Let Me Introduce Myself
I HAVE TO BE HONEST WITH YOU
I HAVEN'T ALWAYS BEEN PASSIONATE ABOUT HOLISTIC HEALTH AND WELLNESS. In fact, for most of my life, I didn't put much thought into how I fed myself or even cared for myself for that matter. In my younger years I was "bulletproof". At least I believed I was as all adolescents and young adults do. I ate processed and fast foods, avoided fruits and vegetables like the plague, partied most weekends and wasn't even remotely connected to my mind, my emotions or my body. I was just too busy experiencing life and having a great time doing it.
Fast forward twenty years and it was a completely different story. A marriage, house, successful legal career, two children, a divorce, a new blended family, a son diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome and a daughter diagnosed with an eating disorder later, and my bulletproof days were over.. Exhaustion ruled every day of my life. I struggled to find the energy to get out of bed each morning. I couldn't stay awake during my afternoon drive home unless I had the support of a Starbucks triple latte by 3pm. My eating habits got worse, I craved sugar and drank more red wine and gin and tonic than I care to admit. Along came digestive problems, periods from Hell, a flare-up of my Hashimoto's thyroid disorder which had been well controlled for many years, and a 15lb spare tire around my midsection. My mojo for life was a flickering ember as opposed to the ranging flame it was in my younger years. To top it all off, on the eve of my 39th birthday, I landed in the hospital in agonising pain which turned out to be a gangrenous (yes, you read that correctly) appendix that was on the brink of rupturing. I was a hot toxic mess, physically and emotionally.
THIS IS WHERE MY JOURNEY BEGAN
When you're stuck lying in a hospital bed for three days with no television and only Hollywood smut magazines to amuse yourself with, you spend a lot of time thinking about what landed you there and what needs to change in your life. It was then that I knew I had to start caring for myself again. That it was time to heal and reclaim myself.
For the next five years I embarked on an incredible journey to health and happiness through the power of wholesome food, alternative medicine and therapies, physical movement, stress management and emotional self-care. I dug myself out of the hole of a diagnosis of adrenal burnout and into a place of revitalized energy, a sense of calmness and connection with the world around me. As my passion for healing myself grew, so did my passion for helping those around me do the same. That's when I knew it was time to change career paths. In 2014 I ended my 20 year career as a litigation law clerk and returned to school full-time to study at the Institute of Holistic Nutrition in Toronto where I went on to graduate as Valedictorian with first class honours.
For the next five years I embarked on an incredible journey to health and happiness through the power of wholesome food, alternative medicine and therapies, physical movement, stress management and emotional self-care. I dug myself out of the hole of a diagnosis of adrenal burnout and into a place of revitalized energy, a sense of calmness and connection with the world around me. As my passion for healing myself grew, so did my passion for helping those around me do the same. That's when I knew it was time to change career paths. In 2014 I ended my 20 year career as a litigation law clerk and returned to school full-time to study at the Institute of Holistic Nutrition in Toronto where I went on to graduate as Valedictorian with first class honours.
"Let Food Be Thy Medicine and Medicine Be Thy Food”
Hippocrates
My Approach to Health and Wellness
There is more to living a healthy and holistic lifestyle than what we put in our mouths!
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WHEN YOU WORK WITH ME you are working with someone who has been there. I get it. I have experienced the burnout from juggling a full-time career with the chaos of being a full-time mother and spouse, and managing a household. I have literally been that woman who gets the kids to bed, sits on the couch to watch some mindless TV and unwind, and then passes out two minutes in.
I also understand that making dietary and lifestyle change isn't always easy. Not everyone has the ability to change gears and turn their way of eating and living upside down overnight. While I look at nutrition from a scientific and clinical perspective, I approach it in a practical way. I do not believe in overcomplicating things and I don't believe in fad diets. |
I believe that you can create profound change in how you feed your body and still enjoy the process. I will work very closely with you to determine what approach will help you achieve optimum health in a way that is not overwhelming, is sustainable and will fit in with you and your lifestyle. Often times, taking baby steps is the greatest key to success rather than diving in head first (but I can certainly help you do that if you are game!).
I want you to succeed, and if that means that you keep your morning cup of coffee or evening glass of wine for a little while longer, then that is what you shall do!
I assess health and vitality in the context of your entire life experience, including your physical, emotional, social and environmental circumstances, and use food choices, supplements, education and lifestyle alterations in a non-invasive way to empower you to self-heal, build health and maximize vitality.
In my practice:
Together we will work to create a personalized strategy to help you create an effective and manageable plan that works for you.
In my practice:
- There is no one-size fits all approach — every client is considered to be unique and individual.
- The person as a whole is always taken into account.
- Nutritional deficiencies, insufficiencies and excesses are examined and addressed using the positive attributes of nutrients.
- Tools of my trade centre on whole, natural food and supplements without harmful additives, with an eye on environmentally sound alternatives.
- Concentration is on preventing poor health or re-establishing good health, catching imbalances in the early stages, but diagnosis and treatment are not part of my Scope of Practice.
- Education of my clients is of primary importance.
- I provide ongoing and practical guidance so that my clients remain control of their own well-being.
- I use the latest available research and clinical evidence to develop a personalized health plan based on individualized health goals.
- I take a practical approach focusing on food choices, lifestyle changes and supplement suggestions, expressed in terms that any client, regardless of knowledge level, can easily understand.
Together we will work to create a personalized strategy to help you create an effective and manageable plan that works for you.
My number one goal is for you to discover a lifestyle that is balanced, healthy and blissful, and I am committed to helping you create that.
