For more than 20 years, I have worked with children who struggle with learning challenges. During that time, I began to notice to something important: many learning difficulties are closely linked to underlying health factors--especially brain and gut health.

At the same time, I was navigating my own health journey.

For over 21 years, I lived with Ulcerative Colitis, an autoimmune condition that brought periods of painful flares, fatigue, and uncertainty. There were times when simply getting through the day felt overwhelming, and moments when I wished someone truly understood what living with a chronic illness felt like.

At my lowest, I experienced a flare that lasted close to a year. I felt like a prisoner in my own home-afraid to leave, constantly managing symptoms, and exhausted physically and emotionally. It was during that time that I was told it might be time to have a conversation about surgery....about removing the colon.

That moment changed everything for me. It was a wake-up call.

I realized that while doctors and medications can play an important role, they cannot live in my body for me. They cannot make daily choices for me. I began to understand that I needed to take an active role in my own gut health-that I had to become the one paying attention, making changes, and supporting my body consistently.

I started to see that caring for my health wasn't something I could think about occasionally-it needed to become part of my daily life.

That shift changed the way I approached everything.

It deepened my understanding of how lifestyle, nutrition, stress, and environment all impact the body. It strengthened my curiosity about root-cause health and ultimately let me to expand my work beyond learning challenges to integrative health and wellness.