Where did you grow up and what was your childhood like? Did you have any particular experiences/stories that shaped your adult life? 

I grew up in a beautiful suburb north of New York City. I had a fairly normal and happy childhood, thankfully. My Mom was a chef so one can imagine the kind of divine after-school snacks I was blessed with when I came home from school. But I think seeing the multiple creative passions and talent my mom had while also raising us was significant and impactful for me. For instance, she went to culinary school when I was 13, and in her 50’s became an acclaimed chef and cooking instructor. But she also did multi-media art, sewing, crafts, pottery, and anything else creative. I always wondered where my own creativity lay. Now, 40 years later I am seeing my own creative talents emerge through writing my best-selling book, The Body Image Blueprint, and I also recently followed in my mom’s footsteps by becoming a culinary nutritionist and vegan home cook!

What is something you wish you would’ve realized earlier in your life?

That I don’t to be thin to be happy. I would have been able to spend the time preoccupied with food and non-stop exercise into pursuing my dreams earlier and would have saved me so much anguish over feeling like my body wasn’t good enough as it is. Now I know, my job is only to care for and nourish my body – not force it into a size or shape that clearly was unrealistic in the long term. 

What are bad recommendations you hear in your profession or area of expertise? 

Anytime someone claims a “quick fix” to a weight or food issue is blowing smoke up your you know where. Diet culture feeds us the notion that if you only give up carbs, give up fat,  intermittently fast or create other unsavory, arbitrary, and unsustainable food rules you’ll get what you want quickly. I also cannot stand when experts say a calorie is just a calorie. It’s not.  There are so many other factors at play including, your eating psychology, your food habits, your gut flora balance, medications you’re on, underlying health issues, amount of stress in your life, and so much more that goes into your food choices. My job as a coach is to get to the bottom of all of that and how it relates to your relationship with food. 

Tell me about one of the darker periods you’ve experienced in life. How you came out of it and what you learned from it? 

Truthfully, other than the surreal nature of child-rearing and the toll it takes on your body (and sleep) the hardest and most dark time in my life was when my Father passed away 3 years ago.  He and I were extremely close and he passed suddenly and unexpectedly which made his death that more shocking and difficult to contend with. It was a good 6 months of grieving before I  felt even an iota of reprieve. I came out of it by going THROUGH it. I let myself cry, a lot, and grieve and I relied on my family and friends and let them be there for me. I let myself receive emotional support and let people bring me meals and help me with my kids during that time. I learned that if I could get through losing my Dad which was always my biggest fear growing up,  I can literally handle anything. I’m resilient and strong; Much more than I thought.

What is one thing that you do that you feel has been the biggest contributor to your success so far?

Without a doubt, it’s not giving up. There have been so many triumphs and so many let-downs,  disappointments, and utter failures. It’s cliché but the difference between those who succeed and those who don’t are the ones who take the setbacks in stride and don’t allow them to chip away at your psyche and confidence. The only thing standing in the way is your own negative self-talk that convinces you to give up. Push through that nasty negative nelly. Take a break if you have to, to recalibrate and course-correct but do not give up if it’s something you are passionate about and know makes an impact on people and the world. It’s your duty to continue. Someone out there NEEDS you to pull yourself up and keep going.

What is your morning routine?

I usually wake up around 5:45 am by the loving sounds of my cats wreaking havoc in my room in an attempt to get me to feed them. I try to ignore but they are persistent and destructive if they need to be. I usually do a body scan in bed and set an intention for the day. I feed the cats and make my coffee with a nutrient-dense elixir to use as a creamer that has adaptogenic herbs and medicinal mushrooms. I take my vitamins, meditate for 10 minutes, and then check the news before waking my kids for school at 6:30 am.

What habit or behavior that you have pursued for a few years has most improved your life? 

Giving up dieting, giving up the scale, and adopting a mindful and intuitive eating style. It has changed my life and gave me the inspiration to start my eating psychology business 5 years ago.  I went from chronic yo-yo dieting and being miserable and deprived all while over-exercising to maintaining my weight effortless for 4 years while moving for joy and eating mindfully, trusting my body cues, and ending the restrictive dieting patterns I had followed blindly for so many years. Game changer!

What are your strategies for being productive and using your time most efficiently? 

I am always trying to be productive and spend my time effectively but with 3 tweens/teenage girls in my home during a pandemic and all the while running a solo business, productivity and time management is often difficult. I use two apps that help me immensely. One is Notion and the other is Milanote. I’ve learned I’m a visual learner and organizer, so these apps are perfect for that. I continue to always want 10 more extra hours in the day so I continue to work on using my time well and not doom-scrolling on Twitter.

What book(s) have influenced your life the most? Why? 

My favorite fiction book that I read in high school was The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. I loved all the symbolism regarding the American dream, old wealth vs. new wealth, and the writing was so beautiful, haunting, and poetic. 

But one of the books that truly impacted my life is Why You Eat What You Eat by Dr. Rachel Herz. In it, she explains the science around why we eat what we eat based on our senses. In it, she discusses many studies that have been shown to impact people’s eating habits and researched the behavioral economics of eating, namely why we feel compelled to eat certain foods under various circumstances. I learned so much from her and use her studies and research and concepts in my work as an eating psychology coach.

Do you have any quotes you live by or think of often? 

“When you do things from your soul, you feel a river moving in you, a Joy” – Rumi

This has always been true in my life. I feel joy when I follow the most fervent rumblings within my soul.