When I begin working with a new patient it is important for me to understand their story. Because the relationship I create with each of my patients is part of their health journey, I feel it is important that they know my story too.

I grew up surrounded by the redwoods of coastal California. My summer vacations were spent camping in forests and exploring tide pools. My mother is a nurse and my father is an innovative psychotherapist. My family tree is full of healers and physicians. My great grandfather was a family doctor, my uncle a chiropractor, and my grandmother an herbalist. Conversations around the campfire were inevitably steeped in stories about the connections between things. These experiences were the foundation of an insatiable curiosity about what makes us who we are.

Movement was the first lens through which I began to really explore the amazing complexity of the human body on my own. As a young girl, I was in love with the idea of becoming a professional dancer. For the better part of two decades I worked on achieving that goal. While trying to “make it” in New York City in my 20’s, I realized that I had a different calling. I decided to become a healer, so I packed up my studio apartment and moved back to the expansive skies of the West Coast. That’s not to say I don’t still love to dance. I do. I remain an active dancer and consider it an integral part of my health and well-being.

I spent the next 15 years studying botanical medicine and completing my doctoral training and medical residency. Over another 10 years I built a thriving practice in the Bay Area. I also had two children with my husband, and we’ve made it a priority to share with them the love of outdoor spaces and time in nature I was blessed with as a child.

The last few years have been full of opportunities for transformation. I expanded my practice from the Bay Area to the community of Ojai, tucked between the Topa Topa mountains and the Pacific Ocean. Having grown up in a small coastal community, I wanted to share that lifestyle with my children too. I’m still as committed to my calling as I’ve ever been, but I’ve learned to slow down. I spend more time in the wilds with my family. I stay committed to my physical, mental and spiritual well-being. Doing these things is not only important for me personally but makes me a better doctor too. They allow me to show up for my patients with my whole self.

We all deserve to be supported, vital, and inspired. This is what health means to me and what I want for you too.

 

Education & Affiliations

B.S., PreMed, Behavioral Science & Health, University of Utah

N.D., National University of Natural Medicine, NUNM

Residency, Advanced Gynecology & Women’s Health, NUNM

Master Certification in Intuition Medicine, Academy of Intuition Medicine

Certificate in BioResonance Analysis of Health Practitioner, American College of Integrative Medicine & Dentistry

Member, Naturopathic Oncology Association

Board Member, Former, California Naturopathic Doctors Association

Member, American Association of Naturopathic Physicians