My Path Back to Whole Health

The Calling

As a child, I grew up in a Presbyterian household where helping others was expected. From an early age, I developed a desire to find ways to serve and make a difference in others' lives.

I did not initially set out to become a nurse, but my mother was a nurse, and I believe her example of caring for others influenced me to pursue nursing. I immediately fell in love with psychiatric nursing, and Health Psychology was my favorite undergraduate subject. My interest in understanding the connection between the mind, body, and behavior continued to grow.

The Detour

After nursing, I spent 2.5 years in medical school because I couldn't find a preceptor for my nursing doctorate program. Ultimately, I returned to psychiatric nursing after recognizing that nursing and medicine operate from very different paradigms. I began to realize that conventional medicine did not fully align with my deeper purpose of compassion, service, and caring for the whole person. With this new awareness, I returned to nursing because I believed that was where I was meant to be.

The Breaking Point

I eventually hit a wall when I was diagnosed with spinal stenosis, and everything changed. I lost faith and became depleted physically, emotionally, and spiritually. The pain was so severe that for months I could not eat, sleep, walk, or drive. For more than 6.5 years, I couldn't work.

The Rescue — and What Remained

Ironically, conventional medicine eventually came to my rescue. I found a pain specialist who suggested implanting a neural modulator in my back to block the pain. It worked, and I was incredibly grateful to finally have relief. However, recovery was long and difficult after years of taking pain medications. Although the procedure addressed the pain, I was left struggling with other problems, including insomnia, fatigue, constipation, and brain fog.

At that point, I realized managing symptoms wasn't enough. Traditional medicine had helped me survive, but I still needed answers that could help me truly rebuild my health and regain my strength.

The Discovery

That realization led me to explore other avenues, including holistic health and integrative medicine. During my studies, I discovered functional medicine. For the first time, I found an approach that brought together so many of the things I had been passionate about throughout my life: understanding the whole person, looking for root causes, honoring the connection between mind and body, and serving others with compassion.

Stepping Stones, Not Detours

I now see that my journey was not a series of disconnected events. My experiences in nursing, psychiatry, psychology, medicine, chronic illness, and my own healing journey were preparing me for something more aligned with my purpose.

Functional medicine allows me to bring my strengths of spirituality, compassion, and service together in a meaningful way. My own struggles have given me a deeper understanding of what it feels like to be searching for answers, to feel unheard or depleted, and to want more than simply managing symptoms. They have also given me empathy for others struggling to regain their health while balancing the many demands of life.

What I once viewed as detours now look more like stepping stones. My journey taught me that healing is not always linear, and neither is finding our purpose. Sometimes the experiences that challenge us the most ultimately lead us toward the work we were meant to do.

Why I Do This Work

Today, I see functional medicine health coaching as an opportunity to serve others as I have always been called to: with compassion, curiosity, spirituality, and a commitment to helping people reconnect with their health and their lives.