In 2011, over the course of one year, I became a certified holistic nutritionist, master herbalist, public health certified practitioner (CPH), and registered yoga teacher. I also volunteered internationally and worked with indigenous Amazonian and Andean populations and eventually became the U.S. Board of Directors Vice Chair & Co-Director of AyniGlobal, an NGO based in South America. During the same time, I started my own wellness business, became the founder of the Natural Health Festival in Washington, DC, and collaborated on fascinating projects with the Smithsonian Institution, Therapeutic Yoga of Greater Washington, and the George Washington University Center for Integrative Medicine in Washington, DC.

I felt on top of the world. I truly believed I was making a difference.

Then I got sick. Very sick. In the midst of it, I returned to a 9-5 research job, which didn’t help my mental health. I gained 40 lbs in one year, and on my small frame, I was unrecognizable even to close friends. Despite eating an incredibly clean, conscientious diet and engaging in consistent high heart rate exercise, I had no energy, felt depressed, completely stopped menstruating for four years, my hair was thinning, I developed osteoporosis, experienced extremely low blood pressure, had difficulty staying warm, suffered debilitating migraines, and experienced constant abdominal, joint, and muscle pain. The list went on. My symptoms were labeled “idiopathic,” meaning the causes were unknown. Mainstream doctors were stumped. I was even put on diet pills! (which, by the way, did nothing to affect my weight.) Finally, after a number of blood and imaging tests, a team of doctors, some of whom practiced functional medicine, discovered that I have multiple autoimmune diseases (including Celiac disease, Hashimoto's Thyroiditis, and Secondary Raynaud’s) as well as a benign brain tumor that may have been disrupting the functioning of my pituitary gland. When the body is experiencing an autoimmune response, it is mistakenly attacking normal cells because it cannot tell the difference between its own cells and foreign cells. Most debilitating, my small intestines and thyroid gland were being attacked, which was affecting both the absorption of nutrients—leading to nutrient deficiencies—as well as limiting the production of thyroid hormones, which basically caused every major process in my body to slow down. Thyroid hormones are responsible for controlling how the body uses energy (i.e. metabolism) and therefore, essentially power all bodily systems. No wonder I felt so terrible!

Despite all my knowledge about health up to the point of illness, it took years more of self-study, self-advocacy, and the incorporation of additional healthy lifestyle practices to find solutions and finally feel myself again.

Autoimmune diseases are incurable. They never go away. And because they generally present in clusters, it’s likely my body is struggling with even more autoimmune conditions than I have thus far been formally diagnosed. But that doesn’t mean I cannot live a happy, healthy, and thriving life. I believe I am a powerful testament to that. I still experience my ups and downs and the flare-ups that naturally come with my condition, but I can honestly say that I feel better now than I have felt in over a decade.

In this next chapter of my life, I am assimilating all the knowledge and experiences I have gained and putting them into practice to make fundamental differences in people’s lives. I’d love the opportunity to connect with you and work to develop a personalized plan for fueling your body, nourishing your mindset, and positively changing the trajectory of your life.