Hey There!
Thanks for being here! Let's get to know each other, shall we?
First and foremost, I'm a dancer and a dance educator primarily in the tristate area. I currently teach ballet, tap, jazz, musical theater, and toddler classes at studies in South Jersey & New York, NY. I'm proud to say I run the toddler program at the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in NYC! A dream come true.
You may be thinking ... so where and when does fitness and nutrition come in to play?
Photo by Narratography by APJ
I grew up dancing from the age of 5 years at the Basically Ballet Studio in Forked River, NJ, where I currently run the advanced tap and jazz levels, and when schedules permit I teach the toddlers and creative movement levels as well! It's a dream to be on faculty at my home school.
I simultaneously dabbled in many sports, primarily soccer and marching band (it's a sport ... if you know, you know.). Soccer is where my love for running stemmed as I ran outside of practice to work on my speed (I was a bit slow back then lol). My soccer coach encouraged me to run around the block to practice. I just kept going. To this day I credit that coach to my present day distance running .
Once I got to Montclair State University where I attended as a dance major from 2008-2012 I began going to the gym.
I got a bit obsessive ...
Now you have to remember I was a dance major. This meant that I was already moving A LOT in my normal day to day. A normal day for me consisted of: a 90 minute ballet class, a 90 minute modern dance class, a 3 hour movement class such as choreography or improvisation, + a 2hr+ rehearsal for shows. That was a short day ...
Regardless I still went to the gym every single day, ran at least 3 miles, and lifted.
Was I eating enough to support this movement? I surely was not. And with regular costume measurements and adjudications approaching I certainly wasn't wanting to eat more.
Photo: Circa 2008
The overuse injuries started, and I got sick fairly often. In one year I broke two bones in my hand, 3 in my ankle on top of a sprain, and had an upper respiratory infection and the Swine Flu (so fun).
I started to have a deeper interest in vegetarianism and overall nutrition. In my sophomore year, as if I wasn't doing enough I declared a second
major - nutrition.
I made it to my Junior year before I had the meltdown that led me to drop my nutrition major and focus on dance because the workload for both majors was absolutely INSANE.
I graduated in May of 2012 with my BFA in dance, and a few
classes worth of credits towards a nutrition major.
I worked obtaining my personal training certification through ISSA while working to establish myself as a dancer and dance educator. I took ANY job that I could in northern New Jersey and NYC with dance studios and companies - teaching, performing, interning, whatever it took.
I was still determined to finish that nutrition degree that I had
started.
So l went back. In the Fall of 2013 l enrolled in college at Montclair State University for the second time, this time set to
complete my degree in dietetics.
The thing is I didn't totally know what I was doing or what I
wanted to do post grad...
Circa: 2012; Narratography by APJ
While I worked to complete my dietetics degree I continued working full time as a freelance dance teacher
and performer. I even took over a dance studio for about a year and a half ...that one didn't work out.
Wrong time wrong place. I learned a lot.
I had been using my personal training skills to cross train my dancers in technique and conditioning
classes, but I wanted more experience.
After I finally graduated with my dietetics degree in 2016 I took on a job as a personal trainer in a local gym that is attached to and affiliated with a hospital. Not only did I get to work with the general population, but I got to learn a lot from the physical therapists we shared a wall with and had many in-services from. We also got passed their clients once they were cleared from PT to exercise.
It was awesome. I was helping the general population get healthier through gym and hospital programming, I was helping my dancers get stronger, I was helping many people return from injury, I was continuing my education (pilates certification, additional training and nutrition certs, acrobatic dance certs), and I was helping people with general weight loss within my scope of practice with my dietetics degree...but I still wasn't sure what I wanted to do with a general dietetics degree. But as I worked in the industry and grew myself as a trainer, athlete, and vegetarian, the picture became more clear.
Atlantic City Half Ironman 2017; Relay Team; Runner - 13.1mi
I was also spending a lot of time in the gym working on my weight lifting skills and diving deeper into running. I ran my first distance race in 2015 - the 10 Mile Broad Street Run in
Philly.
Had not a clue what I was doing, but trained hard for it and completed it.
That led me down the path of distance running. Which eventually led to swimming after meeting people in the community ... which turned my half marathons into
triathlons... a story for another time.
In any event ... things were going overall well!
I was enjoying helping people overcome their food anxieties and shift their mindset around diet and exercise. I was enjoying a plant-based lifestyle. I wanted more. I wanted my masters.
While I weighed and considered what masters program I would apply for l continued to grow as a trainer and instructor.
After a transition from training in box gyms to teaching dance full time in schools I moved training to the on-line space. I wanted training to be more accessible for people so l created my first baby - Busy Bodies. Busy Bodies was designed to be a program for busy people with 3-4 days of exercises in 30 minutes or less. As it grew in popularity it gave me a jumping off point to later not only revamp the original program, but tier my training programs. I now have four levels of training templates for people in various stages of their exercise career from beginning to advanced.
I additionally started virtually nutrition coaching people and helping them with mindset shifts around diet and exercise to help them towards their goals. I have helped hundreds of happy people develop healthy and sustainable relationships with diet and exercise.
Wonderful!
Feeling confident in my little growing business I applied to graduate school at Andrew's University: an on-line plant-based diet program that culminated in the internship I needed and wanted to get my RD License.
Now, I could have completed my internship after undergrad, but l am glad that I didn't! Which may seem weird to see and hear, but I was able to get so much more clarity out of working in the industry first before heading down the MS, RD path, which is that much more helpful to those I counsel.
I excitedly enrolled into my program, moved into a two bedroom apartment so l could have an office space with how much I was working from home, and now grad school! About a month into 2021 in starting my graduate degree, and just one month shy of my one year little biz-a-versary, I discovered I was...pregnant.
I pushed forward working dance gigs, running training programs and nutrition counseling as much as l
could until I had my daughter and through her first year.
No doubt, It was HARD, especially as a working single mom. Thankful I had a lot of help from family.
And now we're here.
Where is "here"?
After completing all of my graduate school coursework in the summer of 2022 I took yet another year to find preceptors in the NJ/NYC area because my graduate school (Andrew's University) is in Michigan and I ... am not, lol.
I completed my dietetic internship under the guidance of several amazing RD's in NJ and NY in the areas of Long Term Care, Nutrition for children with ADHD and Autism, diabetic care, weight loss, eating disorders, athletics, general health, cancer, and several other states of being. I graduated top of may class with honors and earning Dietetic Intern of the Year (I'm still floored by this recognition.) I am beyond excited to take my board exam this summer!
So whether you're looking to:
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Never need to diet again
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Improve your athletic performance
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Transition to a plant-based diet
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Improve your relationship with food and movement
I've got you covered.
Thanks for being here and for reading my journey!
I look forward to see you in one of my programs!