You don’t have to wait until something is wrong to invest in your health. Whether you’re looking to feel better today or build a strong foundation for the years ahead, we’ll take a whole-person look at the lifestyle factors that influence your well-being—including nutrition, movement, sleep, stress, relationships, purpose, and environment. Together, we’ll identify your strengths and opportunities for growth and create realistic, sustainable practices that support greater energy, resilience, and vitality while helping you proactively care for your long-term health.

Are you considering starting a family and want to ensure you have solid foundations? Do you want someone on your team through pregnancy? Are you struggling to maintain healthy habits while raising kids?  I work with parents and parents-to-be to establish healthy foundations for themselves and their families.

The health of a society depends on the health of its mothers and fathers.  However, parenthood presents challenges that can derail our health goals.  Time, energy, and resources may be more limited during this stage of life.  Many of us tend to put the needs and expectations of others first, sacrificing our own mental and physical vitality in the process.  However, neglecting ourselves isn’t a good long-term strategy, for us or for the people we love.  Fortunately, it is possible to take good care of both our families and ourselves.  Establishing healthy practices and mindsets increases our capacity to meet life’s demands and savor the journey. 

I work with parents and parents-to-be to build healthy foundations for themselves and their families.  My experience as a mother, obstetric nurse, and health coach informs my work, which is tailored to each client’s vision, values, and personal experiences.  I honor a parent’s intuition as an invaluable tool—a compass and ever-present guide.

If you’re ready to start a family and want to ensure your health is on-track before, during and after pregnancy, I’ll partner with you to lay solid foundations.  We’ll work together to build the habits, knowledge, and skills you need to step confidently into a new chapter.  If you already have children, and you’re noticing health concerns or patterns that you’d like to shift, we’ll work together to find what works best for you and your family.  The focus varies depending on each family’s needs.  We look at dietary habits, movement, sleep, physical environment, professional development, relationships, spiritual & emotional health, and work-life balance.  Building common goals and lifestyle practices can greatly increase the energy and connection within families.

Healthy weight is about more than a number on the scale—it’s about creating a lifestyle that helps you feel strong, energized, and at home in your body. Together, we’ll explore the habits and factors that may be influencing your weight, including nutrition, movement, sleep, stress, mindset, and daily routines. Rather than relying on restrictive diets or quick fixes, we’ll develop realistic, enjoyable practices that support a healthy weight, metabolic health, and long-term well-being—while building a more positive and trusting relationship with your body.

For people on GLP-1 medications, it’s especially important to incorporate supportive nutrition and fitness practices during and after treatment to minimize adverse outcomes and achieve your goals.

The transition to adulthood is one of life’s most pivotal chapters, filled with change and growth.  It’s an ideal time to establish habits and routines that will lay a solid foundation for years to come.  However, if we are not intentional, it’s easy to fall into patterns that are most convenient and comfortable, instead of those that best support our mental, physical, and emotional health.  Mindfulness, intentionality, and mentorship can help us discover what we want and how to get there.  Investing in yourself is one of the best decisions you can make to build a life that aligns with your vision.

I am here to help you achieve that alignment.  I specialize in healthy behavior change and use coaching principles that integrate body-mind-emotion-spirit-environment-community.  My clients and I work together to align their daily life with their health vision through inquiry, personal discovery, and accountability.  I honor my clients as the experts on their own lives.  The focus varies depending on each individual’s needs and preferences.  We look at dietary habits, movement, sleep, physical environment, professional development, relationships, spiritual & emotional health, and work-life balance.  I provide assessments to take stock of where you are in your life now compared to where you would like to be.  We may also explore your personality type to determine how to best motivate and implement personal changes.  The tools I use provide insight on what’s working for you and what’s causing stagnation.  Together, we’ll identify obstacles and create strategies for working around challenges.  I will help guide you through the process of change, provide relevant information, support you in tracking your progress, and hold you accountable to your goals.  When needed, I offer additional resources and link you with other healing modalities to create the best team for your needs.  My desire is for you to feel your best and live the life you want live.

Desmoid tumors (aggressive fibromatosis) arise from fibroblast cells that proliferate excessively.  Fibroblasts are found throughout our body in connective and soft tissues.  Although desmoid tumors are not usually life-threatening, their clinical course is unpredictable and can be life-altering.  It’s important that patients be evaluated and treated by a desmoid tumor expert, typically a specialist in sarcoma care.  Major academic medical centers can help support patient care through a multidisciplinary team that includes medical and surgical oncology, interventional radiology, and pathology.  In addition to conventional medical support, there are complementary lifestyle approaches that can support one’s healing and well-being throughout the desmoid journey.  A wholistic approach to healing improves a person’s quality of life and innate healing abilities.

My diagnosis with a desmoid tumor was life-changing in many ways.  For years it was a confusing, isolating journey, and most of what I learned was through trial-and-error.  I wish I’d had someone to help me navigate those difficult years and discover what I most needed to support my well-being.  Unfortunately, because desmoid tumors are so rare, resources are limited, and it can be difficult to find people who understand what living with this disease is like.  That’s why it’s my passion to come alongside fellow “desmoidians” (reference to one of the desmoid community’s Facebook groups!) to help provide this much-needed support.  Depending on my client’s individual needs, we will address dietary habits, movement, sleep, physical environment, professional development, relationships, spiritual & emotional health, and work-life balance.  Despite the obstacles and the unknowns, I encourage you to take things one day at a time and make the most of your one wild, beautiful life.

Don’t go through this alone—please reach out for a free consult to see if working together is a good fit for you!

Helpful Resources:

• https://dtrf.org/

• The Global Consensus Paper on the Management of Desmoid Tumors

• Desmoidian group on Facebook

• The Desmoid Project

Group coaching services are available per request.

Upcoming groups and events include:

• Holistically You event

• JMU Staff Wellness Fair

Past groups include:

• Chronic Illness Support Group

• Prediabetes Coaching Group

• Holistically You event

• JMU Wellness Fair

• JMU Women’s Health Fair