" Take care of your body. It's the only place you have to live." Jim Rohn
ABOUT ME
If I'm going to be your health coach... I want you to know a little bit about me.
I grew up in what we Northwest Indiana folk like to call, The Region. Like most kids I drank soda pop, ate Little Debbie Snack Cakes, and loved going to Dairy Queen as a family treat. As I grew into an adult and began living on my own, I sadly found Taco Bell to be my favorite restaurant and before my morning ballet class I always ingested a can of cold Mountain Dew. Most people described me as too skinny and thought I needed to eat more. Indeed, I was always skinny... but was I healthy?
I graduated from Ball State University in Indiana, (yes, this is where Dave Letterman went) with degrees in Musical Theatre and Dance Performance. After graduation, I quickly moved to The Big Apple to pursue my dream of dancing professionally. I had great success in the business for over 15 years, but I always carried a dirty little secret...
I was never truly happy with my food choices, lack of cooking skills, emotional moods swings, low energy levels, my weak immune system, constipation, insecurities, problematic skin, depression, and of course all the negative rejections that came with my line of work.
In 2006, I met an amazing man who is now my husband. In the beginning of our relationship, we spent several years sliding further and further into bad eating and lifestyle habits. My husband was weak, overweight, depressed, angry, inflamed, and suffered from arthritis and sleep apnea. Feeling fed up, one morning we just decided to make a change, get healthy, and find balance. It all started with a morning smoothie, and a 2 minute run on a treadmill. After several months, my husband lost a total of 75 pounds and I lost 15. Since then, so much has changed for us.
Together, we lost the weight, gained a ton of energy and developed a great sleeping schedule. We cook and exercise together all the time. I am now an avid runner, cyclist, and yogi and my husband is a triathlete. We've experienced job promotions, become more responsible financially and the colds and allergies have disappeared. But most importantly, we are truly healthier and happier from the inside out. It sounds like a lot right? How do we fit it all in? It can be done, and I promise you it can be fun!
Once I started to incorporate healthier choices, my mind began to open up. All of the sudden, everything became clearer. I realized that what I had been doing with my life was not making me happy anymore. So I made the very difficult decision to retire from professional dancing. It had been something that fulfilled a certain part of me for many years, but I no longer felt free to be me in that world. Instead, I began to focus on how much I was enjoying the food I was eating. I loved reading about super foods, different grains, and trying new things. I never thought I'd be ready to make a transition away from the world of performing because I never thought I'd find anything I loved as much. Then I woke up one morning and said "This is it! I want to teach other people to feel as good as I do."
To bring it all full circle, now years later, I have added dance back into my life. This time, doing it my way and only for me. I dance for me. I dance because it makes me feel good.
FUN FACTS: The coach/client relationship is a personal one. If we're going to work together, we must learn more about one another. That way, the process of opening up can feel easier and more natural.
I grew up in what we Northwest Indiana folk like to call, The Region. Like most kids I drank soda pop, ate Little Debbie Snack Cakes, and loved going to Dairy Queen as a family treat. As I grew into an adult and began living on my own, I sadly found Taco Bell to be my favorite restaurant and before my morning ballet class I always ingested a can of cold Mountain Dew. Most people described me as too skinny and thought I needed to eat more. Indeed, I was always skinny... but was I healthy?
I graduated from Ball State University in Indiana, (yes, this is where Dave Letterman went) with degrees in Musical Theatre and Dance Performance. After graduation, I quickly moved to The Big Apple to pursue my dream of dancing professionally. I had great success in the business for over 15 years, but I always carried a dirty little secret...
I was never truly happy with my food choices, lack of cooking skills, emotional moods swings, low energy levels, my weak immune system, constipation, insecurities, problematic skin, depression, and of course all the negative rejections that came with my line of work.
In 2006, I met an amazing man who is now my husband. In the beginning of our relationship, we spent several years sliding further and further into bad eating and lifestyle habits. My husband was weak, overweight, depressed, angry, inflamed, and suffered from arthritis and sleep apnea. Feeling fed up, one morning we just decided to make a change, get healthy, and find balance. It all started with a morning smoothie, and a 2 minute run on a treadmill. After several months, my husband lost a total of 75 pounds and I lost 15. Since then, so much has changed for us.
Together, we lost the weight, gained a ton of energy and developed a great sleeping schedule. We cook and exercise together all the time. I am now an avid runner, cyclist, and yogi and my husband is a triathlete. We've experienced job promotions, become more responsible financially and the colds and allergies have disappeared. But most importantly, we are truly healthier and happier from the inside out. It sounds like a lot right? How do we fit it all in? It can be done, and I promise you it can be fun!
Once I started to incorporate healthier choices, my mind began to open up. All of the sudden, everything became clearer. I realized that what I had been doing with my life was not making me happy anymore. So I made the very difficult decision to retire from professional dancing. It had been something that fulfilled a certain part of me for many years, but I no longer felt free to be me in that world. Instead, I began to focus on how much I was enjoying the food I was eating. I loved reading about super foods, different grains, and trying new things. I never thought I'd be ready to make a transition away from the world of performing because I never thought I'd find anything I loved as much. Then I woke up one morning and said "This is it! I want to teach other people to feel as good as I do."
To bring it all full circle, now years later, I have added dance back into my life. This time, doing it my way and only for me. I dance for me. I dance because it makes me feel good.
FUN FACTS: The coach/client relationship is a personal one. If we're going to work together, we must learn more about one another. That way, the process of opening up can feel easier and more natural.
- I have one older brother.
- I was incredibly shy as a small child. I often cried out of being nervous or uncomfortable.
- I never went to my senior prom.
- I still talk to my best friend from high school.
- My parents are still married.
- I smoked cigarettes for 8 years.
- As a young adult, I never learned how to cook, and microwaved everything.
- I used to compare myself to everyone.
- I worked on a cruise ship.
- In my 20's, I rocked a really short haircut.
- I performed on the Broadway National Tour of CATS in 2003 and 2004.
- In my mid 20's, a dermatologist put me on Accutane for my acne.
- I am obsessed with Gwen Stefani and No Doubt.
- I was married in a red dress.
- I have fears like everyone else.
- I love a good, local craft beer.
- I rode my bicycle 160 miles... in one day.
- I ran my first marathon at age 40.
- I enjoy a good yoga class.
- I don't eat meat.
- I love tea.
- I have a dog.
- I hope to someday own my own chickens.
