In a culture that promotes and values dieting and restriction, I understand that shifting to mindful no-diet self-care can be scary and confusing. Trust me, I get it. It took me many years to understand, appreciate, and trust this way of resolving food and weight struggles. You see, when I graduated with a degree in nutrition, I unfortunately spent some time being one of those preachy good/bad food dietitians.

In fact, remember when Oprah walked out on stage with a wagon of fat to show how much weight she’d lost on Optifast®? I’m sorry to say that I was running an Optifast® program at the time. Fortunately, I was also starting to realize that by focusing on weight loss, I wasn’t helping people become healthier, I was fostering a habit of yo-yo dieting and actually harming their health and well-being.

So, I quit my job and began to shift from harming with diets to helping with mindfulness-based no-diet self-care collaboration. I went back to school and got a Master’s degree in social work from Bryn Mawr College. During my studies, I did a field placement at the Renfrew Center, a nationally renowned eating disorder treatment center, where I continued to work for 10 years. 

Through this education and work experience, I learned about women’s issues and feminist psychology. And as a result, I finally understood that it’s not about food. And that body size is a feminist issue. I learned that focusing on repairing relationships — relationships with self, body, and others — is the way to help. 

I’ve been making amends ever since.  

Self-Care Warrior® &
Shooting Star Self-Care Camp

I also learned about mindfulness and recognized the connection between mindfulness and attuned eating and living. I started practicing mindfulness meditation and completed mindfulness meditation teacher trainings. 

Offering mindfulness-based no-diet individual Self-Care Warrior® sessions and groups, I discovered that as women resolve their food and weight issues, they turn toward living the moments of their life more fully.

To support their self-care work and mindful living, I created the Shooting Star Self-Care Camp where they can nourish their aliveness by playing, resting, and having mindful adventures in creativity, self-care, and self-acceptance.

Accompanying women on their self-care journeys by offering workshops, groups, and the Shooting Star Self-Care Camp experience, I’m able to fulfill my main intentions in developing Nourishing Aliveness® programs ––to enhance health & well-being, create community, and generate joy-fullness.