Here's My Official Bio (if you want my REAL story, please scroll down the page!):
I am a Certified Holistic Health Counselor accredited by the American Association of Drugless Practitioners. I received my education from The Institute for Integrative Nutrition in New York City. Before becoming a health counselor, I earned a B.A. in Honors and Communication Arts from Villanova University.
There... that's enough 'official bio' information to satisfy the traditional folks. Now, on to the fun stuff!
* By the way, my family and friends don't like my professional headshot. Apparently, it doesn't show the 'real me.' If you want to see the 'real' me, keep reading!
If you visit my website regularly, you'll notice that my business is multi-faceted and constantly-changing. That's because I am passionate about a lot of things. I also have the luxury of changing my business as I learn more and more about the kind of schedule and lifestyle I need in order to be as healthy as possible.
I feel like my business has had many lives. I'm first and foremost a speaker. Right now, my passion is leading teleclasses for corporations as well as my website subscribers and clients. Never taken a teleclass before? You're missing out! It's like taking a class without leaving your home or office (more details here).
I also facilitate live seminars for groups of 30 up to groups of several hundred. My ideal audience? A women's group within a large company... or an organization that is passionately devoted to the health of its employees. Here's a list of my most popular seminar topics and corporate clients .
Secondly, I'm a writer. I absolutely LOVE to write. My writing started out with my monthly "Nourishing Nuggets" e-newsletter. Then I wrote a 19-week online nutrition program for marathon runners called The Peak Performance Nutrition Program.
Next came an eBook:The Ultimate Spring Cleanse: A Fast, Easy Detox Program for Beginners. My second eBook: "Your Winter Survival Guide: How to Protect Your Health and Your Sanity This Winter" just came out this year.
My latest writing project is the forthcoming book: You Don't Have to be Superwoman to be Healthy: 50 Ways to Reclaim Your Health. This yearlong wellness program is designed to help busy women incorporate healthy eating and wellness practices into their hectic lives. I had almost finished the rough draft of this book when I found out I was pregnant with my first baby... so this project was put on hold for a year. I'll return to it this fall to see it through to completion.
Last but not certainly not least, I'm a health counselor. I run a private health counseling practice in Andover, MA (but I support clients from all over the world). I support busy people who want to learn how to eat healthy and take insanely good care of themselves... without feeling stressed or guilty about it.
I also offer business coaching to other health practitioners who want to learn how to build their businesses quickly and successfully... without reinventing the wheel.
If you're wondering, "What the heck IS a Holistic Health Counselor, anyway?" you may want to read this page first.
I have the pleasure of serving as the nutrition advisor for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Boston Chapter of Team in Training. I have been interviewed as a wellness expert for Channel 4 News, a WETC spring TV series, and Strength Radio. My articles have been published in magazines like MD Life and Natural Awakenings.
I've recently been highlighted as an IIN grad on Dr. Mercola's health website, and m y business and corporate client work are highlighted in the book called Case Histories: The Dynamic Future or Nutrition published by The Institute for Integrative Nutrition.
Forget the Bio... Here's My Real Story
Why I Became a Holistic Health Counselor:
When I was a junior in college, I started having really intense stomach pains that would incapacitate me for hours. My OB-Gyn couldn't find anything wrong with me. My primary care doctor didn't have any advice, either.
Finally, I saw a GI specialist who diagnosed me with IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome). I had never heard of IBS before, but I was relieved that someone had finally put a label on my symptoms.
The Shock of the Diagnosis
My relief turned to shock as the doctor told me that IBS has no cure and I'd probably have it for the rest of my life. I later learned that doctors diagnose patients with IBS when they find nothing else wrong with them - IBS is a "diagnosis in the absence of a diagnosis."
The doctor gave me a prescription of Valium, Vicodin and Codeine. He told me to take those if my stomach acted up. Even at age 19, I knew I didn't want to take those drugs. I tried the Vicadin once when the pain was really bad. The result? My body turned numb, but my stomach still hurt! I threw the medicine away, and resolved to solve this IBS puzzle on my own.
My Personal Health Battle
I
spent the next 8 years trying desperately to get rid of my IBS. Every
day, by 2:00 p.m., my stomach started hurting
and I became so bloated that even my mom told me I looked pregnant.
I would cancel plans with friends at the last minute because my stomach
was a mess. Whenever I ate restaurant food, I'd end up in pain for the
rest of the night.
I dreaded flying because the air pressure and airline food made my stomach go crazy. Traveling was a nightmare because I got constipated whenever I was out of my element. I was ashamed about having more gas and indigestion than most people... and so I held the gas in, which only added to the pain and bloated feeling.
I tried everything - doctors, specialists, Metamucil, Bean-O, Gas-X, herbs, hypnotherapy, meditation, elimination diets, digestive enzymes... you name it, I tried it! Nothing worked, and I got more and more desperate with each passing day. I thought I was the only person going through all of this, and it was so frustrating.
During those 8 years, I worked in a series of high-stress, fast-paced corporate consulting jobs. I was a self-proclaimed perfectionist and overachiever. The only pace I knew was "faster, harder, better, more." Never content to rest, I was always on to the next thing - running a marathon, working longer hours, writing my own piano music. No wonder my stomach was complaining!
Something Had To Change... and Fast!
That's when I found the Institute for Integrative Nutrition (IIN) in New York City. I went to IIN with high hopes of curing my IBS. But, as I sat through the very first day of classes, I realized that IIN was much bigger than my stomach.
The things I learned at IIN blew my mind and I desperately wanted to share these simple - yet profound - concepts with everyone. Instead of IIN being about my stomach, it became about a career shift.
On the first day of class, I decided that I wanted to become a holistic health counselor. The day after graduation, I quit my consulting job to become a full-time health counselor. And I've never looked back!
These days, my IBS is 98% gone. I'm glad it's not gone completely. Do you know why? Nowadays, I look at my IBS as a gift and blessing. It helped me create a new life path for myself. It helps me slow down and take really good care of myself. It makes me realize how sensitive my body is, and how I need to treat it with the utmost care (almost as if it was a baby!).
Whenever I don't eat well or take good care of myself, my IBS starts "talking to me." I'm now smart enough to listen to it and change my ways!
There are times when I eat chocolate chips by the handful! There are days when I have to drag myself to the gym (or don't go at all). There are times when I get really stressed and overwhelmed and frustrated. I notice that those days surface less and less, which is great. But healthy living is a work-in-progress, no matter what your title. I'm on this journey for life!
I Love My Career
That
is exactly why I love working with clients like you. We remind each
other to chill out, choose healthy foods, and nourish ourselves. Whether
I'm working with a corporation or an individual, my goal is to help
my clients improve their health. In helping my clients heal themselves,
I heal myself just a little bit more. For that, I am eternally grateful.
I firmly and passionately believe I have the most amazing career in
the world!
To read about my personal health counseling philosophy, click here.
