I am a Mom of three and have a love for all things food and outdoors. I have been through a long, strenuous journey of finding myself and my own confidence. I was an athlete my entire life playing competitive basketball year round and volleyball in the fall. Nevertheless, I was very fit, lean, and had the metabolism of a 12 year old boy. When I hit the age of 17, naturally, I started having to be aware of what I was consuming and started feeling the lapse in my food choices.

Alongside this realization, my Mother was diagnosed with brain cancer known as glioblastoma multiforme* - my biggest comfort became food. Everyday chocolate cakes, donuts, marshmallows, chocolate bars, you name it, I ate it. I felt out of control, a feeling like if I just ate to the point that I couldn’t feel anything anymore, I wouldn’t have to face the pain of what was happening at home.

On November 3rd, 2009, my mom passed away at our home. After that, nothing could change the hole that was left inside me - alcohol, drugs, food…nothing, but still I tried to find some form of comfort.

At this point in my life, I was a collegiate basketball player, so yes, I lifted and worked out like crazy, but because of my poor eating habits, I felt bulky, heavy, and sluggish. I found that I needed a change, and decided to step off the court and transfer to Bucknell University where I had to face every athlete’s struggle - transitioning into real life.

During my junior semester abroad in Tanzania, I contracted a parasite that altered my internal body chemistry, forever impacting what I could and could not eat without consequence. I came back 30 pounds lighter, no muscle definition, and countless people telling me I looked like a model.

I loved it. And with that love came the fear of ever gaining weight again. After that, I started running everyday, twice a day, and eating mainly vegetables and salads for my meals. I was not happy, I was not healthy, and I was obsessed with being skinny.

John, my now husband, was an active football player, wrestler, and baseball player and at the time, a collegiate baseball player - he was strong as hell. Whenever we joked around, he would pick me up and hold me so that I couldn’t get out of his grasp. It was when this happened that I realized, for the first time in my life, I was vulnerable and weak. This changed everything.

I embarked on a quest to regain my ability to eat the foods I once enjoyed, so my focus shifted to nutrition and exercise. I became a NASM Certified Personal Trainer and started my journey to have a career as a dietitian.

As a registered dietitian nutritionist and a personal trainer, I love that I actually enjoy a career within the world of food nutrition and exercise that can make a difference by helping others who want to live a healthy life.