I grew up immersed in a way of living that, at the time, I simply thought of as normal. My grandparents and parents grew their own food, stayed active, avoided excess, respected their bodies, and valued daily rhythms that supported health. I didn’t have language for it then, but looking back, those habits closely mirror what we now call lifestyle and functional medicine. They shaped me deeply—so much so that when I left home for college and adulthood, I didn’t realize how far I was drifting from the very principles that had once felt so natural.
Like many women in their 30s and 40s, I was doing all the things. I built a successful career in physical therapy, earned the trust of my patients, and helped grow the confidence and reputation of my department. On paper, I was thriving. In reality, I was running on fumes. Poor food choices, inconsistent sleep, chronic stress, and perfectionism slowly pulled me away from myself.
At home, my family felt it. I was present—but tired. Loving—but depleted. Still holding impossibly high expectations of myself as a mother and partner.
In my late 40s, what I now recognize as perimenopause arrived as a turning point. From the outside, everything looked fine. Inside, my energy, clarity, and sense of vibrancy were fading. I no longer felt like myself, and pushing harder only took me further from where I wanted to be.
Functional medicine gave me language for what I was experiencing—and more importantly, a path forward. I learned that perimenopause and menopause aren’t failures of willpower or signs of aging “too fast.” They are transitions that ask us to slow down, pay attention, and reconnect. Through this work, I rebuilt trust with my body, learning how hormones, stress, nourishment, movement, and lifestyle intersect—and how to work with my body instead of fighting it.
Healing wasn’t about doing more. It was about doing what actually mattered.
Today, I feel grounded, vibrant, and deeply connected to my life again. I garden, keep bees, laugh with my family, protect time for myself, and bring intention back into my marriage. In many ways, my healing has been a return—coming full circle to the same foundational principles I grew up with, now supported by the insight and science of functional medicine. If you’re feeling disconnected from your body or your energy and sense that something needs to change, I want you to know there is another way—and you don’t have to find it alone.
