“In my career, I’ve learned that the greatest healing can happen when you’re able to develop a healing relationship with your care providers – a relationship that’s built on trust, compassion, and the time they take to listen to your needs.

But as you probably know in today’s health care environment, you’re not likely to spend more than fifteen minutes with your provider and you may even be shuffled from person-to-person at any given practice. A relationship, let alone a healing one, is tough to build when there’s simply not enough time and attention. The opportunity to build those relationships and guide you to meaningful healing is what led me to the field of integrative and functional medicine in the first place. It’s also what inspired me to found The Center for Joyful Eating in Durham, North Carolina in 2011.

Having worked in health care as a registered dietitian nutritionist for more than a decade (15 years), including 7+ years with Duke Integrative Medicine, I’ve experienced how powerful it can be to treat “food as medicine.” But I’ve also felt the tension of not being able to spend enough time with patients to personalize their care or being unable to fully support someone on a therapeutic eating plan. While using “food as medicine” can be a transformative part of someone’s health journey, it can also be exhausting or isolating and receiving the support and guidance of an experienced professional can pave the way towards a healthier life and a more joyful, mindful and positive relationship with food.

That’s what The Center for Joyful Eating allows me to do – to make those transformations more possible and build those healing relationships with you through deep listening, problem solving, and presence. Now, as both an integrative and functional dietitian nutritionist and health coach, I can invest the time, experience, and attention you need. Because you can only fully change your health and relationship with eating when you have the space to feel safe and where you don’t feel judged for not “eating perfectly” or losing the weight. I believe that it’s only when you feel you have an effective partner on this multifaceted journey towards a healthier and more vibrant you that you’ll be empowered to put a nutrition and wellness plan into action that could change your life. 

Because the thing is - you deserve a healing relationship for the journey ahead with someone you can trust to guide you. That’s what I love to do most. Nourishing your health is definitely a process and a path - and it’s one I’d love to help you begin.”