My Story & Mission

I’ve always been passionate about helping kids, so becoming a pediatric dietitian was a natural fit. My first job as an RD had me working in the NICU, supporting infants and mothers while earning my lactation certification. A few years later, I landed my dream role at a top pediatric cancer research hospital, where I helped families navigate nutrition during treatment.

Through this experience, I saw firsthand how food became a source of control for many families—whether a child refused to eat due to lack of control or treatment side effects, or when a parent hyper-focused on a “healing” diet. The stress around food was undeniable.

Around the same time, my husband and I became foster parents, and I immersed myself in trauma-informed, connection-based parenting, including TBRI® (Trust-based relational intervention). Many of our foster children had complex relationships with food, and I was shocked by the lack of trauma-informed dietitians for kids outside of eating disorder care.

Now, as a mom to two adopted daughters and a dietitian with years of experience, I’ve combined my personal and professional passions to create Nourish with Connection—the dream job I never knew I had. My mission is to educate and empower families and professionals to both nourish kids and build strong relationships—simply put, to nourish with connection.