About

Education

Master's, Health Education - Columbia University, Teacher’s College
Bachelor's, Psychology - University of Pennsylvania

Certifications

Nutritional Therapy Practitioner (NTP), NTA
Certified Autoimmune Nutrition Specialist, AFPA
AIP Certified Coach (Autoimmune Protocol)
Certified Holistic Nutritionist, AFPA
Osteoporosis Fitness Specialist, MedFit

My Story

Nutrition and an active lifestyle have consistently been a central part of my life, both personally and professionally. I’ve worked as a health educator in the corporate, media, academic, and non-profit arenas. As an avid athlete and general health information seeker, I have always been incredibly interested in the various aspects of wellness.

But despite my best intentions, my body hasn’t always cooperated. I started struggling with inflammation issues and autoimmune disease in my 30s, which at times was limiting, intrusive, and upsetting. Ulcerative colitis and then inflammatory arthritis forced me to make many compromises, inhibiting me physically and taking a mental toll as well. I had always been extremely “healthy” with a solid diet and daily exercise, but true wellness was falling short.

Many exceptionally intelligent and well-meaning physicians offered medicine to suppress my symptoms but were unable to tackle problems at the source after that. And most notably, not one sat down and spoke to me about autoimmune in its broader meaning. What was it and what could I do about it. Instead it was unilateral. Accept, medicate, move on.

But I wasn’t ready to give in entirely. I researched and explored other options on my own in conjunction with traditional therapy, given its potentially dangerous side effects. Trial and error with many foods left me frustrated and I wasn’t able to find anyone to guide me, taking the whole picture into account. When I asked a world-renowned rheumatologist in NYC at my appointment about the dietary impact on inflammation, he mocked it and simply offered “well, you have to eat!”.

A few years later someone casually mentioned The Autoimmune Protocol (AIP) and I was intrigued. Maybe AIP would allow me to learn more about the nutrition and lifestyle impact on inflammation and autoimmune disease, maybe it would provide part of a solution for me. It did both. Finally – an explanation to autoimmunity –demystifying! Science-based strategies to help regulate it - empowering! And improvements to my health, and resulting quality of life, clear and profound- incredible! I knew this complete paradigm shift was not only a path towards feeling better for myself, but also, a clear opportunity to help others.

I dove in head first and immersed myself in all things autoimmune from a lifestyle perspective. Reading, listening, studying, and learning from leaders in the field of functional medicine and autoimmunity.

I became a Certified AIP Coach, followed by a Certified Autoimmune Nutrition Specialist.

Finally I hit my stride and rode it for a while - then another curveball. The day after I skipped into the office for my baseline bone density scan at age 50, thinking given my athletic lifestyle I had nothing to fear, chatting with the technician about how quick and easy the test was (yes, you know where this is going), I received a message in my patient portal that shocked me to my skeletal core - Osteoporosis of the hips, Osteopenia of the spine. WHAT?! After my initial panic, what I learned through again diving into research, was that in fact I had several risk factors, some of which were tied to my autoimmune condition and treatment that I should have been made aware of! Again, my plan immediately two-fold: improve my bone density as much as possible, and educate others at risk on how to do the same!

In an intensive year-long effort to round out my knowledge and skills as a nutrition/health educator and practitioner, I ultimately and proudly became a Certified Nutritional Therapy Practitioner (NTP).

I know that I’m getting the most out of the variables in life that I can control to optimize my health. I'm on my own wellness journey, maneuvering with knowledge and experience. It’s taken time to discover how I can achieve better health, I'm creating my apple, and now I want to work with you to find and own yours.

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