My Journey from Hairstylist to Nutrition Coach: Why I Chose Prevention Over Prediction

For over 20 years, I stood behind the chair—scissors in hand, connecting with clients, pouring creativity and care into every appointment. It was work I loved deeply. But what most people didn’t see was how much pain I was in.

The long hours on my feet, the repetitive movements, and the physical demands of styling were catching up to me. I was dealing with joint pain, chronic fatigue, shoulder instability, and nerve pain that would linger long after the last client left. Eventually, I was diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS)—a connective tissue disorder that explained a lot, but also left me with more questions than answers.

Doctors told me to change careers. I didn’t want to. I still don’t. But I knew something had to change.

My First Act of Prevention

My story doesn’t start with a diagnosis—it starts with a decision.

At 15, I remember sitting at the dinner table hearing my mom talk about how high cholesterol and heart disease “just ran in the family.” Like it was inevitable. Something about that didn’t sit right with me. I couldn’t accept that my health story had already been written just because of my genes. So I started paying attention—reading food labels, researching nutrition, asking questions no one around me was really asking yet.

That was my first real act of prevention. And I haven’t stopped since.

Seeing Patterns—In Myself and My Clients

The more I learned, the more I realized how much of our day-to-day health is shaped by the tiny, compounding choices we make. Not just what we eat, but how we move, how we sleep, how we manage stress, and what we’re exposed to.

Over the years, I saw these patterns in my own life—and I saw them in the lives of my clients, too. So many of the women who sat in my chair were fighting invisible battles: autoimmune issues, blood sugar crashes, gut problems, inflammation, anxiety. And nearly all of them had one thing in common: they didn’t feel like they had the time, energy, or clarity to figure it all out.

They were living reactively—waiting until the symptoms became unmanageable before taking action. I knew that feeling all too well.

From Pain to Philosophy

My own health journey taught me the power of food as a form of medicine. When I changed the way I ate, everything shifted. My energy improved. My inflammation went down. My brain felt clearer. I became more resilient—and less reactive.

But most importantly, I stopped waiting for things to get worse before I made them better. That mindset became the foundation for what is now The FAM Philosophy—my approach to preventative nutrition, built on the belief that real food, consumed intentionally, can reduce risk and restore balance.

FAM stands for Food As Medicine, but it also stands for the kind of community I hope to create: one that feels like family, where you don’t have to figure it out alone.

Not a Diet. A Decision.

The FAM Philosophy isn’t about following rigid rules or eliminating everything you enjoy. It’s about choosing nourishment over punishment. It’s about supporting your body before it sends the distress signal. And it’s about making the kinds of small, sustainable shifts that don’t just help you feel better this week—they help you prevent the bigger health issues down the road.

I’m not here to hand out food lists or calorie charts. I’m here to help you understand how food interacts with your unique body—and how you can use it to create long-term vitality, not just short-term fixes.

Why Prevention Matters

I didn’t leave hairstyling—I expanded from it. My work now is rooted in the same values that drew me to beauty in the first place: transformation, connection, and care. But this time, I’m helping people transform their health, connect to their bodies, and care for themselves in deeper, more powerful ways.

Because when you learn to nourish your body intentionally, you change your future.

And that’s what prevention really is: the radical belief that you have a say in your health story.