Specialties

 

Digestive wellness

Food allergies & intolerance

Hormone Imbalance

Auto Immune and Chronic

Diet and Detoxification

Resident Weight loss

My story

 

began in the beautiful country of former Yugoslavia, where my happy and carefree childhood abruptly ended as my family found itself in a middle of a brutal war. Everything that I knew to be, changed forever.

 

My family scattered across the globe, and I landed in the United States, alone at 17. I was fortunate to put myself through college while being able to follow my passions in sports, biochemistry,

and psychology.

 

I was honored to work as a research biochemist on pharmaceutical and cardiovascular cancer research for St. Luke’s Mountain States Tumor Institute for over 13 years. I experienced firsthand the complete devastation caused by cancer and the variety of treatments. 

 

My story took another sharp turn when our son was born. As many new parents, we were overjoyed to finally bring our bundle of love home. However, we were completely unaware of an extreme and rare condition, Laryngomalacia, that our son was struggling with. Once diagnosed, the treatments made him worse and the visits to ER and hospital stays became the new norm. Sleepless nights turned into sleepless months, fear was replaced with anger and frustration, and stress became insurmountable.

 

Unbeknownst to me, during this time, my own health drastically deteriorated. “Suddenly” I found myself in stage III adrenal stress, Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis, Rheumatoid Arthritis, and countless other symptoms that forced me to bed rest. I was 34 at the time. Unable to care for my little one or function on my own, I solicited help from every medical specialist I could find, only to be discredited as a first-time mom with postpartum blues.

 

Unwilling to accept the dire situation we found ourselves in and after years of countless appointments with specialists and medical experts, I was propelled to go beyond standardized protocols and the pharmaceuticals of conventional medicine. My passion for nutrition and wellness became a full-blown obsession. I spent every spare moment researching, learning, and digging for a way to our healing. Reading countless books, blogs, and medical journals, attending classes and seminars, and consulting with naturopathic doctors and holistic practitioners, I discovered the world of Functional Medicine.

 

We started implementing small changes and addressing all aspects of our health and lifestyle. With guidance from functional medicine and nutrition practitioners, we tuned in and became strongly aware of our body's signs and needs. For the first time in years, I started feeling alive and happy again.

 

As our family’s health began to thrive, I became keenly aware of all the people who were underserved by the acute approach of conventional medicine. People all around me were unnecessarily suffering or simply existing with sub-par health. This realization became the biggest catalyst and inspiration to further invest in my education and to start helping others find their path to healing and optimal health.  As a lifetime student and researcher at heart, I easily identified with the “detective” search for answers and root cause approach to functional medicine.

 

Our health journey taught me that looking at the whole person is the key to healing. Nutrition, stress, sleep, genetics, physiology, biochemistry, and triggering events ALL play a role in our health. All of these aspects of health are unique to each of us as we all have a unique story that makes us who we are. These are the fundamental theories of functional nutrition and medicine and it is how I approach every client.

 

My passion is helping clients reach their optimal health.

 

I hope to meet you soon and hear your story.