Wholistic Wellness Framework

Wholesome Nutrition

Eating real food and drinking clean water are foundational keys to restoring metabolic function, lowering chronic inflammation, and balancing immune + stress responses. Food choices can be one of the more difficult lifestyle changes to make, but they often have the biggest health impact. It is absolutely essential to fuel our bodies well so they can function optimally, but knowing what to eat can seem daunting. Everyone has unique dietary and nutritional needs, so I take an extremely personalized approach based on my clients’ gut health results and food sensitivity screening. Keeping current eating habits, individual health needs, and schedule limitations in mind, I develop a plan that works so new eating habits support overall wellness as well as targeted needs. I walk alongside clients every step of the way to help them stay successful and overcome obstacles as they arise, making tweaks as needed.

Some specific ways in which I equip clients include:

• Creating a real foods pantry and menu that makes everyone happy and supplies crucial vitamins + minerals
• Giving favorite family meals a real foods makeover so everyone can keep enjoying the recipes they love
• Guidance and recommendations for cooking meals that are uncomplicated and nourishing
• Recommendations for using culinary and nutritive herbs
• Replacing ultra-processed snacks with healthier alternatives that actually fuel the body
• Learning to read food packages to discover hidden ingredients that may be negatively affecting your family’s health, as well as finding healthier alternatives
• Understanding the meanings of organic, GMO, bioengineered, etc., and how to read between the lines of many confusing food labels to avoid “greenwashing” traps
• Learning to shop the EWG’s Clean 15 while avoiding the Dirty Dozen

Restorative Sleep

Sleep is a critical foundation of health and optimizing it is one of the easiest and most impactful necessities in a wholistic lifestyle, yet most Americans are deficient. In fact, sixty percent of Americans admit they have trouble sleeping! Lack of sleep leads to suffering from significant health consequences, which can include increased inflammation, inability to lose weight, lower immune function, impaired sugar metabolization, unbalanced mood, feelings of depression, irregular blood pressure, and more. Not only that, the timing and quality of sleep is crucial. With functional lab results from hormones, circadian rhythm, and stress in mind, I work with clients to develop their own personal sleep hygiene protocol so they can maximize their sleep for the most positive health results. We write actionable goals together that are reasonable, slowly building to a robust sleep hygiene routine that will support restorative sleep to promote overall wellness.

Body Movement

Exercise is much more than a way to burn calories—it is a powerful signal to the body that supports many of the systems involved in health and resilience. Regular movement can support mitochondrial energy production, healthy blood sugar regulation, cardiovascular function, muscle and bone health, immune function, stress resilience, and the body’s natural detoxification processes. Exercise also supports sleep, mood, and healthy brain function. Movement is one of the foundational lifestyle factors we can influence every day. Adults who are physically active have a 20–30% lower risk of premature death compared with those who are inactive. Regular physical activity also lowers the risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and several types of cancer. The goal isn’t to exercise as hard as possible—it’s to find movement that supports your body, fits your life, and is enjoyable. Walking, strength training, biking, swimming, dancing, playing outside with your kids, gardening, rebounding, and other activities you enjoy all count. We’ll work together to implement a movement routine that you can maintain so you can give your body the resources it needs to function, adapt well, and be resilient.

Stress Reduction

Stress is the #1 causal factor for health issues, contributing to 50% of all illnesses. Mental/emotional stress, toxic stress associated with adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), physical stress, and hidden physiological stress wreck havoc on our nervous system and ability to be well. Unmitigated stress can contribute to chronic health conditions, mental health diagnoses, immune system dysfunction, learning + behavior challenges, inability to heal, and even shorter lifespan. Although we cannot eliminate stress, we can create resiliency by uncovering hidden physiological stressors through functional lab screenings and addressing those imbalances with wholistic strategies. Stress on the body can come from a variety of contributors:

Likewise, nurturing our parasympathetic nervous system so we can “rest + digest,” correct imbalances, and utilize all the good stuff we’re giving it, is truly essential. We can do all of the right things but if stress responses are not addressed, it will be an uphill battle to improve the terrain and attain true wellness. I work with clients to explore and incorporate easy (and often free!) stress-lowering activities into their lifestyles to support regulation of the nervous system. I also help clients to optimize their gut health, which is strongly linked to nervous system balance. And if it’s the right fit, we may incorporate tonic, adaptogenic, or nervine herbs to support the nervous system, as well as essential oils to promote calmness and sleep.

Supplementation

Using targeted support based on lab results, we work to support, stimulate, and substitute as needed to fill gaps in food sources. I firmly believe that wholesome nutrition and wholistic lifestyle strategies comes first, but supplements can be a helpful addition to wellness protocols when warranted. I’ll recommend specific supplement brands that are vetted and offer the highest quality products, as well as offer deep discounts through my Fullscript storefront.

Lower Toxic Load

We are bombarded with toxins in our modern world and they can have devastating effects on our health without us even realizing it, exacerbating the stress on our bodies. An overflowing toxic load bucket contributes to inflammation, hormone disruption, and overall immune dysfunction. Conventional personal care products, perfumes, cosmetics, cleaning products, candles, room sprays, plastics, etc. all contain endocrine-disrupting chemicals that block our hormones from working properly. Other toxins like EMFs, blue light, and chemicals from food and nonstick cookware also silently confuse and poison our bodies. Chlorine and fluoride in our drinking water are problematic and bad indoor air quality is often overlooked. Knowing how to start making changes can feel overwhelming, so I work with clients to discerningly read labels and use tools to find safer products so they can “ditch and switch,” transforming their homes into a sanctuary of clean living. Using my detailed “Healthy Home” protocol, we will cultivate an actionable plan to slowly switch out products for natural alternatives, as well as learn to work with essential oils and herbs. I also work with interested clients to build a natural remedies toolbox that supports the whole family.

Other important considerations, If clients are open:

Connecting Relationships

Although it’s an often-overlooked aspect of health, connecting relationships are a vital component of wholistic wellness. Healthy social support is absolutely essential for mental (and therefore bodily wellness), including positive benefits for anxiety, depression, general quality of life, and overall psychological health. Part of my wellness counseling services includes discussion with clients about their relational health, opportunities to express forgiveness when needed, as well as recommendations and accountability for making positive social connections a priority. Likewise, because all adverse childhood experiences (ACES) stem from relational trauma, I make space to explore + appreciate clients’ histories if they are open to sharing their stories.

Spiritual Life

We are spiritual beings. Many people focus only on the “body” aspect of health, but spiritual care is an essential part of true wholistic wellness. Participating in a spiritual community or having a faith life is associated with better health outcomes overall, including increased longevity and improved mental health. Prayer is also consistently associated with less anxiety and depression, as well as lower cortisol (stress) levels. In fact, just 12 minutes of prayer a day can positively impact the frontal lobe of the brain and emotional health. While supporting clients, I address spiritual care and faith life, working to prioritize it in their lifestyles as they are open to it. As a Christian, I work with people of all faith backgrounds and religious beliefs, and I also personally pray for all of my clients and will open meetings with prayer if they are comfortable. I believe our Jehovah Rapha is the ultimate healer and prayer is one of the very best allies for our wholistic wellness.