My work in health, longevity, and prevention didn’t begin in a classroom or clinic. It began through family, lived experience, and questions that stayed with me over time.
This is the personal story behind why prevention matters so deeply to me — and how loss, curiosity, and possibility shaped the way I approach health, aging, and everyday life.
A Story Shaped by Family, Loss & Possibility
My passion for prevention began early. On my mother’s side, cardiovascular disease struck young and often: my grandfather had two strokes in his 40s and died at 53, and seven of his eight children went on to experience a heart attack or stroke at a young age.
That pattern continued into the next generation. Several of my cousins suffered life-changing heart attacks or strokes in their 30s, and my brother had a heart attack and quadruple bypass at age 35. He later died at 49 from complications of diabetes and heart failure.
My mother was the exception in her generation — she did not develop heart disease — but she died of ovarian cancer at 64, just as my first child was born. Her loss, and the illnesses that surrounded my family, deeply shaped how I view health, aging, and the power of hope and prevention.
Later, I chose to participate in the Gilda Radner Ovarian Cancer Research Study at Cedars-Sinai to support the search for better early detection tools. It reaffirmed my belief that while genetics influence risk, our everyday choices remain profoundly powerful.
The Early Turning Point
Even as a competitive athlete in college, I often woke up tired and foggy. Lab tests said I was “healthy,” but I didn’t feel that way. While studying physiology and nutrition, I changed my diet—eliminating sugar, meat, and processed foods—long before discussions about ultra-processed foods were mainstream.
The shift in my energy, clarity, and vitality was transformational. It taught me one truth that has guided my entire career:
Lifestyle is powerful.
Lifestyle is preventive.
Lifestyle is medicine.
A Career Grounded in Clinical Science & Real-Life Practicality
I began my career as Center Director at the Pritikin Longevity Center, where I witnessed how movement, nutrition, and lifestyle change could dramatically improve metabolic, cardiovascular, and emotional health.
Over time, my clinical work expanded to include:
• Cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation
• Cancer survivorship exercise
• Metabolic health and diabetes support
• Balance and fall prevention
• Brain health and memory support
• Functional mobility and healthy aging
Whether working in hospitals, community programs, corporate settings, veterans’ medical centers, or broadcast media, my focus has remained the same: helping people move with confidence and age with strength and resilience.
Wellness Beyond the Clinic
My commitment to health has never been limited to clinical settings.
As a young mother concerned about chemical exposure in everyday products, I began formulating botanical, non-toxic alternatives — long before “clean beauty” and “green home” aisles were mainstream.
I launched Nature’s GreenHouse™, creating plant-based soaps, skincare, and healthy homekeeping products that were sold to health centers including the John Muir Women’s Health Center and the Ritz-Carlton Spa in Half Moon Bay.
During that time, I also supported women undergoing cancer treatment by helping them better understand chemical exposure in skincare products, and wrote a manuscript, Deciphering the Skin Care Product Code, documenting hidden hazards in common consumer products — a topic now widely discussed.
That chapter, like every other part of my career, shared the same purpose: helping people live healthier, safer, and more confident lives — inside and out.