My Story

Where it all began...

As far back as I can remember food has always been a special aspect of my life.   I was not a picky kid and really enjoyed mealtime.  I rarely had to be called to the dinner table more than once.  Usually, I was waiting there with fork in hand, ready to dig in!   I was constantly around and taught to appreciate good quality food.  It's the foundation of my love for cooking and creating in the kitchen.

My dad owned and operated a seafood and catering business until I was in my teens.  We nicknamed dad the "MacGyver of appetizers."  He had a knack for taking just a few simple ingredients and turning them into something beautiful and delicious.  During the summers my twin brother, Collin, and I would take turns riding with dad, making his daily seafood deliveries to the best restaurants all around town and restocking product at the two store locations.  I loved going on those rides meeting new people, and helping my dad run the business.  I was helping behind the counter before I could even see over it!   When I got older, I helped prepare for and work catered events at venues and homes.  It was a lot of hard work and a great experience which engrained a strong work ethic in me.  

 Mom was always awesome with healthy snacks - frozen grapes, apple slices, dates with peanut butter - and always making sure we ate well-balanced meals.  We were not one of those families that had a pantry full rainbow-colored cereals and sugary nutrient-lacking junk.  We'd go to the grocery store prepared with a list and we stuck to it.  I can remember having mom send me on little missions to go pick out a bag of apples or go find different items on the list and bring them back to the cart.  We always made it fun! 

 When dad wasn't working, mealtime was family time.  We all sat down together around the table and enjoyed the lovingly prepared meal chatting about school and how our days went.  As I got older I started to help prepare the food and loved contributing to the meal, learning valuable skills along the way.   I'm thankful to my parents that they both fostered in me a healthy relationship with and positive feelings around food.  Little did I know back then that my passion and love of food would develop into a purpose-driven career.

The “Real Life” Transition

Towards the end of high school, like all young adults, I had a few humongous decisions to make.  Namely, in what respect I wanted to further my education and what college I wanted to attend.  Having a deep love for music and the arts and being extremely involved in the small, but mighty music program at my school - chorus, band, theatre, Music and Art History - led me to search out a fitting Music Education program.  After going through the stressful audition process at five different schools I decided the best fit was Lebanon Valley College, a small liberal arts school in central Pennsylvania.  A little less than half way through my studies I made the difficult, but necessary decision of changing my major to Music Business.  I loved my experience at LVC and wouldn’t trade it for the world.  In addition to a solid education, I learned life skills and made life-long friends.   

Once I graduated, I discovered that finding a job in the music industry wasn't as easy as I had hoped.  I’d moved to Delaware, a comutable distance from Philly, to begin my life as an “adult.” Part of the problem was that I didn’t really know what I wanted to do.  While trying to find a job in my field of study, I worked in customer service and dabbled in sales and marketing.  After 2 years of weird hours, long commutes and working just to pay the rent, I finally was offered a temporary part-time position in New York City.  That was enough of an opportunity to take the chance and move to New Jersey where I would commute into the City.  It was exciting, and I was glad to finally be putting my college education to use.  One thing led to another and my boss at the temp gig got me hooked up with a job at an independent label in the mechanical licensing department.

 I ended up staying at that company for more than 7 years.  I learned a lot, gained experience and made my way up the ranks of the small company.  There were times when things were fine, but I never really loved it…  I consider myself a positive person, consistently making the best of the situations in which I find myself.  I wasn’t excited to get up and go to work.  There were even some mornings when I didn’t even feel like getting out of bed at all.  For reasons both internal and external my day-to-day became more inundated by stress and anxiety.  I had trouble sleeping, no time or energy to exercise, I suffered from post lunch crashes.  It was a vicious cycle. Sadly, a situation I know many people are able to relate to very well.  I wanted to get out, but didn't know how.  Being my logical self, I was always rationalizing reasons to stay:  being thankful to have a job at all, a promotion, a management position…  You get the idea.  I felt stuck.  Spent. Frustrated.  Confused.  Disheartened.  Something had to give.  And one day it did – I found out my department was being dissolved and I was being laid off.  

The Transformation Occurs

While laid off I had the opportunity to do some self-evaluation and soul-searching.  I had come to a crossroad of sorts.  The chance to change the course of my life. From day one I made a conscious decision to stay positive and keep an open mind.  I took the time to really ask myself some deep questions.  What am I good at?  What skills do I possess that I could utilize to make a living?  Do I want to stay in the music business?  Do I want to change careers?  Go back to school? What will make me happy?  What can I do that will be in line with my values? What will fulfill me and give me purpose?

I gave myself clear goals and set intentions.  Instead of allowing myself to get discouraged or depressed about my job hunt, I gave myself specific tasks to complete each day whether it be to submit an application, make sure I fixed myself a healthy lunch, or do a load of laundry.  Checking off items from an organized to-do list made me feel productive and stay motivated. 

It took a little time.  I thought maybe my love of food and cooking healthy meals could serve as a new career as a personal meal planner or something in the Health and Wellness field.  I wanted to help people change their lives for the better.  I formulated a game plan to begin my career transition.  I contacted anyone I knew that was already working in the field, did informational interviews, conducted research, watched documentaries, joined MeetUp.com groups, and attended networking events.

Then one magical night at one such event, when the Reiki demo was over I went to talk to the organizer.  We spoke about concerns of the lack of awareness among the general public of how to eat healthier and take better care of themselves.  I shared my ideas for a new career and she said, "Oh, you want to be a Health Coach!"  It was the first time I had heard the term.  She explained that she had just recently graduated from The Institute for Integrative Nutrition and thought I'd be a good fit for the program.  Boy was she right!  After talking to an IIN rep, I registered later that week and have been riding the blissful wave of learning, new friends, and synchronicity ever since.  I can't remember a time I was so excited about the future yet I'm the most mindful and present version of myself I've ever been.  My stress and anxiety now are nearly nonexistent.   For the first time in my life, I am confident about the path that is unfolding in front of me and it feels great!