I’m a faith-based registered dietitian and holistically trained functional nutritionist who gets to the root cause of persistent and increasingly difficult health issues so that you can experience lasting transformation rather than temporary symptom-based solutions.
I’m married to the love of my life, Sam, and we have three kids.
We live in a small town in Louisiana.
Growing up, I didn’t think my life was very interesting, but looking back, I now see why people had so many questions for me.
I grew up with a single, totally blind mom doing her best to raise three children, with one of those children being blind also. When I was six years old, my parents divorced. My mom moved us from Maryland to Louisiana for a job.
People would ask me what it is like growing up with a blind mom. I would ask right back with what is it like growing up with a sighted mom. I didn’t know any different. That was my normal, my reality, and all I had known.
Now having a family and kids of my own, I completely understand the question! My mom was a wonder woman!! She was the strongest woman I’ve ever met. She taught me so much about perseverance, determination, courage, hard work, and the power of a positive attitude. My mom also instilled in me a love for going against the grain and not doing something just because it’s popular.
She had an interest in food, always looking for healthy options. Unfortunately, that was during the 80’s and 90’s when processed food was booming and there was a fat phobia. I grew up with lots of Snackwell, Lean Cuisine, skim milk, and fat free chips. Even still, I gained that love for healthy eating as well.
The first spark of interest I had in making a career out of food and nutrition was when a dietitian came to talk with a group at my mom’s work.
She talked about the Food Guide Pyramid and how what you eat plays a role in weight. At that time, I had watched my mom lose and gain 30 pounds multiple times. I did NOT want to go down that road! So I guess my first interest in becoming a dietitian was for vain reasons.
But nonetheless, my interest peaked and I knew I was called to be a dietitian.
It was just a feeling I had and, also, I spent all of my free time in college reading about food and nutrition. Going into college though, I was told by several people that the nutrition and dietetics degree program was hard. This fear changed my mindset and I started telling myself I wasn’t smart enough, it was too much work, and I would never be able to finish that program, so that’s not the degree path I chose at first. It wasn’t until the middle of my junior year in college that I finally rejected the negative voices, and switched my major to nutrition and dietetics. Yes, it was hard but it was much easier to do what I knew was my calling rather than fighting my way into something that was not making me happy.
After becoming a registered dietitian, I worked in a hospital in Texas. I started out working with patients in the hospital and quickly moved into an outpatient position in the cardiac rehab. That’s really where my love for helping others with nutrition began.
There is nothing introverted about me…I’m a complete extrovert! I love talking with others and finding out their story. But what I also love is being a detective. It just makes sense to me that if a health problem is presenting itself, there is an underlying cause. And until you fix the underlying cause, the health problem won’t go away.
That's how I run my practice.
I want to help you find the underlying, root cause to your nagging health problems so you can actually reach health and live your life thriving, not just surviving. You're made for more!!
I started my practice in 2008. After I got married and we lived away for a few years, we wanted to be home. I started Simply Nutrition as a part time job because I wanted to continue working as a dietitian, but also be flexible enough to raise a family.
Through the years, I learned I could help women get only so far on their health journey using food and nutrition but I couldn’t get them where they wanted to be or where I was satisfied. A high majority of the women contacting me suffered from anxiety. They were either on medication for it or suffered through life with it not knowing how to handle it.
It’s funny how God gives you experiences to use later to help someone else. I myself struggled with anxiety during my first job in the hospital. I wasn’t sure what it was at first because it was only digestive upset. The doctor I went to thought it was E. coli and prescribed an antibiotic. She then called a few days later and told me my stool sample was clear and she didn’t know what was wrong. That’s when I became the detective for myself. Long story short, I knew it was anxiety.
I figured out the root cause of my specific symptoms and put into practice the changes needed to no longer suffer from anxiety. I now help women do the same.
The expanding of my practice led to a name change.
I no longer help women simply using nutrition, I help women with all areas of life intentionally become balanced finding true health and wellness.
I absolutely love being a dietitian, nutritionist, breath coach, life coach, wellness coordinator, or whatever else you want to call me! I am passionate about helping you and would love to teach you the perseverance, determination, courage, hard work, and the power of a positive attitude instilled in me.
…but enough about me, I want to hear your story!
