AKA: the Backstory
I’ve been on a journey of learning for my entire life. As a young girl growing up on Long Island NY, I was exposed to, and fascinated with, cultures from around the world. I would spent hours digging in the yard, imagining I could bore through the earth and come out on the other side of the globe. My favorite adventure was to accompany my dad to Chinatown in NYC where he would have his suits tailored while I would marvel at the sights, sounds and smells of the local herbal shops and aromas of delicious ethnic foods!
Even as a girl, I was drawn to the eastern philosophies that are based on the cycles of nature and balance. I inherently understood the idea that lifestyle, mindset and food could heal and that nature provided the best medicine. I knew at my core, that the way we lived in suburban Long Island in the1970s, was far and away from how nature intended and I was bent on changing that! I cooked for my family, coached my brother on healthy eating and created recipes that were exotic and healthy. By junior high I was making and selling my “famous” spinach pies to a local market owner who actually paid me 75 cents per pie! Big deal to a 13 year-old kid!
As I grew older, I felt a powerful pull to experience the world. I enrolled in college with the intention to learn through exploring the globe. I did just that! My program choice, International Studies and Language, allowed me to travel while earning my degree! I spent my sophomore summer in Spain, some months in Israel and then, in my junior year, I was off to China to study language and culture…My childhood dream was realized!
I lived with 109 other students from every continent of the world. We bonded through a new language, a new culture as we opened our minds to new ideas. I became proficient in Mandarin Chinese while I learned about people and about myself. For over a year I zig zagged throughout the country and beyond. I contemplated life on the banks of the Ganges River in India and considered my future while climbing the Great Wall. All the while I was soaking in the colors, flavors and sights. My eyes were open and I drank it all in, learning about people, their language, their perspectives, their lives, their cultures and about my place in the world.
China is the birthplace of one of the most comprehensive and ancient medicinal systems on the planet. It is a wholistic model based on mind and body without separation. This felt true to me on every level; my thoughts certainly influenced my body and my physical state most definitely determined how I felt. My passion had been discovered. I would go on to study it all: acupuncture, herbal medicine, dietary therapy and nutrition. My purpose became clear. By introducing people to different perspectives and practices around health and wellness, I could bridge the gap and become an ambassador for the world and help people live healthier and happier lives.
Over the past 25 years, I have crafted many skills, earned degrees, acquired volumes of practical experience and have achieved a high level of competency in teaching people how to reclaim their health. I have served as a professor in the classroom, a senior clinician and student mentor in accredited Master’s programs and supervised interns in the US and abroad.
I’ve created and coordinated overseas programs for interns studying traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and have personally led 19 trips to China. I am forever a student and continue to thrive on both teaching and learning. I continue to travel, learn new languages and experience the world. In doing that, I have become a tour guide of sorts: by helping people discover a different approach and new perspective, I can in fact show them the world and help them experience the vast universe that is inside each and every one of us!
Today, I am well equipped to help those who are ready to embark on their own journey toward a healthier life. I am particularly skilled at working with people who have complex health conditions for which they’ve sought help and treatment with limited success. My goal is to help guide patients through what may seem like a forest full of obstacles and bring them into the clearing, where they may discover a new state of health and truly transform.