Meet Our Team of Clinical Nutritionists and Functional Medicine Specialists
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Owner, Clinical Nutritionist
After wrestling with my wellness, I prioritized upgrading my family’s health, translating my newfound knowledge in a way a high schooler, middle schooler, elementary student, and preschooler could understand and was also motivated to implement! I wanted to raise critical thinkers and empower them to make healthy decisions that left them feeling good and strong. Much to my surprise, it worked.
My teenage son asks me for advice on choosing lunch to support his strength training. My middle schooler decided to go gluten-free after he joined me on my trial. He now eats salads with healthy fats and fiber at school, self-reporting that he has more energy and focus. As a toddler, this same middle schooler had many aversions to food textures, making him the world’s pickiest eater!
I became a Mindbodygreen Functional Nutrition Coach, followed by a Masters of Science in Clinical Nutrition and Integrative Health. Post-Masters, I pursued my Certified Nutrition Specialist certification, the most advanced certification for personalized nutrition practitioners. GreenMind started organically by helping loved ones and friends. However, I soon realized the need to share what I had learned with anyone who would listen.
While I have experience working across a spectrum of health challenges, I have a particular interest in helping families with mental, blood sugar and gut health challenges.
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Clinical Nutritionist
My journey with health and nutrition started early and took many turns. Around the age of 16, I started learning to cook with my mom as a hobby we could enjoy together. I loved watching Giada De Laurentiis and Bobby Flay, reading Bon Appetit Magazines, and trying new dishes every night in our family kitchen. Along the way, we began to find healthier alternatives to typical foods, which sparked my interest in nutrition. What began as a life-giving activity soon gave way to body changes and vanity, and as I noticed a few pounds shedding, I became consumed with the goal of being as thin as possible in the name of “health.”
Over the course of a couple of years, I became fixated on calorie counting and the number on the scale, which left me undernourished, isolated, and dealing with chronic hormone and gut issues. It took an eye-opening hospital stay early on in college for me to realize that skinny does not equal healthy.
After a diagnosis of what the doctors thought was Crohn's disease, I was told she would need to rely on medication for the rest of my life. I was met with a "no" when I asked if diet had anything to do with my gut issues, and right then, I realized conventional medicine was not going to help me truly heal.
I dove into alternative medicine and was able to restore my gut through diet, acupuncture treatment, and lifestyle changes. Today, I am not on any medications, have restored my hormones, healed my relationship with food, and have dedicated my career to helping others find the same healing in every aspect - mind, body, and spirit.
I pursued a Master’s in Nutrition & Integrative Health and became a Board Certified Nutrition Specialist (CNS) to equip me to use science-backed therapeutic nutrition and lifestyle strategies to prevent and manage a variety of chronic illnesses - while at the same time promoting a healthy relationship with food. I’m convinced that the only sustainable healthy lifestyle is one that you enjoy, and I’d love to help you find what’s best for you!
How GreenMind was born
I have been in some aspect of healthcare ever since I can remember.
As a University of North Carolina student at Chapel Hill, I worked at UNC Healthcare as a physical therapy aide for cystic fibrosis patients. After graduating from UNC summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa with a degree in Health Policy and Administration, I traveled the country as a healthcare strategy consultant for Arthur Andersen, Emory Healthcare, and Navigant Consulting, working for physician groups and healthcare systems to optimize their strategy and improve patient care.
Beyond my professional endeavors, as a mother to four wonderful children, I work each day to prioritize their physical, mental, and emotional well-being.
While I have always loved healthcare, my passion for nutrition became apparent more recently.
My first experience with the healing power of nutrition came from Kelly Dorfman, a gifted nutritionist who counseled me to help my son with numerous sensory sensitivities and ADHD. She was my first education on how food could heal and harm the brain, particularly those with sensitivities. I credit her for his success today.
A few years later, I experienced a severe concussion from a horrible fall. Following recovery, chronic fatigue, brain fog, weight gain, and other symptoms perplexed my doctors and me. While my physical exams and blood work all appeared “normal,” I struggled with daily routines and functions. I remember crying after the endocrinologist told me I was healthy.
At the end of my rope, I sought advice from Kelly Dorfman yet again. She assured me that my concerns were not unfounded. We poured through my labs, discussed my diet and lifestyle at length. She identified a subclinical thyroid condition and helped me begin my path to recovery. Employing everything I learned over those months changed my life. I not only felt like myself again, I felt better than ever.
I have learned much from this journey and how small actions can grow into a lasting, life-changing transformation. We at GreenMind would be honored should you choose us to support you and your family on your path to wellness.
In Health,
