My Story: From Feeling Broken to Feeling Like Myself Again

For much of my life, I have been trying to understand my own health.

My journey began when I was just four years old, when I was diagnosed with Henoch-Schönlein Purpura (HSP), now known as IgA Vasculitis—a condition that affects the small blood vessels. That was my first experience with an immune system that wasn’t functioning the way it should.

As I grew up, there were chronic ear infections, sore throats, respiratory infections, seasonal allergies, antibiotics, allergy shots, and eventually surgery to remove a gallbladder that had essentially stopped functioning.

But I didn’t yet understand how all of these pieces might connect.

In my 20s, life became increasingly stressful, and I turned to food for comfort. My weight reached 210 pounds, I was diagnosed with obesity, and my triglycerides were elevated. I was exercising, trying to manage my weight, and doing what I thought I was supposed to do—but I still didn’t feel well.

In my 30s, I decided it was time to change. I lost 80 pounds, but instead of feeling better, I began experiencing fatigue, low mood, hair loss, brittle nails, and frustrating fluctuations in my weight despite eating well and exercising.

That’s when I was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis.

Suddenly, some of the pieces started to come together.

I began paying much closer attention to the connection between what I ate and how I felt. Through my own nutrition journey, I discovered that certain foods were contributing to symptoms I had accepted as “normal.” When I removed gluten and dairy, my bloating, reflux, and indigestion improved dramatically. My bowel movements became more regular. My seasonal allergies improved, and the chronic ear infections and hives that had been part of my life for years disappeared.

For the first time, I began to understand that food wasn’t simply food. It could be information for my body.

But I still had a lot to learn.

For years, I believed that if I wanted to lose weight, I needed to eat less and exercise more. I spent countless hours in the gym, sometimes completing back-to-back classes, constantly focused on calories, the scale, my clothing size, inches, and how much weight I could lift.

I was smaller than I had ever been. But I wasn’t healthier. And I certainly wasn’t happier. My relationship with my body had become unhealthy, and I eventually realized that I had been working against my body rather than learning how to work with it.

Then came another chapter.

In my late 30s, I was diagnosed with Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome following mold exposure. I experienced brain fog, memory problems, fatigue, mood changes, and the overwhelming feeling that my brain simply wasn’t functioning the way it used to.

And then, as if my body hadn’t already given me enough to figure out, I entered perimenopause.

Night sweats. Sleepless nights. Low libido. Changes in mood. Cystic acne. Exhaustion. Weight gain.

I remember feeling like I was no longer myself. I felt frustrated in my own body and, at times, inadequate in my marriage. I wondered why the strategies that had worked for me in the past suddenly weren’t working anymore.

Welcome to perimenopause.

My experience with hormone therapy taught me another important lesson: there is no one-size-fits-all answer.

What helped one symptom created another challenge for me. I experienced significant weight gain in a short period of time, particularly around my abdomen and thighs, and once again found myself struggling with my body image and wondering what I was doing wrong.

But this time, I approached the problem differently.

Instead of asking, “How can I force my body to change?” I started asking, “What does my body need from me now?”

That question changed everything.

I began focusing on evidence-based nutrition for women going through perimenopause, adequate nourishment, strength training, recovery, sleep, stress management, and the unique metabolic and hormonal changes that occur during the menopause transition.

I stopped overtraining. I stopped under-eating. I stopped believing that more exercise and fewer calories were always the answer. I started building muscle, prioritizing recovery, and giving my body the fuel it needed.

And slowly, things began to change.

Today, I’m in my late-40s and navigating my own menopause transition with a completely different perspective. I’m sleeping through the night. My energy has improved. My 3am wake up calls and night sweats are gone. I sleep through the night and wake up feeling rested. I feel stronger. I feel clearer. And most importantly, I feel like myself again.

My health journey has also given me an appreciation for just how interconnected the body is. Nutrition, metabolism, hormones, digestion, immune function, stress, sleep, movement, medications, genetics, and emotional well-being don’t exist in separate boxes.

They influence one another.

That’s why I don’t believe in handing someone a generic meal plan and sending them on their way.

As a Board Certified Nutrition Specialist (CNS), Licensed Dietitian Nutritionist (LDN), and National Board Certified Health & Wellness Coach (NBC-HWC), I combine medical nutrition therapy, evidence-based nutrition, functional nutrition testing when appropriate, and lifestyle strategies to create a plan around you.

But my personal experience brings something else to my work.

I know what it feels like to be the patient.

I know what it’s like to look at your labs and wonder what they mean.

I know what it’s like to do everything you’re told to do and still not feel better.

I know what it’s like to wake up exhausted, struggle with brain fog, gain weight despite your best efforts, lose confidence in your body, and wonder if this is simply your new normal.

And I know what it feels like to finally begin putting the pieces together.

That’s why I don’t expect perfection from my clients.

I believe in progress.

One small change. One better meal. One restful night. One strength-training session. One decision to stop fighting your body and start listening to it.

You don’t have to take a giant leap to transform your health.

You just need to take the next right step.

My goal is to help you stop guessing, understand what your body needs, and start feeling like yourself again—with a clear nutrition strategy designed to improve your metabolism, cholesterol, energy, and confidence.

Because I’ve been on this journey, too.

And I know there is a way forward.

My Approach

The Pillars for Health