NASM OPTIMUM PERFORMANCE TRAINER, CORRECTIVE EXERCISE SPECIALIST, AND PERFORMANCE ENHANCEMENT SPECIALIST

I didn't grow up in an environment that prioritized healthy eating and active living. But when I discovered the freedom and confidence that exercise gave me, it became a passion. When I learned about the value of nutrition, as well as how it can dramatically change my life, I committed to going to school to learn how to help others do the same for themselves. 

Once I started working in gyms, I never wanted to leave. It didn't take long for me to see the common problems leading people to remain frustrated in their progress. Not only limited information about proper nutrition outside of whatever was trending at the time, misunderstandings regarding the vital impact of hormone health, but also program design that left clients feeling worse over time. 

I've spent the last 17+ years learning not only through trial and error with my own clients, but following my personal passion for new research and expansive perspectives on whole body health. 

But it always comes back to my own experiences first. Growing up obese set the tone for how I relate to the fact that body size is far deeper than surface level. Regardless of whether someone is a standard, healthy size or not, the mental and emotional side of their journey to a healthier life must be understood and supported. 

Qualifying for Nationals at my first bikini show began my process of understanding that resilience isn't just the victory at the top of the mountain, it's who you choose to be if you fall after. My health crashed and was nearly completely taken right after when I was diagnosed with Lyme Disease and regained all the weight I had lost. I had to still choose to find my new definition of success in order to keep moving. My work in helping other people achieve their goals kept my hope alive that I would someday regain my freedom to exercise normally again. 

I want each person to find their resilience, whatever that path may look like for them.