ABOUT

BELIEF #1

Adapting your life to prioritize your health counters our current norms and gifts you the ability to prioritize and master other aspects of your life.

BELIEF #2

There is no one-size-fits all or one-time-fits all; we must adapt to our changing needs throughout our own life journey.

BELIEF #3

If it doesn't challenge you it won't change you.

I'M JEN

I'm a wife, mother, and coach. I'm in my 50's and loving my second half. I crave the water and love experimenting in the kitchen. I enjoy walks with my dogs and collecting art supplies. (One day I hope to actually use them!)

I didn't start out as a health coach, working as a user experience designer in tech for 25+ years prior to launching my coaching practice. People ask why I chose to pivot to health coaching and here's my why.

MY JOURNEY

It started with a general feeling of unease after the birth of our second daughter. Constant fatigue, persistent weight gain, body aches, bloating, irritability, inexplicable rashes, chronic headaches and gut pain. At first, I rationalized it. This was normal, right? After all, I was a senior professional balancing work with heavy travel, two young children and a marriage to an entrepreneur with all the ups and downs that business ownership entails. I was also entering middle age. This was just a natural part of change of life, right? Plus, I had a health strategy that had worked in my 20's and beyond. Time to double down and tackle the sh#t outta this!

Except, what worked before wasn’t working now. Calorie counting, high intensity cardio, plant-based meals, neurotically restrictive diets, "me-time" spa days…weren’t working. My body pains worsened and severe insomnia became my new normal. I switched to contract work, hoping the lighter schedule would benefit my health. No change.

I dreaded the thought of symptoms worsening as I aged even further. I had dreams of being active with my kids, travel and enjoying time with my husband. I could see this possible future slipping away and felt helpless to stop it. Anxiety and depression set in. I turned to less healthy coping methods like wine and stress eating. (Spoiler alert: Those didn’t work either.)

I decided to go to my doctor for help understanding what was happening to me. This was when the real nightmare began.

I entered what I like to call “The Spiral”. After a spate of blood tests and questions my exasperated doctor diagnosed me with IBS, POTS, GERD, Celiac Disease, Psoriasis, Neuropathy, early stage Hashimoto’s and Fibromyalgia. I was referred to several specialists, including a psychiatrist for my mental distress. There was talk of a spinal tap to test for Multiple Sclerosis, despite my objections. I was prescribed six different medications and the psychiatrist wanted to put me on two more despite my having not even seen her yet. Since I was in the immune cell infiltration level of Hashimoto's, my thyroid levels were still in range, but my thyroid showed damage and antibody response, indicating that my body was mounting an immune attack on my thyroid that would eventually destroy it. I asked what preventative measures could be taken to avoid overt hypothyroidism. My answer:

“Well, there’s nothing we can really do to prevent progression, plus your maternal grandmother also was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s right? It’s simply in your genetics and you can’t change your genes. Once your thyroid stops working it won’t be recoverable but we can put you on prescription hormones. Your insurance will cover it. No worries.”

You can’t change your genes. (More on the lie that genetics is destiny later.) I was never asked about diet or lifestyle. There was no desire to find any underlying cause. None of the specialists I was set up with were in contact with each other and I was never informed by any doctor of potential side effects or interactions with any of the medications. None of the medications cured the disease, they simply treated symptoms. I was expected to take them indefinitely.

I sat in the car with my prescriptions and referrals, crying over the steering wheel, and I knew I was at a crossroads. Down one path was pills, pills (did I mention pills?!) anxiety, depression, endless doctor appointments, pain, disability, and an ever spiraling quality of life leading, no doubt, to a shortened lifespan. On the other was moving away from a prescription drug mindset, taking my health into my own hands, and reclaiming my joy for myself and my family, in whatever form that would take for me.

You know what path I chose. I truly hope it is the path you choose.

I learned to honor my body by applying ancestral health principles and eating the way I had evolved to eat, moving the way I had evolved to move, and changing my lifestyle to be more in sync with the natural world and my personal principles. I absorbed every book, podcast and blog I could and bent the ear of every coach, functional practitioner and fellow health traveler as possible. I tried, failed and tried again, successfully honing techniques and habits to support my health goals and adapt to our hazardous environment, avoiding medications and healing my symptoms through lifestyle. Finally, I formalized my training by earning Health and Nutrition, Coaching and Business Expert Certifications with the esteemed Primal Health Coach Institute, a pioneer in ancestral health discovery and training.

I wish I had a coach to help me on my journey as I adapted to my new body and my new way of living following the ancestral health principles that guide my coaching and online course. My mission is to be that coach for you. The transformation that is within your reach will change your life in ways you cannot predict or imagine. It led me to leave my former life completely and dedicate myself to helping guide others to discover their own health and vitality. The life regained is yours and I would be honored to accompany and support you on your journey.