Health Behavior & Nutrition Sciences

Alumna, Dietetics

"I lost my brother to cancer. My mom also had cancer while we were both caregiving for him. Within days of [my brother] passing, I opened my first personal training studio, which was Core Fitness, and I had that for 13 years. I think I became so passionate about helping people live happier, healthier lives - through movement, through exercise, through nutrition.

When I was working as a personal trainer, I realized that everyone was coming into the fitness setting with pain and injury, and I was was like, what am I going to do about this? So then I wanted to pursue my doctorate in physical therapy. I was going to school full-time, doing my doctorate and running my business, with the goal in mind of opening up a multidisciplinary practice because I really believe so strongly in looking at a human being from all perspectives and looking at it from a holistic and integrated approach.

Almost four years ago, I was diagnosed with stage 3 liposarcoma, which is a really rare and aggressive cancer. I got it two months before my wedding. At that time I was like, of course, why does this happen? I’ve been focused on health my entire life and I’ve tried to eat well, tried to exercise, I’ve always had a positive mindset. I went through the normal process of, “How am I going to get through this?” and the emotional piece of it. I decided to train for “American Ninja Warrior” while I was in treatment and I decided to put my mindset of nutrition and movement to the test. I finished treatment, chemo, radiation, surgery, chemo again, and four months after, competed on “American Ninja Warrior.”

Just over a year ago, I was kind of feeling this burning desire to really do this on my own. So here we are today. [At The Movement Paradigm], I do physical therapy. I do nutrition coaching with specializing in functional medicine, which is trying to find the root cause of disease - autoimmune, chronic disease. And then I also do movement coaching.

I love working with age range 40 to 60, but people who are active and, most importantly, just want to take ownership of their own health. People who are committed to making health changes, I think, is where I do best because I can give people the tools and strategies.

I think I was definitely put here on earth to change people’s lives from different perspectives, so that was just one part of the important piece of getting to opening up an integrative health center."