I always thought I was fit and ate well. I worked outside with horses for much of my adult life, I hiked, hunted and was just generally active. When I gave birth to my daughter that all changed. Confronted with a completely new life as a mother, I stopped exercising and became somewhat miserable.

I didn't know then what I know now--that my body, brain and gut are not just interconnected but that they create each others' realities. How we eat can directly influence how we feel physically and mentally. Eating to promote beneficial bacteria in our gut can help reduce depression, improve mood and boost the immune system while poor food choices can have a negative effect on how we feel.

Thankfully, a CrossFit gym opened in my small town and I went the very first day. I never stopped, never looked back and that first step has transformed me and my life altogether. I won't say that it was easy, or that there weren't a lot of days I wanted to quit. For two years I had to force myself to go to class. I was scared. Scared that I wouldn't be able to do it, and scared of the pain. But every time I went to class, I met that fear face on and saw it for the falsehood it was. I maybe had to modify a workout, but I could always do it. I might have been sore, but that discomfort was always temporary. And the fact of the matter was, I always left class feeling better.

After the first 2-3 years of CrossFit I was a lot fitter, but I hadn't lost much weight. My focus shifted to nutrition and how to eat for my body and also for my performance in the gym. Nutrient timing and what types of food to eat to help build and retain muscle while losing fat and increasing strength was my goal. Pounds melted off me, and I was able to work out stronger and smarter. A hidden gift in that process was an exponential increase in awareness as I became acutely aware of how and what I ate.

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Perhaps it goes without saying that as my body changed, I too transformed as a person. That transformation shaped me and my personal relationships and took them to new places. Sometimes change can be scary. But just as I had faced that fear at CrossFit initially, I faced it in my personal life as well and soared, not in spite of, but, because of it.

Changing my nutrition changed me, and I wanted to understand the scientific reasons behind it. I also wanted to empower other people to be able to do the same. I enrolled in Logan University, where I graduated as the Valedictorian with a master of Science in Nutrition and Human Performance with a concentration in Nutritional Wellness. I am now a licensed Nutritionist in the State of New Mexico and want to help you realize your full physical, mental and emotional potential just as I am every day.