I was born and raised in Oregon and currently live in a tiny town in the Portland Metro Area with my husband, a baby boy, and an almost 10-year-old (but acts like a 3-year-old) yellow lab, Cali. Food is life and cooking for other people is one of my love languages. I am my best self when I help others and when I’m in nature, preferably hiking. I enjoy spending time with friends and family, reading, painting, listening to music, exercise, volleyball (yes you can play team sports in your 30s!), podcasts, weighted blankets, binging shows, sunsets, everything fall, camping, off-roading, snow, sun, cider, and red wine. The spice I am most known for is coriander and my favorite tree is a ponderosa pine. I’m a stubborn and loyal Taurus and emerald green truly is my power color.

You probably want to know how I’m qualified to provide you with nutrition guidance.  I would too, so let’s get the formal part out of the way: I have a master of science in nutrition from the National University of Natural Medicine, master's degree in school counseling from George Fox University, bachelor of science in psychology from Western Oregon University, and a certificate in medical terminology from Linn-Benton Community College. Currently, I am working toward becoming a Certified Nutrition Specialist (CNS).

I was a high school counselor for 7 years with a caseload averaging 450 students a year. You might wonder why I decided to pivot from school counseling to nutrition at 32. It turns out, it was the best decision I could have made. Though there were numerous aspects of that job that I loved, providing crisis response almost daily and shouldering the weight of what I heard from my students had unforeseen impacts on my mental health. On the flip side I saw firsthand the impact of food on my students' academics and mental health. I decided to seek out better work/life balance by following another passion of mine: nutrition. 

Throughout my life, I was often sick. I had constant ear infections, strep (including a go with strep C), a C. Difficile infection, an unnecessary gallbladder removal, anxiety, inflammation, diagnosis of GERD, and IBS (because if I have anxiety, it must be IBS… insert eye roll here). After years of sickness and misdiagnoses, in my mid-20s I finally got two meaningful answers: likely Celiac Disease and a cross reactivity with dairy. I witnessed first-hand how food can hurt but more importantly how it can heal, which was an experience that helped my passion for nutrition to bloom. This new path combines my love of mental health, nutrition, and helping people.