About Me

I am the Wellness Director and Vice President of The Diet Doc, LLC and have earned a bachelor’s degree in exercise physiology, a master of science in counseling, and a doctorate in health psychology and behavioral medicine. My education is enhanced by certifications in personal training, health coaching, mindfulness meditation, & lifestyle and weight-management consulting. I am also an ISSN (International Society of Sports Nutrition) clinician, as well as a National Academy of Metabolic Sciences certified professional!

Whew! But let’s be real. My first love is cycling, my second love is learning, and I suppose it’s a tie between my partner and my cat for the third wave of attention!

But more about The Diet Doc, because it is what I spend the majority of my time in and on! We offer a lifestyle-based, holistic program that encourages individuals to adopt an approach of structured flexibility to optimize their health and lives!

With encouragement and the science of motivation built into every step of the process, my clients practice adapting their behaviors and mindsets to facilitate safe, effective, and enduring health practices. Their individual metabolisms, lifestyles, food preferences, health conditions, activity levels, goals, and daily schedules are keys to developing their personal plans for success that can stand the test of time.

Where do I come in? Well, I specialize in the psychology of change. If you’ve struggled with low motivation, a lack of persistence, procrastination, “knowing what to do but not doing it,” and letting yourself down time and again, I come in to teach you how to finally take responsibility, take ownership, and take names!

Part of the process is learning how to approach nutrition– and any goal for that matter– with flexibility. But make no mistake, this does not mean a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants and eat-whatever-you-want-whenever-you-want system! When have you accomplished anything worthwhile operating like this? It means first understanding what you value. You need a platform on which to stand with stability so that when the inevitable hardships and difficulties appear, you can rise to the occasion!

That platform is constructed with customization– no one is like you. That is a superpower that we have to capitalize on! We also work on the areas of physical and mental training, mind-body integration, optimal athletic performance, eating psychology and emotional eating coaching, mindset and peak performance coaching, and overall well-being. I’m not going to help you just lose weight, for example. No. You will, through our work together, become confident in your abilities to take control of your life in any area.

I understand what it’s like to set extremely challenging goals and meet them with significant effort and tenacity. I’m one of a few athletes who have earned professional status in all three divisions of Bodybuilding, Figure, and Fit Body within the World Natural Bodybuilding Federation. I’ve also been a runner-up at the WNBF World Championships twice, and have earned pro titles at the Mid-America Pro-Am and the Pro-Cup in Sacramento. Now an avid road cyclist, I can be found climbing the hills of North County San Diego!

I’m published in the Journal of Nutrition and various community magazines, serve on the advisory board for Oxygen Women’s Fitness magazine, am a contributing writer for UltraFitness magazine, avidly write (and read!) blogs, contribute with Dr. Joe Klemczewski to produce The Diet Doc Life Mastery podcast, teach at national camps and retreats, provide international webinars, and create online courses, including The ABC’s of Motivation: Apply the Science of Success to Optimize Your Life and We Eat How We Live: End Emotional Eating & Change Your Relationship with Food!

I coauthored 50 Days to Your Best Life with The Diet Doc founder, Dr. Joe Klemczewski in 2014 and have a new book in the works about the threats to self-determination of individuals pursuing nutrition goals. The Diet Doc programming, including a sophisticated digital resource system for clients blazes a trail for enduring health success by simultaneously addressing the necessity of having flexible options while still employing a structure that will help accelerate body fat loss and optimal performance.