Helping people unleash their awesomeness is one of the most rewarding parts of my job. It could be anything, working with injuries to play cello again, improving relationships with children or self, the possibilities really can be endless when working with a health coach. My greatest passion is helping clients find eating habits that fit their life. As a personal trainer and manual therapist I work with improving people's structures for function, and joints for longevity and health. Though I have seen amazing changes in clients with manual interventions, nothing is as transformative as improving one’s relationship with food.

As I approached 30 years old I suffered from chronic back pain. Living in Seattle at the time, I enjoyed the common snowboarding, biking, and hiking. Snowboarding was the first to go. After throwing my back once while going down the mountain and another time while tying my boots at the base (didn’t even make it to the lift!), I figured the risk reward ratio just wasn't there. Summer bike rides were making my back worse, and no combination of prescription painkillers and ice packs made it worth it. Last was hiking, the easy and most human activity. I had it hacked (so I thought), I’d ice my back on the way to the trail, take a NSAID before starting, have my 100 lb girlfriend carry my bag, use trekking poles, save the vicodin to take for the way down, and then go straight home after to ice my back. This kept the pain manageable. At the age of 29, I was getting seriously worried about what 40 was going to look like for me. During all this struggle with activities, I ran the Western to Eastern healthcare marathon. I had a variety of prescribed pills and was being seen at the hospital's spine clinic.

I tried acupuncture, chiropractic, massage, energy work, and so many supplements. It only seemed to help manage the pain, not relieve it. I was even eating healthier than anyone I knew, plenty of whole grains (oops) and lots of fruit (double oops). I had no idea my diet was actually making things worse. Everything turned around when I found the right bodyworker and personal trainer who both pointed me towards similar diet changes. It was with the power of strengthening my movements, receiving manual manipulation, and an improved relationship with food, that I was finally able to turn things around.

In November 2016 I performed a task I’d never dream of being able to do when I was 30, I raced up the stairwell in the Sears (“Willis”) Tower in Chicago, IL in 18 minutes 59 seconds (103 floors). I’m certainly fitter than I was in my 20’s and definitely healthier than I was in my 30’s. More than anything I feel an obligation to pass on to others that change is possible, that you’re not stuck! I found the right people to be part of my team to lead me onto a better path, I want to be part of your team to lead you towards a life you never envisioned was possible.