About Andrea

I was never the “perfect” picture of health. Still not actually. But then again, who is really?

I spent most of my teen years on a diet. You name it, I tried it. It would start on a Monday because all perfect behaviors begin on a Monday, right? The run-up to these diets was always the same: I’d feast on whatever I wanted the day before in anticipation of the restriction that would soon be taking place. Of course, this method never worked for me (it doesn’t for anyone, really). My efforts would last all of two minutes, inevitably ending with me eating something that was not part of my “plan.” I’d feel like the biggest failure. I’d blame the fact that I didn’t have enough willpower and then proceed to set myself up to do it all over again the next day.

Despite my dedication to regular exercise and years of yo-yo dieting, I packed on an extra 30 pounds on my just-under-five-foot frame. At the time, I didn’t realize that this cycle was actually fueling hormonal imbalances, uncontrollable sugar cravings, and a deeper obsession with my weight. Not a very healthy picture, in hindsight.

I never imagined going to school to learn about nutrition let alone help people eat well and live healthier lives (I wasn’t exactly succeeding in that regard). It was my sister (BTW sisters rock!) that encouraged me to enroll in the Food & Nutrition program at her school (Ryerson University). At this point I felt absolutely clueless about food and nutrition, needed a healthier direction, and really did have a genuine interest in learning more about eating and living well. So, I looked into Ryerson’s program and four years later ended up with my first degree.

Ryerson gave me a solid foundation for basic nutrition. I learned a lot and it gave me the nudge I needed to go back to basics to kick the dieting mentality to the curb and drop the 30 pounds I acquired during my years of dieting.

But there was still something missing. The one-size-fits-all diet approach I learned wasn’t always proving effective for clients with unique health needs. There was a much bigger picture here – beyond diet – and I recognized the need to bridge this gap in my education and future ability to guide clients successfully on their healing journey.

It was time to go back to school, again. Ultimately, I set my sights on Hawthorn University. It was not only an accredited school (which was important to me), but Hawthorn University would allow me to earn a master’s in nutrition education from a distance and gain a deeper understanding into Holistic Nutrition; a world that I always found intriguing but, until that moment, hadn’t truly appreciated.

Three years later, I had my second degree in hand, and changed my approach with clients; acknowledging their unique biochemistry and guiding them in a way that would reflect their individual needs.

Things were going great until I hit perimenopause…

I was in Paris with my husband on an anniversary trip of a lifetime when I had my first panic attack.

I didn’t realize what was happening at the time. It was however the start of many to come. I just remember feeling scared and very alone (even though my husband was amazingly supportive). At this point, I had been on the contraceptive pill for over 20 years, and the hormonal shift that was starting to take place in my 37-year-old body and the nutrient deficiencies that were ensuing because of being on the pill so long were now taking their toll on my emotional health and well-being.

This began my battle with anxiety and a three-year learning curve of taking a more mindful approach to my diet and lifestyle. I now – more than ever – see personal value and can appreciate what a regular meditation and yoga practice can do for someone because of how profoundly they have helped me adapt and overcome my own life changes and challenges.