The word ‘veda’ means knowledge.

Why I Do What I Do

Maybe you feel mostly healthy but just intuitively know that something is “off.” Maybe you’ve been struggling for years but just aren’t getting the help you need from your current healthcare team. Or maybe you’re just confused and frustrated with going it alone and need some guidance about what’s best for your body.

I believe that everyone deserves to know how to make the right choices to access their full potential physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. I also believe that relationships hold a unique therapeutic power. That’s why I’m so passionate about this work and have enjoyed coaching hundreds of men and women on their unique path to better health.

My Personal Health Story

As an 8 year old kid, I struggled with symptoms of low energy, headaches and trouble concentrating at school. I even passed out in the lunch line one day. After several scary tests and scans, we eventually found the culprit - hypoglycemia or low blood sugar. After that first visit to a dietitian, I was completely blown away with how simply changing what I ate erased my symptoms basically overnight. It felt like I had a superpower! I vowed then and there that I would become a “healer,” with nutrition as my most important tool.

I carried my fascination with how the body works to the University of Michigan, for my bachelors in biology and then returned to school for a masters in dietetics and nutrition. While I loved the field of nutrition, I still felt the calling to do more to help my patients heal. So at age 34, with two little boys in tote and a third on the way, I decided I wanted to dive deeper into my learning and go to medical school. I spent months studying for the MCAT, applying, interviewing and eventually had a few acceptances!

Mom or Med School?

All the while, I felt completely torn apart about whether I could/should make the choice to let others raise my kids and ask my husband to bear the brunt of the finances and family obligations, while I focused on my profession. Sleepless nights, endless conversations, pro/con charts, journaling, meditating, I just didn’t feel settled. In my gut and my heart, it just felt wrong. But I “leaned in” as they say, pushing these feelings deep down. And then, the universe made the decision for me…

When I was just months from starting medical school, I experienced two major shakeups. I was devastated and shocked when I lost my third pregnancy at nearly 14 weeks. But my world shifted entirely when a sore throat and worsening hoarse voice led me to a rare and incurable diagnosis - recurrent respiratory papillomatosis caused by the human papilloma virus. I was lost, literally fearing for my life and a future of unknowns. Would I ever speak again? Would it grow into my lungs?

In those early weeks and months, the prognosis was unknown. My fears about the future felt consuming. I gave up my place in medical school and refocused on my health and my family. Luckily, my case was relatively manageable, with surgeries every 4-6 months to remove the growths that stayed localized to my larynx. But it is something I will likely have to manage for the rest of my life.

Obstacles Create Opportunity

Oddly, I am grateful for this experience. It has renewed my life’s purpose and solidified my calling to find root causes and achieve true healing in myself and my patients. I’ve spent the last few years diving deep into Integrative and Functional Nutrition, exploring the connections between diet, gut health, stress levels, genetics and lifestyle choices with how the systems in the body function.

From manipulating the DNA of viruses as a research fellow at the National Institutes of Health, to heading up the nutrition curriculum for the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, to working side-by-side with the TODAY Show health and nutrition expert, Joy Bauer, creating and launching a healthy snack company, to serving as an apprentice to a food as medicine French chef, and coaching hundreds of adults as a Parsley Health functional medicine health coach… these experiences have deepened my practice and how I relate to my clients.

Founding “Veda”

The word “veda” means knowledge, wisdom and insight. It’s my mission to provide men and women access to knowledge about their bodies so they can thrive, now and in the future, and live out their true purpose. Veda Nutrition is a culmination of both my personal and professional experiences.

I love finding the place where science, wellness, and real life meet. And when it comes to nutrition philosophy, I’ve experienced everything from raw vegan to paleo/keto and remain non-dogmatic. I prefer to find the commonality between all these “diets” and the value they bring rather than debate them. We’re all different. Together, we’ll use the principles of functional nutrition to get to your body and your root causes and help you take back your health.