A Health Coach to Help You Feel Better in Your Body
Most modern health problems aren’t a mystery. They’re created by how we live—what we eat, how we sleep, how much we move, and how stressed we are.
My clients are often dealing with chronic health issues and they're tired of being told their symptoms are "just genetic," a natural part of aging, or something they’ll need to manage with medication indefinitely.
Food matters. Sleep matters. Stress matters. Movement matters. None of them function in isolation. Together, we figure out what’s not working and make changes that fit your life—and stick.
It started with food
Pasta & pastry starchatarian
In my 20s, I was a vegetarian who didn’t eat many vegetables.
For ethical and environmental reasons, I avoided meat—but my diet was mostly pasta, bread, pastries, and vegan fake meat. Even with a Stanford degree in human biology and a job at a medical school, I assumed that way of eating would keep me healthy. I was young, and it was the height of the low-fat era—when cutting fat usually meant eating more carbs.
Immersed in food culture
In my 30s, I worked on the entertainment side of the culinary industry: as a food writer and cooking teacher, and at a culinary school where I shaped curriculum and curated the celebrity chef lineup.
My freelance writing and my job at the culinary school were closely intertwined—I would invite a food artisan I’d profiled to teach or write about a chef after they appeared at the school. I also explored food as culture, from regional Mexican cuisine to Persian New Year meal traditions.
In the professional kitchens and culinary circles I moved in, cooking from scratch was the norm. Processed food wasn’t. I ate like a Michelin restaurant inspector and got spoiled in the best possible way.
Looking beyond the plate
In my 40s, I moved from the glamorous side of the culinary industry into large-scale food systems at Stanford Dining and a healthy food service for Google. There, I could impact the health of people and the planet on a much larger scale.
I also started questioning the assumption that vegetarian diets built on industrial monoculture were automatically healthier for people or better for the planet than regenerative farms raising both plants and animals.
By the time I became a certified health coach and lifestyle medicine educator, I had stopped making pasta and desserts regularly and had given away most of my baking equipment. I wasn’t eating less food—I was eating fewer refined carbs.
I also prioritized sleep.
My blood pressure and triglycerides dropped, and I stopped a genetic disease in its tracks.
More than food
As my thinking evolved, my work expanded beyond food to place more emphasis on sleep and stress. I teach various forms of meditation, including some covered in my book on meditation.
I've also been a professional dancer and still dance several hours a week. That background continues to influence how I think about movement—not just as calorie-burning exercise, but as posture, awareness, and mobility in everyday life. It also led me to pay attention to fascia, the connective tissue that holds everything together.
As a dancer and athlete, I've been practicing myofascial release for years. Yet it's only in recent years that I’ve really gotten deeper (no pun intended!) into aspects of fascia, such as its role in immunity and the overlap between fascial trigger points and acupuncture points. I've also been geeking out on sunlight and quantum biology. When areas like these are overlooked, it helps explain why people can still feel unwell even after they’ve addressed the usual basics—food, exercise, sleep, and stress.
Food is still central. It’s just part of a larger system now.
An integrated practice
I emphasize real food and traditional lifestyle practices, without rigid rules or trendy extremes.
Because food and health are inseparable from culture, my background as an English (ESL) communication coach and my love for international travel and languages allow me to connect with clients from different cultures.
If this sounds like what you’re looking for, the next step is a brief conversation.