A lot of my training has come from life experience. I have lived among different ethnic cultures around the world and I have witnessed how their culture revolves around the family unit, their community ties and how they share food in their culture. I have lived in Israel where I served in the Israeli army and witnessed what soldiers eat for breakfast to get them going in the mornings. I lived and taught scuba diving around Thailand and experienced the beauty of the Buddhist culture and how the locals give food to the monks in the early mornings to receive their blessings. Thai people are very thin people and the only reason that obesity has taken over the younger generation is because of sweet coke drinks and junk food that is being introduced from the west. I lived in Central America where my children grew up on corn tortillas and refried beans and I experienced meals around the table with friends and family that shared these strong traditions together.
I also lived in a traditional martial arts school in China for 2 years with my children where I witnessed the strong family unit where the grandparents raise the children while the parents go to work. How they all go for a sleep in the afternoons after waking up early to exercise outside the temple and then they all come back out in the late afternoons to exchange their goods and produce, play mahjong and dance in the parks together. All these experiences make up a very large part of my training. I also own and support an organic farm in Panama, Central America that focuses on the methods of permaculture and maintaining healthy soil to grow optimum fruits and vegetables.
I have always been very athletic as a competitive figure skating, scuba instructor, latin dancer and now Martial Artist. I know and understand the benefits that exercise has on ones life. I also know how certain exercises are too extreme and can injure you. I have gone to the dark depths of injuries and have returned healed and rejuvenated! That too is another big part of my training.
My training as a health coach at the the Institute for Integrative Nutrition complements my life experience and has taught me innovative coaching methods to help others live their highest vibration. I also learned practical lifestyle management techniques, and over 100 dietary theories – Ayurveda, gluten-free, Paleo, raw, vegan, macrobiotics for some examples and so many more.
I studied with the world’s top health and wellness experts including:
- Joshua Rosenthal, MScEd, founder and director of the Institute for Integrative Nutrition
- Deepak Chopra, MD leader in the field of mind-body medicine
- David Katz, MD, MPH, director of Yale University’s Prevention Research Center
- Walter Willett, MD, DrPH, chair of nutrition at Harvard University
- Andrew Weil, MD, director of the Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine
- Gabrielle Bernstein, bestselling author and life coach
- Susan Blum, MD, MPH, assistant clinical professor at Mount Sinai School of Medicine
- Mark Hyman, MD, founder of The UltraWellness Center
- Geneen Roth, bestselling author and expert on emotional eating
- David Wolfe, raw food leader and nutrition expert
- Marion Nestle, PhD, MPH, professor at New York University’s Department of Nutrition, Food Studies, and Public Health
- Mark Bittman, food writer for The New York Times and bestselling author
- Joel Fuhrman, MD, family physician and leading expert on nutritional healing
Learn more about my story and my unique open approach to health coaching.