sound all too familiar, and you can’t take it anymore either, but aren’t sure where to start – you are in the right place.
I’ve got you.
I’ve created a new way – one that addresses the mindset traps and hurdles (aka your paradigm) which is overlooked in the majority of health and/or weight loss programs.
Together, we work through a full paradigm shift to one that feels more like freedom than suffering.
Imagine a way forward built around flexibility, satisfaction, and self-compassion instead of all-or-nothing, restriction, and self-judgment.
You deserve a more pleasant and empowering journey – one where you learn to be gentle with and trust yourself, and weight loss can be a happy side effect rather than an all-consuming focus.
I can help you do this, because I’ve done it myself.
I’ve also completed the Martha Beck’s Wayfinder Life Coach training, Positive Intelligence, and am an EDIT™ Certified Eating Disorder Recovery Coach.
Food freedom and a joyful life is possible
At the airport in Jamaica, I picked up the TIME Magazine special on “The Science of Happiness.” That vacation and flight home marks the beginning of a massive, positive shift in my life.
I started small – practicing one tiny mindset tool at a time, which gave me some breathing room from the stressors in my life. Six months later, I hired a business coach which ended up being a gift for my whole life. I uncovered several limiting beliefs getting in my way. I came to see a disconnect between my essential self (the real, authentic me) and my social self (the person I learned to be in order to fit in and be loved).
With newfound awareness and tools, I started on a gradual healing journey – mentally, emotionally and physically. Eventually, I felt ready to think about weight loss again, but this time it was just one small piece of the change I was working towards, no longer my primary focus. And doing it in a way that aligned with my goal to have more joy and ease in my life made it wildly different from any other attempt before.
Small tweaks towards more joy in my life felt so doable in the moment, which made them possible. And together they added up over time to a HUGE transformation in my health and happiness.
This is me on my birthday, 22 months after that vacation that kick started it all. I couldn’t believe how much things had changed. Words fell short… I needed to capture, to SHOW, how amazing I felt.
I turned my life around in every way possible:
Found freedom from some of my life’s biggest stressors
Turned down the volume on the obnoxious judge and other mean voices in my head
Learned to listen to my body and work in harmony with it
Sleeping better and waking up rested
More energy and time to say “yes” to things I want to do
Have easily maintained a 70lb weight loss for seven years now, after a lifetime of yo-yo dieting
Found peace and joy with food instead of guilt, shame and stress eating
Stopped dreading exercise and started enjoying movement that fills me up
Being truly present with and enjoying time with my kids
Better communication and less judgment with my spouse
Discovered and found time to enjoy multiple hobbies, after having none
A positive transformation is possible for you too
I’m passionate about helping you design a health journey that WORKS for you with lasting results – because it feels GOOD to your mind, body and soul.
What People Are Saying
Fun tidbits about me
Here are some totally random, fun facts.
I love dark chocolate and peanut butter. I eat one or both nearly every single day.
I don’t like who I become when I’m hangry. So I’m the mom who stuffs packs of nuts in every purse and car. Not for the kids, but for ME.
My one tattoo marks the life-changing experience of studying abroad in Australia.
“Ideal retirement” looks like traveling – sampling and savoring tasty foods across the globe with my husband, one month at a time once our nest is empty – and working til the day I die because I love what I do THAT much.