About

I grew up in the 90s, where disposable plastic water bottles sitting in a hot car were the go-to for quenching thirst after an evening little league baseball game that was preceded by a quick Hot-Pocket dinner. Plastic containers were used nightly for microwaving leftovers that included a plethora of colorful GMO vegetables. Petroleum based hair products were used to spike my hair starting in sixth grade, which despite giving me headaches until they dried, made me think I looked "cool." Looking back on old photos, boy was I wrong. Ozone depleting aerosols were used to disperse high concentration neurotoxic DEET all over my skin. Reef-killing sunscreen was slathered over my body to protect me from the sun. I'd scrub the bathroom with carcinogenic chemicals all through middle school for an extra few dollars to spend on who-knows-what. When fat was demonized on the news, we switched to reduced-fat peanut butter where the new "recipe" did indeed lower the fat content, but increased the ingredient list from peanuts and salt to a mile long list of synthetic substances that I could not name. The wonders of chemistry were bountiful as a child.

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My family was much more health conscious than most in our social circles, or so we thought. I certainly didn't know anyone who was more healthy than I was growing up. This assessment was based on the knowledge that I had amassed from the available sources around me (my parents obviously, exercise books, magazines like runner's world, popular science, tv). The food pyramid might as well have been in the bible. We'd only ever have skim milk in the house. Most items were low sugar, low fat, and low sodium. Always whole wheat or multigrain bread, never white. Once whole wheat pasta made its debut in the early 2000's, there was no turning back. My health was my most important area of focus and a point of pride. My extended family would routinely poke fun during get-togethers when I'd stray away from both the dessert table and grandma's 50 stick of butter mac and cheese. 

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I grew up with the mindset that chemistry could solve all of the worlds problems. I pursued a career that embodied that vision. I studied chemical engineering and sought out graduate courses in plastics, medicinal chemistry, and food engineering. My foundation grew in the understanding of the chemical manipulation that occurs in order to make packaged food addictive and how pharmaceuticals are designed for the suppression of symptoms instead of correcting root causes. In this state, the body is unable to understand the underlying contributors to poor health and so the cycle continues. I worked with the people of Ecuador on an oil spill that left health problems and environmental disaster in its wake. I had a job in the pressure sensitive film industry, where workers were having health problems related to chemical exposure to MEK, toluene, and rubber and solvent based adhesives. I worked in the optical fiber industry where workers would be in confined spaces repairing fiberglass for hours on end without eye or respiratory protection in direct violation of OSHA regulations because it was "quicker and easier" that way. It was very evident that these were not healthy people and that their exposures were causing serious long-term harm. I worked for a company whose sole mission was to produce a type 2 diabetes pump. There was a big enough market for individuals who would rather be on a continuous medication drip than be bothered with checking their blood glucose manually or change their diet and lifestyle. 

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Growing up I was subjected to the propaganda of industry-backed "science" pushing the safety of many chemicals that were banned in the EU, pesticides, GMOs, and the like. I believed it. I went on to study the sciences to use them for the "greater good." I have since worked on both sides of the aisle, with organic farmers and holistic health practitioners, as well as pharmaceutical, chemical, and agricultural giants. I have a deep understanding of both sides, and leverage that knowledge and experience in my teaching.

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From a young age I was a competitive athlete. I realized early on that in most organized sports, I was not able to truly measure how well I performed. There was no sublimely simple and objective way that I could tell if I was getting better at ping pong, badminton, tennis, basketball, baseball, or soccer. I could not tell how well my most recent performance stacked up to the game I played last year against that "really good" player from that other town. I was much more concerned with how I measured up to my own achievements on a daily basis. It was no surprise that I began running cross country and track. I fell in love with running. I was able to push myself as much as I wanted without any referee whistle slowing me down. The engineer in me was over the moon about having consistent and measurable outcomes across all time. I could control the inputs, (diet, training, sleep, hydration, stretching, etc.) and have consistently measurable outputs (race times, interval times, heart rate). I raced competitively in cross country and track all through high school and college. In the middle of college I picked up racing triathlons in the summers. I fell in love once again. Post college I added swimming and cycling training to my running regimen, and found myself doing double session workouts everyday. I was glad to be out of the single minded focus of colligate running, and was able to design and hone my training around zones and periodization. It was a grueling lifestyle at times, but I enjoyed it completely. 

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I went on to work for a major athletic shoe company and had the pleasure of engaging with amazing people and meeting professional athletes. I became great friends with top athletes in the ultra endurance world and traveled far and wide for races. I learned so much by living the athletic lifestyle on a daily basis surrounded by knowledgeable and experienced individuals. 

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Throughout my last 20 years of racing and competing in cross country, track, and triathlons, I have had many coaches and cycled through various training theories, cross training regimens, and injury prevention and recovery methods. The more I researched health and nutrition, the more my diet and lifestyle transformed. I learned first hand how small tweaks can have huge impacts. Through this diet, fitness, and lifestyle evolution my energy levels steadily increased, my exercise training recovery time decreased, and the more restful and rejuvenating my sleep became.

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I have experimented with many different diets, training plans, and health practices. I have pushed my body to the limits testing these. Throughout the last decade, I have had the privilege of learning from mentors whose combined knowledge can be equated to a unifying theory. It is the simple source of underlying truth that is able to explain why all diets work for some and not others, or work for some time then stop. I have been able to see through the haze and misinformation that clouds the health scene. There is so much conflicting information that is "backed by science." I understand why so many people are confused about which way to turn. The mentors who I have learned from have been able to thrive for decades and into old age with extreme vitality by utilizing different subsets of the basic principles that I teach. These principles along with my life experiences have formed the foundation of my work. 

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