I have been passionate about health and wellbeing since my transformation in college. I was eating the Standard American Diet (SAD) and burning the candles at both ends, as college students do. I had cystic acne and chronic bronchitis that turned into adult-onset asthma. I was sick of being sick, but luckily, I met a woman in NYC who changed my life. She was a macrobiotic counselor and acupuncturist, and I started seeing her weekly. She immediately had me eliminate dairy, refined and processed foods, and reduce meat, eggs, and poultry. Under her tutelage, I learned to cook vegetables, whole grains, and legumes and how to use seasonings and fermented foods like miso, tamari, and pickles. She taught me to ditch refined sugars and flours for less processed and more nutrient-dense versions. I went whole food plant-based before that even became a term!
I committed 100%, and within six months, my asthma disappeared, and my skin cleared up. My energy soared, and I lost my green pallor and all the bloat from the asthma and acne meds I was able to stop taking. That was almost 40 years ago! It was the first of many connections between how my dietary choices affected my physical health. I also read John Robbins’s “Diet For A New America” and learned about the environmental impact of animal agriculture and the socioeconomic disparities in our severely flawed food systems.
Many years later, working as a highly stressed executive in the music business, I regularly visited an acupuncturist who helped me relax, sleep, and boost my immune system. I also started practicing yoga and was amazed at how my health improved in both body and mind. I became fully immersed. Both these experiences led me to leave the music business and pursue a career in wellness.
I became certified as a yoga teacher through Yoga Works in Los Angeles, and earned my Masters in Traditional Chinese Medicine from Emperor’s College. For over a decade I practiced acupuncture and herbology and taught yoga, both classes and private clients. During this time I became more passionate about nutrition. I enrolled in the Global College of Natural Medicine and became a certified nutritional counselor. Because I am a longtime foodie and passionate about cooking healthy meals that taste as decadent as the less healthy versions, I started teaching cooking classes, doing private chef gigs, and eventually earned a certificate from Rouxbe’s Plant-based Culinary Certification program.
My passion for nutrition and lifestyle led me to my dream job as a health coach and care coordinator for the newly created Whole Foods Medical & Wellness Center launched by my health heroes Dr. Matthew Lederman and Dr Alona Pulde who I had seen when they were featured in the ground-breaking documentary Forks Over Knives. At the clinic I got to work alongside doctors, nurses, and therapists. This integrated model proved everything I had learned about health and wellbeing, while also taking a deep-dive into learning about western medicine treatments. As a care coordinator I often had to advocate for our patients navigating the medical system.
I honed my education and skills when I enrolled in Wellcoaches and became a Certified Health & Wellbeing Coach. During that time I also earned my Lifestyle Medicine for Health Coaches certificated from the American College of Lifestyle Medicine.
I am honored to have the experience and respect for working with doctors who believe in lifestyle medicine. It has had the greatest impact on my health coaching practice.
Before switching careers, I was a major-label record company executive. I’ve lived and worked in New York, Los Angeles, and Austin. My passions are cooking and feeding others, writing, reading, hiking, and sharing my life in the incredible city of San Francisco with my husband David, teenage son Judah, cat Ringo, and our rescue pups Luna and GeddyLee.
