A Promising Career

At the age of 22, I was at the beginning of what I expected to be a long career as an industrial deep-sea diver. After completing extensive training and showing great promise, I was excited to embark on my new career path.

A Tragic Twist

Then on February 19, 1985, my life took a dramatic turn. I was involved in an industrial explosion that resulted in my developing Type 1 Diabetes. For those who don’t know, with Type 1 Diabetes, the body does not produce insulin, a hormone that is needed to convert sugar into energy. So, instead of embarking on a promising career, I now found myself facing a lifelong struggle to manage my daily health.

The Fight for Life

Throughout the years that followed, I battled with my health. In addition to Type 1 Diabetes, I suffered from multiple issues like Crohn's or Colitis--doctors couldn't say exactly. One doctor mentioned IBS but still had no sure answers.

More harsh drugs were all he could suggest! I studied the Food Pyramid and the Canadian Food Guide, and I even received training from a doctor to help combat my health issues. I measured my food, I was doing everything right, yet no one could explain why things were not getting better.

My frustration was only outmatched by how horrible I felt. I wasn’t sleeping well and felt tired all of the time. I started having issues with my eyes and developed aches and pains that would persist despite my best efforts. I felt I was no longer in control of my life. I was becoming more and more emotionally depressed and needed to do something different.  

A Breakthrough

One day, I realized that most foods I was eating seemed to bother me more than they should. Foods like bread, potatoes and processed foods seemed to be making me sick, and I rarely felt full regardless of how much I ate.

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So, I decided to try going gluten-free and removing grain products, potatoes, and high-glycemic-index foods. Things started to turn around rapidly, and I expanded my research into other foods and weighed the results.

Throughout this entire experimentation process, I proceeded to lose weight, and various health issues improved as well. My eyes improved, my aches and pains were gone, and I no longer needed to take medication for my blood pressure. With the vast improvements in my physical health, my emotional health improved as well.

A New Beginning

That’s when I decided to become a Certified Professional Health Coach and share what I had learned with others. I graduated from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, where I studied with the world's top health and wellness experts.

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I learned innovative coaching methods, practical lifestyle management techniques, and over 100 dietary theories: everything from Ayurveda, gluten-free, and Paleo to raw, vegan, macrobiotics, and everything in between.

I feel this type of knowledge is sorely needed and largely unavailable. So, I founded my consulting business in 2015 to help others who are losing hope take control of their health with nutritional coaching.