The strongest sense of belonging I’ve ever felt was working in the food industry, though I didn’t know my time there would be so limited. It was a common practice to show up half-present (see: hungover), glug a cold brew, and bang out a shift. Afterward, head off into the night with other industry folks for substance-fueled shenanigans. Wash, rinse, repeat. The things we can get away with in our 20’s, amirite? It was a cycle of predictable stress, predictable relief, and an endless array of tasty things. Until life swept the kitchen mats from under my feet and a chronic illness consumed me.

At 26 years old, I learned that navigating our medical system with minimal resources feels like running barefoot through a dark room filled with mousetraps and LEGGO pieces. At my sickest, the most help and humanity I received was from seeing Registered Dietitians (more on that another time). I’d already earned a Bachelor of Science in Nutrition and Culinary Arts, and this experience solidified my next steps toward becoming a RD myself. Quite the lesson in getting your act together, eh?

In an unpredictable body, I began to maneuver my way through a rigorous, competitive graduate program to earn a Master of Science in Nutrition. It took everything in me and a few times, I came close to falling apart completely. I could barely eat for days at a time. I couldn’t work in kitchens or enjoy the activities I once did. I had to live off of student loans and find adequate care through Medicaid. It felt like the color had drained from my life. At my worst I ended up in the ER, but still made it to class the next day. I had no other options. Every ounce of my energy went toward learning the ribbons of Latin phrases that structure our understanding of the body. Immersing myself in hours of Anatomy and Physiology, Organic Chemistry, Biochemistry, Nutrient Metabolism, and Nutrition Counseling, was almost enough to distract me from the grief of losing my former relationships with food and my body as they once were. Almost.

Within the first year of being sick I saw 14 healthcare providers including MDs, DOs, NPs, PAs, NDs, RDs, acupuncturists, and even an Ayurvedic practitioner. Appointments became a part-time job. I eliminated every food I could, I even drank celery juice in my desperation. My first priority anywhere I went became locating the nearest restroom. I grieved my old life and was bitter to have been torn away from my career in food, my hobbies, my friends. But I gained empathy, I learned how to listen, how to sit and process discomfort, and never stop trying; actions that drive my nutrition approach.

Working as a Registered Dietitian, I refuse to pretend I’m some monk on a misty mountaintop, sitting cross-legged and serene, holding all the answers like a basket of flower petals, ready to sprinkle them on my patients. My work in nutrition isn’t about me, it’s about the person in front of me. But I do lean on my experiences to stay grounded in the real, often messy and confusing challenges that come with health changes.

Simply put, I’m a human being in a body navigating the changes of life, while spending time holding space, asking questions, sharing tools, and offering suggestions to give others the opportunity to do the just that. I’ve also been branching out, teaching classes and presentations on how to better understand the body and manage changes without wasting thousands of dollars or losing your damn mind in the meantime.

To me, nutrition is the freedom to define health on your own terms, outside of society’s narrow standards. It’s about honoring the depth and complexities of our relationship to food while staying flexible to what the body needs. Sometimes it means less focus on food and more work on sleep, stress, and movement. Ultimately, nutrition should never rip us from joy, from our cultural roots, or feel out of reach because of budget. It should be collaborative, connective, and inclusive.

Thanks for reading.

I recognize that my experiences don’t reflect those of everyone and that medical education has historically excluded or marginalized many communities.

I won’t pretend that a single set of nutrition recommendations applies to everyone. I don’t practice with the belief that everyone has to be a specific body size or abandon their cultural foods to be healthy. That’s a damaging way of operating that oppresses instead of uplifts.

Working with a RD should mean receiving unconditional regard for your intersectionality and lived experience. Nutrition recommendations that abruptly disconnect cultural ties or misalign someone’s gender identity are harmful, even traumatic, and leave us far worse off than where we started. Let’s leave that poison in the past.

Whether meeting one-on-one or through workshops, I won’t assume to be an expert on anyone’s culture or lived experience. Our nutrition work isn’t about me. Instead, I will apply my expertise in nutrition counseling and cooking to our work together or to your event, with deep respect for you and your community as a whole.

Licensure: Registered Dietitian with the Commission on Dietetic Registration

NPI: 1366054710

Dietetic Internship
Bastyr University - Seattle, WA, 2018-2019
- Completed 1,200 hours of supervised practice at Seattle-area hospitals, community clinics, long-term care facilities, and private practices

Master of Science, Nutrition/Didactic Program in Dietetics
Bastyr University - Seattle, WA, 2016-2018
- Completed ACEND-accredited coursework in medical nutrition therapy, nutrition counseling, advanced nutrient metabolism, and pathology, as well as supplements, herbal sciences, and Ayurvedic nutrition
- Gained 90 hours of experience as student clinician at Bastyr Center for Natural Health
- Fulfilled over 300 hours of clinical, community, and food service volunteering

Bachelor of Science, Nutrition & Culinary Arts
Bastyr University - Seattle, WA, 2013-2015
- Completed coursework in biochemistry, nutrient metabolism, food science, culinary foundations, cooking demonstration, herbal sciences, foraging, and ecological nutrition
- Fulfilled 88-hour Culinary Internship in Seattle-area restaurants and culinary teaching institutions

Associate of Arts, Liberal Arts/Studio Arts
Community College of Allegheny County - Pittsburgh, PA, 2007-2011ish
- Completed coursework in English literature, creative writing, ceramics, drawing, human biology, and general chemistry
- Frequently skipped classes to roam Pittsburgh’s North Side, read and write in parks, and meet up with friends to drink too much coffee and smoke too many cigarettes (a regretful habit I have long since quit)