My Journey

I grew up an athlete; a creator; a mover. Being shy with my words in my youth, the stage or field was where I came alive. Movement was my identity; my sparkle. It was the inspiration behind majoring in dance in college, and dedicating my life’s passion to teaching Pilates, nutrition, and movement. It was not until chronic illness hit in my 30’s that the very movement tools I had woven into the fabric of my identity were stripped away, and I became more desperate for answers.   

I began having sudden and inexplicable onsets of pain in my joints which were so debilitating, at times I needed crutches or a mobility scooter to move. Chronic fatigue spells would hit that made the simple task of walking across a room feel more draining than the time I hiked Half Dome. Dancing, surfing, and rigorous Pilates classes became a thing of the past. Everything I knew of my lifelong passion was slipping away. I had become a Pilates instructor who could no longer do Pilates; a nutritionist who felt the very “healing” foods I studied were failing me; a dancer who could no longer dance.

A psoriatic arthritis diagnosis became the cherry on top of a list of health issues that was literally growing, along with my sense of helplessness, by the year. It was not until I happened upon Anthony William that I began to understand health on a level that went far beyond anything I’d studied in my clinical nutrition program. Every mystery symptom was explained and my exhaustive list of symptoms, some considered “incurable”, finally began to reverse. I have had tremendous success in managing my pain flares using this information and look forward to the day I am once again pain free. As I continue in my healing journey, this information has inspired the undercurrent of my work with movement since I now understand why/how stress and movement can trigger an autoimmune flare, why autoimmune is more prevalent in women, and why/how trauma can impact the body and nervous system (a concept upon which I had based my master’s thesis in spiritual psychology a few years earlier). When you have knowledge over something you have power, and in the chronic illness world that power is invaluable.

I welcome all types of clients and it is my intention that by integrating this information it will help create a boundary around movement for those suffering from chronic illness that is unlikely to be found anywhere else in the Pilates or movement industry. It will bring new
meaning to the connection of the mind, body, and spirit. (Don’t worry athletes, the athlete in me will still kick your butts)!