MY PERSONAL STORY
MY PERSONAL STORY
Hi!
I’m a 50-something year old Registered Holistic Nutritionist, mother and wife, passionate sports enthusiast, everything-outdoors-lover and breast cancer survivor – not listed in order of importance ;-). And did I mention I absolutely love dogs – most of all my giant fur baby Malu who we adopted from the dog shelter.
I am German with a husband from Chicago and a pre-teen son. Traveling and adventure has always been close to my heart. I have lived out of my van for a year which allowed me to travel and live the beach life while still continuing my work. I finally ended up in southern Spain, in a small beach town called Tarifa, famous for wind- and kitesurfing. It was here where I met my husband – we got married on the beach and have been calling this beautiful place home for many years now.
At age 48, I was diagnosed with early stage HER-2 breast cancer and had to undergo chemotherapy and radiation treatment. My breast cancer journey fast-forwarded me into menopause a little earlier than I had expected (chemotherapy immediately causes the ovaries to ‘throw in the towel’ if you’re already in a pre-menopausal state). I was experiencing extreme hot flashes – which can be a normal chemo side effect – however, they didn’t stop when I had recovered from treatment. That’s when I realized “…here comes menopause”.
Hi!
I’m a 50-something year old Registered Holistic Nutritionist, mother and wife, passionate sports enthusiast, everything-outdoors-lover and breast cancer survivor – not listed in order of importance ;-). And did I mention I absolutely love dogs – most of all my giant fur baby Malu who we adopted from the dog shelter.
I am German with a husband from Chicago and a pre-teen son. Traveling and adventure has always been close to my heart. I have lived out of my van for a year which allowed me to travel and live the beach life while still continuing my work. I finally ended up in southern Spain, in a small beach town called Tarifa, famous for wind- and kitesurfing. It was here where I met my husband – we got married on the beach and have been calling this beautiful place home for many years now.
At age 48, I was diagnosed with early stage HER-2 breast cancer and had to undergo chemotherapy and radiation treatment. My breast cancer journey fast-forwarded me into menopause a little earlier than I had expected (chemotherapy immediately causes the ovaries to ‘throw in the towel’ if you’re already in a pre-menopausal state). I was experiencing extreme hot flashes – which can be a normal chemo side effect – however, they didn’t stop when I had recovered from treatment. That’s when I realized “…here comes menopause”.
As a nutritionist with a whole body and mind approach, I wasn’t happy with the conventional methods I was offered by doctors, and I was determined to find better, more natural solutions. This was the start of my path to help other women facing the same struggles, whether they’ve reached their second spring naturally or as a result of medical treatments like chemotherapy.
Having a life-long passion for sports, exercise has always been part of a holistic healthy lifestyle for me. Unfortunately, I found out the hard way that your body doesn’t react to exercise the same way it did before menopause.
I found it impossible to return to the way I had exercised before. I just didn’t seem to have the energy or even the motivation to fight my way through tough HIIT workouts and trail runs. Nobody told me that you have to completely change the way you exercise when your hormones are all over the place. I had to learn to listen to my body telling me that recovery was more important and effective than pushing as hard as you can.
Trying to figure out how to best eat, live and exercise to feel my best in midlife, I became more and more fascinated by the intricate interplay of all our hormones and everything that affects their function. I continued my education to specialize in functional hormone balance, and it was clear to me that I needed to be a resource, coach and advocate for all menopause warrior’esses’ out there!
