What led me on
this holistic journey…

Ever since I was a small child, I remember having stomach issues. Back in the 80s and 90s, attention was never really drawn to this issue. I suffered most of my life and went to many specialists over the years but never found answers. I will mention that I had a difficult childhood to say the least. I also suffered from debilitating migraines for many years. I became a nurse at the age of 20 which was extremely stressful to be graduating from a nursing program so young. At this point I was working midnights and continuing my education. I graduated with my associates and then went directly on for my bachelors and masters. My background as a RN includes Nursery and NICU, which I absolutely loved!

After my first master’s degree, I became a mother and pregnancy was not easy on me. I had all day "morning sickness" until the end, gestational diabetes, and was on bedrest for a while due to some complications. Experiencing pregnancy firsthand certainly gave me a new perspective when taking care of pregnant patients. Postpartum was difficult and because of the job I was in at the time I had to go back to work and leave my son at three weeks postpartum. I knew this was stressful at the time but looking back I really have no idea how I did it. Clearly this put a huge toll on my body. I experienced 2 miscarriages before getting pregnant with my daughter. Then came my second child and juggling work, breastfeeding/pumping, motherhood, life in general, my health started to really fail.

I learned I had Hashimoto’s (an autoimmune thyroid disease). I was putting everyone’s needs before my own. For decades I have experienced chronic neck pain. Spring of 2021 it took a turn and surgical procedures were required. Those were some of the hardest days with not being able to function and feeling like you are letting your family and your job down. As more time passed, life threw many stressors such as the pandemic, e-learning (if you know you know!), my mom getting a cancer diagnosis, death of pets, losing my father-in-law to Covid and much more. My body was screaming for help, but at the time I was just trying to tread water. I decided life was too short and it was time for a drastic change. I knew it would take work in all areas physically and mentally. I realized it was time to take major action in order to make real and long lasting change.

First, I learned to start focusing on my healing.

First, I learned to start focusing on my healing. I learned to trust my intuition and remove toxic people from my life. I had zero clue what putting myself first was really like. I had to learn that it was time to slow down, let go of the guilt of being out of work and take care of myself so that I could get better and be able to take care of me and my family first. This was when I underwent multiple neck procedures for the neck pain. Shortly after, I made the decision to take a work from home job which was good at the time, however it was not a fit for my passion in the long run of helping patients find the root cause of their health problems and truly heal.

During this time, I started to search for the root causes of my health issues. Just treating the symptoms didn’t sit well with me. This is when I really dove into functional medicine. Once I started learning, I couldn’t get enough of it. I started paying for courses and reading every book that I possibly could. I experimented on myself and watched my health improve in all aspects. I started feeling so much better and I now feel better than I have in a couple decades. I remember patients asking me in the office how to help them balance their hormones, but sadly traditional training doesn’t give you many tools. Now, I have learned that you must find and address the root cause to achieve optimal health. It is possible to feel like you again!

So, I took a chance, went back to school and just graduated as a Family Nurse Practitioner! I am very excited to announce that I am now seeing men and children in my practice. My first degree is in Women’s Health and it was always on my bucket list to go back for my FNP. This year I also attended the CEDH Homeopathy program which is an amazing modality to add to my practice for people interested in Homeopathy. I learned a lot about genetic mutations and which vitamins to take to best support the body and help you feel amazing. I myself have multiple genetic mutations that can make taking medications difficult and learning that there were other ways to heal the body besides a prescription has been nothing short of amazing. I have attended endless hours and coursework in Functional Medicine as well over the last two years and I am so excited to see this dream come to life. It excites me to help people in the way I have always dreamed and see them thrive and get their quality of life back the same way I did. As any of my patients will tell you, I won’t give up on you, I will be your biggest cheerleader, you will always feel how much I care. I am always here to listen to you and support you on your journey to your best self!