Master Primal Health Coach
Corrective Exercise Specialist, NASM-CES
Certified Personal Trainer, NASM-CPT
500hr Teacher Training Graduate
Experienced Registered Yoga Teacher, 500 Hours, ERYT-500
Certified Teacher, Therapy Ball Practitioner, and Former Director of Teacher Training and Continuing Education
Bachelor of Science, Summa Cum Laude, Biology for Medicine, Class of 2000
a zillion more continuing education certifications and course completions not listed but equally as snazzy
I'm living my dream. I’ve always been fascinated by human movement and driven towards helping others live better in their mind and body. I feel incredibly fortunate to work with the people I do and look forward to discovering new ways to help them move towards achieving their mobility, fitness, health, wellness, and lifestyle goals.
I run my own coaching company and am dedicated to my pedagogic endeavors in order to stay at the top of my game. I’ve traveled the globe to complete extensive education and feel honored that my qualifications and insight help me meet the needs of my clients.
I’ve been around the block (since 2003) in the Health & Wellness community of Southern California and have developed a network of amazing resources to pull from to find solutions with integrity and success.
When I’m not “geeking out” over the latest health and wellness journals or experimenting with new embodied movement modalities, I’m usually floating in the ocean, hiking in the mountains, rafting a Class V river, in a hammock reading, waging war against squash bugs in my garden, or practicing Yoga. And much to my Mother's chagrin, my awesome hubby and I can often be found conquering new adventure travels in remote corners of the earth.
I think about dinner when I’m eating lunch. Yes, I’m one of those people. I love reading every cookbook in print, spelunking every corner of the culinary world, cooking amazing food, fermenting everything that will hold still long enough, and sharing it with my family and friends. I also enjoy partaking in biodynamic wine, artisanal booze, and dark chocolate...never forget the chocolate.
Lastly, I would be remiss not to mention my love of organizing anything and everything...including people’s posture and Tupperware cabinets (not at the same time…although I do think I could manage it).
Your doc sent you to me because I know firsthand how to help people who are going through a medical challenge find and maintain a healthy lifestyle in the face of what they have going on. Why?
I have a rare localized Scleroderma called Parry Romberg Syndrome. It took me a long time to say this fact out loud. It wasn’t really noticeable at first, just a small patch of rough, waxy skin on my left cheek. Over the 15 years, however, this autoimmune disease has spread, hardened, and deeply compacted the whole left side of my cheek into my mandible (jaw bone). The best way to describe it is similar to a 4th-degree, burn/scar tissue situation in this area — and it is still active. Like the damn Energizer Bunny, this thing.
The consequences of this physical transformation, for lack of better words, just suck. The thickening and atrophy of the muscles has resulted in my jaw frequently spasming, causing me to bite my cheeks and tongue. As the disease spreads, it painfully locks down everything in it's path making it feel as though the soft tissues in my jaw are being pulled from their osseous attachments (they are).
Scleroderma also gives me the gift of feeling like I have concrete joints all over on many days and complete exhaustion on others. Yup, it’s as fun as it sounds. The good news is, I’m in the business of ameliorating, if not eliminating, funky body afflictions. Isn't it interesting how the world works?
It has literally taken me blood, sweat, tears, and HELP from outside sources to learn how to live well both emotionally and physically with this affliction. And not just well, I’m thriving and very happy! I was able to draw from all my different avenues of education (as well as learn new things) to find tools that help me achieve a healthy body and sound mind. Not to mention, how to have fun and feel empowered while I do it!
It’s true that I’ve had to change some things in order to achieve the quality of life I desire. But in the end, it’s been worth every moment of vulnerability, discomfort, and occasional failure. I’m coming out the other side stronger than I went in.
I'm still not always 100% comfortable with saying that I have Scleroderma, but the more I work with what I’ve got, the more comfortable I am in my special skin and the more prepared I feel to enjoy life each day.
This, along with my education and experience, is why I get many referrals from different medical communities around the United States. I have the background knowledge, personal context, and an intimate appreciation of the effort involved when attempting to live well in the face of pain and/or a nasty disease.
If you are interested, I'd be honored to help you find your path to the same freedom and strength.
Contact me today if you'd like to chat!
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