My philosophy
Authentic health is attainable.
My goal is to help clients attain what I call authentic health: a personalized, holistic ​approach to health that integrates high-quality research with your unique needs, preferences, and values.
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I reject the unattainable standards of diet culture and acknowledge how frustrated many of us feel with one-size-fits-all guidelines, weight-stigmatizing healthcare, and confusing wellness trends. Instead, my approach puts evidence-based guidance into context for your life, so you can make meaningful, lasting change. My work is rooted in Intuitive Eating and honors you as the expert of your body.
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I use a combination of coaching, education, and practical tools to help my clients feel confident and empowered to improve their health + wellbeing.
My education + training
BA Psychology
Nutrition Minor
University of Southern California​​​
Master's Public Health
Food, Nutrition, and Population Health
UC Berkeley​​​
Certified Intuitive Eating
Counselor
I first began paying attention to my diet when I became a vegetarian at age 12. As the only non-carnivore in my family, my parents worried I wouldn’t get proper nutrition. To prove them wrong, I started reading nutrition labels and quickly memorized the stats for dozens of foods. I also learned to cook my own meat-free meals (shoutout to the golden era of Food Network and food blogs of the early 2000s!). I developed a love of cooking as a fun, creative outlet that endures to this day.
I wish it were that simple, but growing up in a society steeped in diet culture inevitably led me down the rabbit hole of counting calories, demonizing certain foods, and obsessively health-ifying recipes. Like so many others, I absorbed the pervasive messages that you should always “watch what you eat” and try to keep your body as slim as possible—and then feel horrible about any deviation from the “perfect” diet.
My story
Still, my love of food and interest in nutrition led me to study Psychology and Nutrition at USC. I had a particular interest in how we can influence people’s health behaviors (spoiler: it’s hard). I worked as a nutrition counselor and taught nutrition and cooking to low-income youth as part of research projects with the university. I was energized by the one-on-one interactions and practical, immediate impact I could have. However, I later realized much of that work was fraught with racial, cultural, and class bias—something I’m very much aware of in my work today.
I went on to earn a Masters in Public Health Nutrition at UC Berkeley where I learned that nutrition research is incredibly challenging and imperfect. I learned how to separate high-quality, relevant research from the rest, and to interpret what bearing the findings should have on the average person (often not much). Suddenly, I was fielding questions from friends and family about things like whether they should be eating more turmeric (answer: only if you want to). I also learned how systemic and environmental factors impact our health—far more so than avoiding a cookie and eating a carrot ever could. I loved the program! And yet, diet culture loomed overhead, defining “health” in public health settings (read: not fat) and even influencing what recipes I made at home.
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​​I discovered Intuitive Eating during grad school and immediately recognized this is what had been missing from my concept of nutrition and health. Over the next several years, I began applying the principles to my life and eventually experienced total freedom from the diet mentality and food restriction. It wasn’t until I felt true freedom around food and my body that I realized how weird I had been about food all those years (turns out, keeping notebooks full of one's daily calorie counts isn’t just a “healthy interest” in nutrition). During this time, my career veered away from public health and I spent several years working at start-ups in the Bay Area. Looking back, I think I needed a break from the nutrition world to heal my own body and brain.
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In 2022, my partner and I moved to Portland, OR and welcomed our first child in early 2023. Despite my nutrition expertise, I experienced the pressure and confusion many women experience during pregnancy and postpartum. The flood of conflicting information about feeding yourself and your baby can be overwhelming, adding to the mental load and decision fatigue during an already stressful time. Thankfully (after I took a deep breath), I used my knowledge to decipher what was most important and tuned out the rest.
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Even as an experienced intuitive eater, pregnancy and postpartum triggered some messed up diet-y thoughts (like, maybe my intense nausea in the 1st trimester was “good” because I actually lost 5 lbs; or I should force myself to breastfeed in order to lose weight). Again, I’m so fortunate that I had the skills to navigate this very vulnerable season. But I know this experience is all too common and not everyone is equipped to come through this intense period unscathed. I’m working to change that!​
As a certified Intuitive Eating Counselor focusing on prenatal and postpartum care, I now help other parents experience more ease and confidence in their ability to nourish themselves and their families. A bit of education and support can go a long way in easing the mental load during this beautiful, messy life transition. If my story speaks to you, I'd love to connect!