"My interest in health and wellness was ignited early in life; I was in middle school when my dad had to go to physical therapy to rehabilitate a back injury. I knew I wanted to be a physical therapist when I was 12 years old! I completed physical therapy school at Medical College of Virginia in 1987 and practiced as a licensed physical therapist for 23 years. During that time I was privileged to peek behind the curtain into thousands lives. There were some outstanding lessons that I learned vicariously through my amazing patients - both how to live life well and how to not really live life at all. I was observing the concept of "health span" in my everyday life, coincidentally the term health span was born around the time I entered P.T. practice! Maybe that's why it was something that has remained a guiding concept for me since then. As I became more fascinated with health span and the related field of epigenetics, preventative practice became more of a priority to me. I began to engage in professional wellness pursuits including practicing and teaching yoga with a 200-hour certification, practicing and teaching Pilates, practicing and teaching Matsubayashi-ryu karate as a shodan, and becoming a certified personal trainer with the National Strength and Conditioning Association in 2005. I served clients with a multitude of chronic health conditions from 2005-2016 which was a perfect niche for someone who had a long physical therapy background. In 2015 I completed a year-long Health Coach Training Program with the Institute of Integrative Nutrition (IIN) and started incorporating coaching practices into my personal training practice. I took my education and experience to the federal government in 2016 to put my Master of Arts in Organizational Management to work; a degree I had earned in 2004 during my time as a physical therapist in health care management. I served in workforce development for the U.S. Air Force. One of my responsibilities in workforce development was coordinating a wide range of coaching programs available to both our civilian and military workforce. I was able to witness and experience the power of professional coaching during my tenure. This renewed my interest in the coaching profession. The National Board for Health and Wellness Coaching (NBHWC) exam was initiated in 2017 in response to a rapidly evolving coaching industry. With my renewed interest in coaching and higher standards developing in the profession, I decided it was time for me to sit for that national board exam. I completed IIN's Coaching Intensive Practicum in July 2025 which qualified me to sit for the exam. I'll be taking the NBHWC exam in November 2025 to earn the NBC-HWC credential which is recognized as the industry standard. Despite my decades of experience in rehabilitation, health and wellness, and workforce development, I'm not exempt from the rollercoaster of life. I've ridden the crazy ride like everyone else and have had my own struggles with wellness. My role as coach is to support my clients while they're navigating the hard but rewarding work of change, I do so with great empathy and respect."