I’ve been living with chronic illness and symptoms almost my entire life. As a child, I struggled with stomach pains, migraines, and anxiety. By 19, I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis and told I’d likely be in a wheelchair by 30.
At 29, I was the sickest I had ever been. On permanent leave from work, I couldn’t dress myself, couldn’t drive, and walked with a cane.
That moment changed everything.
I dove into research on my own—desperate to reclaim my life. I leaned on both traditional medicine and lifestyle medicine: nutrition, movement, and meditation. Slowly, my symptoms lessened. My quality of life returned. But one question burned inside me:
Why did my care teams never talk about food, nutrition, or mind-body medicine?
When I asked, I was met with indifference, criticism, or interventions I didn’t feel comfortable with.
I knew the system had to change—I just didn’t know how.
Years later, while working as a Department of Defense contractor leading a resiliency program, I was introduced to integrative medicine. For the first time, I saw a model of care that honored the whole person. My soul sang. This was what I had needed all along.
So, I left my career as a formal educator and pursued graduate studies in Integrative Medicine. By 2020, during the heart of COVID, I graduated from GWU and chose to specialize in Nutrition—because it had been the single biggest factor in transforming my health.
Today, I’m a Clinical Nutrition Specialist Candidate (CNS-C), Professor, and Health Specialist. I bridge the gap between care teams and patients, advocating for the power of evidence-based nutrition, lifestyle medicine, and self-care.
This blog is my way of bringing that work to you.
Here, you’ll find free tools, grounded science, and lived-in strategies to help you build energy, strength, and resilience. Whether you’re facing chronic illness, burnout, or just ready to feel at home in your body again—you’re not alone.
Welcome to StrongHER. Your healing starts here.
✨ Next Step: If this story resonates with you, join me inside the StrongHER Community. You’ll get:
- Free nutrition challenges to build habits step by step
- A private space for accountability & connection
- Weekly tools + encouragement from me
This is your starting place. Join my Memberships at Patreon!
