My story...
2015
A colleague told me about the movie Forks over Knives that changed the way he and his wife ate overnight.
My husband and I watched it and changed the way we ate overnight. My husband lost 20 lbs in the next 2 months.
I only lost 5...then I eventually gained it back...in spite of a big change in my eating habits.
2016
Approaching 10 years in private practice as a pediatric radiologist, I found myself chronically fatigued, burned out,
and overweight in spite of regular exercise. Although I was eating better, and my aches and pains and PMS were essentially
non-existent, I couldn't lose more weight and I wondered about what else I could do.
2017
I decided to enroll in T. Colin Campbells online Plant Based Nutrition Course to see if even more nutrition education
would help. During this time, I discovered the emerging medical specialty of Lifestyle Medicine which had its foundation
in whole plant based food. With a more global and evidence based emphasis on prevention and wellness,
I began to apply the additional principles of this specialty to my own life. I realized that although I was exercising
and my nutrition had improved, my sleep, work fulfillment, and sense of community were suffering.
2018
After listening to hundreds of hours of podcasts, reading dozens of books and much discussion with my spouse,
I decided to resign from my high stress private practice position and work from home.
I then pursued and earned Board Certification in Lifestyle Medicine in 2018. Over the next several months,
I got better sleep, became intentional about fitness, reconnected with old friends and made new ones.
I lost 15 pounds (without feeling like I was on a diet).
2019
During this process, one of the most important lessons I learned was the joy in finding community. I needed to allow others with different strengths to nourish me. By reaching out, I found others who were just as excited about helping me as I was to find them. I hope you find
that to be your experience as well. As you grow towards better health, I look forward to being a partner in that journey.
2020
As I began to share the benefits of whole food eating habits, others began to share their challenges with finding food that tastes good and
preserves culture. To address those concerns, I completed training to become a Certified Plant Based Chef. To educate others in a
comprehensive program, Whole U Health now offers the only American College of Lifestyle Medicine certified educational course,
the CHIP program (the Complete Health Improvement Program).
The principles in nutrition to prevent, reverse and cure disease are fundamental to Lifestyle Medicine, but I have experienced first hand what
addressing the often ignored habits relating to sleep, stress resilience, better fitness and
community have on our health as well. As I have witnessed the power of these changes in my own family and as I see and hear the amazing recoveries in health other physicians are observing when lifestyle medicine principles are implemented, my passion for true HEALTH care has been re-ignited.