Born and raised in Colorado, I have always been an outdoorsy and healthy person, thriving in the mountains, and relishing outdoor pursuits such as skiing and mountain biking.  Every winter for years my family went to a ski condo and I remember being stuck inside year after year with chronic ear infections, for which I was always given antibiotics, which would turn out to have long-term negative consequences on my health.  Growing up in a family for which coffee was a non-negotiable and life-force, I also became hooked on coffee at an early age, and worked at coffee shops throughout high school and college.  I loved everything about coffee: the culture, the smell, the taste, the atmosphere, and I harbored a dream to own my own coffee shop someday.

I left Colorado to explore a career in music, and then followed a path to social work and wilderness therapy, all the while thinking that I would someday have my own coffee shop.  I moved back to Colorado in 2014 and started working towards my dream of owning my own coffee shop. During this time, I started having debilitating migraines. Being the health-conscious person I am, wanted to know why, instead of just taking medication to mask the symptoms. It was also around this time I started to realize it wasn’t normal to be constipated all the time!  After all those years of antibiotics for my ear infections, my microbiome was pretty messed up (understandably), and I had pretty awful digestion.  I was also dealing with some other health issues like carpal tunnel syndrome, restless leg syndrome, yeast infections, Raynaud’s (a circulatory condition affecting the extremities), and hypothyroidism.

My migraines got so bad that I had to leave work because my vision would become blurry and I would get nauseous and sick.  I experimented with eliminating different foods and things from my diet, and finally discovered that caffeine was the trigger for my migraines.  Coffee, my favorite thing in the world, was literally making me sick!  This discovery changed my life.  If I couldn’t drink coffee, I definitely didn’t want to work in a coffee shop, much less own one.  I discovered that I was really passionate about the WHY behind health struggles, and that I wanted to help others get to the root causes of their health challenges.  I first became a Certified Health Coach, but felt that I wanted a more in-depth education.  I discovered the Nutrition Therapy Institute in Denver, and started my journey to become a Nutrition Therapist Master. The more I learned, the more I felt like I was in the right place, and the more I HEALED.  I am a firm believer that whole, real food can heal!  Every person has their own unique health journey, and no one needs to be defined by their health issues.  It is possible to feel better, heal, and become the very best version of yourself!  And I am passionate about helping you get there!

In my free time you can usually find me cooking healthy food, playing music with my band, skiing, or mountain biking with my dog Rufio and husband Chris.