I'm a curious person by nature, seemingly stuck in 6-year-old mode, always asking why. It was a bit over a decade now that I started to scream that question. In a very brief period of time - less than three years - I lost two good friends, my mother-in-law (whom I happened to be quite fond of), and not one, but both my parents. If that all wasn't bad enough, during that same brief time, three more close friends were diagnosed with debilitating, life-shortening, progressive illnesses. 

 

I was a freelance photographer and retoucher, spending hours at my computer playing around with Photoshop. My source of entertainment while doing so came from my extensive music collection (yes, I still purchase rather than rent - don't tell the young people). I now found myself replacing my favorite tunes for health and wellness podcasts. The utter sense of helplessness I felt during those scant three years was still with me, and being the curious person I am, I needed to find answers. I needed to learn how to keep my remaining family and friends healthy and safe, not to mention myself. 

 

The more I listened, the more I read and researched what felt like endless material across innumerable topics. On too many occasions to count, I found myself with my jaw so agape that I thought I might develop TMJ. I have always considered myself fairly well-educated regarding all things health. As it turned out, however, it appeared I knew very little. And I realized this might likely also be true for the population at large.

 

After about seven years of educating myself, I started to feel obligated to share what I knew. Shortly after, in 2019, I decided to go for it and enrolled in a health coaching program at the Institute of Integrative Nutrition. I was excited to embark on a new adventure as an Integrative Nutrition Health Coach - INHC for short. 

 

Since then, coaching clients to better health and empowering them to make educated decisions has been an unexpectedly gratifying journey. I'm ceaselessly amazed by the healing powers of the human body. But most of all, at some point, you begin to realize the ripple effect healing has on someone's life. 'A rising tide lifts all ships.'

 

I still make regular dates with my camera and fiddle around with Photoshop whenever I get the chance.