From the Farm to the Mat to Your Plate: My Story

If you'd told the little girl growing up on a cattle farm in Kansas that she'd one day become a World Champion Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu competitor and a sports dietitian, she probably would have laughed and gone back to feeding the cows.

But life has a funny way of unfolding.

I grew up surrounded by hard work, wide open skies, and the kind of simplicity that teaches you to value what really matters. Sports weren't really on my radar — a couple seasons of coach-pitch softball were about the extent of it. It wasn't until high school that I discovered athletics through tennis, cross-country, basketball, and track. I wasn't a standout in any of them, but I loved showing up, and I stayed committed for all four years. That spirit — showing up even when you're not the best — has shaped everything I've done since.

Then came the moment that changed everything.

After my first year of college, I stumbled into a self-defense class at the local YWCA. That class introduced me to Hawaiian Kempo, and soon after, to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ). As someone who grew up watching Steven Seagal and Jean-Claude Van Damme movies, I was hooked. I threw myself into training, eventually became a professional MMA fighter, and built my life around the sport.

But here's the thing nobody tells you when you're fighting professionally: training hard isn't enough. What you eat — and how you fuel your body — matters enormously. I learned this the hard way. Despite everything I was doing right in the gym, my nutrition was a complete blind spot.

That gap drove me to do something about it.

I went back to school. Then back again. And again. I earned my master's degree in Sports Studies, then a PhD in Nutrition and Human Performance. Along the way, I added a graduate certificate in Dietetics and became a Certified Specialist in Sports Dietetics (CSSD). I wasn't just chasing credentials — I was chasing answers. I wanted to genuinely understand what the body needs to perform, recover, and thrive at every stage of life.

An ACL tear ended my MMA career, but it didn't end my journey on the mat. I kept training in BJJ, earned my purple belt, and eventually started competing again at the highest levels. My first IBJJF Masters Worlds? I won my weight class — honestly not even realizing the full significance of the title until after the fact. Since then, I've gone on to win multiple World Championships and haven't slowed down.

Competing keeps me deeply connected to the experience my clients live every day: the early mornings, the tough cuts, the mental grind, and the joy of showing up as your best self. I don't just coach performance nutrition from a textbook — I live it.

Today, I work with clients ranging from competitive athletes chasing titles to grandparents who just want to keep up with their grandkids. Whether your goal is to step on the podium, lose stubborn weight, build sustainable energy, or simply feel better in your body — I've been in the trenches, and I know what actually works.

This isn't about perfect eating or overnight transformations. It's about building real habits, fueled by real science, for a life you love.

I'm so glad you found your way here. Let's get to work.