About Dawn
As a certified Health Coach, I help my clients break free from food allergies,
food shaming and yo-yo dieting. We work together to improve their stress
levels, sleep habits and nutritional dietary lifestyle. I received my training from
the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, where I studied a variety of dietary
theories and practical lifestyle coaching methods I strive to co-create completely
personalized actions based on goals to move you toward your ideal vision of
health within your unique body, lifestyle, preferences, and resources. I also
received my Double Raw Food Certification from the Creative Health Institute
and Alyissa Cohen Raw Food Certification in 2010. I have written for Women's
Lifestyle Magazine and am a doTERRA Essential Oil Advocate.
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Here is my journey….
It began after four amazing children. Three of my four children were born within 16 months of each other. Needless to say, the stress on my body both mentally and physically was overwhelming. I was diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome while seven months pregnant with my twins. At that time, it was put in the class of the “Preppy Disease”, allegedly all in the heads of extremely busy people. After the twins were born, I developed an infection in my incision from the c-section. The pain was unexplainable. The doctors gave me antibiotics and told me to, “Just get some rest." No problem, three babies? I am sure they will completely understand that mom can’t get out of bed… NOT! I felt like I was at the point of no return. A friend suggested I go see an Iridologist. I was put on a supplement regimen and soon it improved my health to where it was manageable. I was feeling better and it was time to take off the baby weight. I invested my whole self into the latest fad diet… Low Fat. It was a diet that was laden with sugar and artificial sweeteners – Unbeknown to me at the time, it was the absolute worst thing I could do for my autoimmune deficiencies. Multiple trips to my physicians and no one ever spoke to me about nutrition.
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My career was in the beauty industry. On most days, I looked as if I had it all going on from the outside, but on the inside I felt like I was dying. I had begun to suffer extremely painful female cycles, missing family functions and work. I started to withdraw from my normal routine and once again went to see my physician. This time I was diagnosed with stage four Endometriosis. A complete hysterectomy was recommended. I took a year to experiment with holistic options, but I couldn’t manage the chronic pain any longer.
My surgery was scheduled, a complete Hysterectomy. I recovered from surgery, and I assumed I was on the road to a new life. Then came forty-eight pounds, sleepless nights, panic attacks, hot flashes, night sweats, extreme tiredness, brain fog, and extreme joint pain. Before I knew it, I was on 6 different medications. My physician recommended I try different medications, but I refused.
I had recently begun reading about bioidentical hormone replacement therapy and whole food nutrition. I decided to move forward with the bio-identicals and learning about whole food nutrition. I started seeing an improvement. I was regaining energy! I was then diagnosed with Fibromyalgia and Rheumatoid Arthritis, both autoimmune deficiencies. I still had mental fogginess and had not lost a pound. My skin had gotten terrible.
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More tests were ran and came back with extremely high levels of Gluten antibodies. I had Celiac Disease. I started eliminating gluten/wheat ingredients right away. I noticed my swelling going down, achiness leaving, and intestinal problems diminishing. My mental fog slowly dissipated. My weight hadn’t changed, though.
It took nine months before I started to lose weight, which interestingly aligns with when I started incorporating raw food, too. My life was forever changed. The reason I turned toward raw foods, other than the nutrient level, was that I wanted to eat amazing delicious food! I wanted to have my cake and eat it too. I have since received my double Raw Food Chef Certification. This has enabled me to help individuals of all shapes and sizes regain their health and bring awareness to the importance of living enzymes through a raw plant based lifestyle.