My Story

For much of my youth, my relationship with my body was extremely fraught.  I was always tall for my age and skewed on the heavy side.  I always felt like I was taking up too much space in the world.  I felt like I would never be good enough and there was nothing I could do about it.

My body image kept me from participating in a lot of life.  I viewed myself as awkward and uncoordinated and not remotely athletic.  I mostly avoided team sports and group social activities, preferring instead to hide my shame under baggy clothes and an identity as a loner.

Things changed for me when I started spending more time outdoors.  It was a place where I was unconcerned with how I looked or how much space I occupied.  I developed skills, learning to row and paddle rafts, backpack, navigate, backcountry ski, and trail run.  My confidence flourished and I started to think differently about my physical container.  Suddenly I could see its vast potential as a tool and vehicle to get me out in the world, connecting with places, friends and myself. 

These activities came to define me personally and on a professional level. I spent many winters hauling injured skiers/snowboarders off the mountain as a ski patroller and almost  20 years river guiding in the desert Southwest, Grand Canyon, Idaho and China.  Most of my days off were spent exploring new places under my own human-power.  

My new relationship with my body gave me freedom, agency and a sense of aliveness I could not have imagined; but all this was threatened with a traumatic knee injury in my mid 20’s. I found myself contemplating a life without the activities upon which I depended for physical, mental, social, and spiritual well being and I was determined to get it back.

It took a tremendous amount of patience, dedication, hard work and some major lifestyle modifications, but I was able to recover much of the function of my knee and return to playing outside.  More importantly though, I learned an invaluable lesson:  The human body is an incredible, integrated system with unbelievable capacity to heal, recover and adapt but it requires support, nourishment, appropriate stimulus and love.  My rehabilitation experience once again altered my alliance with my body.  No longer do I see it as merely a tool or vehicle, it is my home, and by far the most exquisite thing I will ever own.  

My passion in life once lay in guiding people down wild, raging rivers or up steep, winding trails.  These days,  I am dedicated to guiding people in cultivating physical wellbeing and optimizing their human experience.  I offer customized, one on one personal training and nutrition coaching and whether you are preparing for the trip of a lifetime, an event, adventure or just wanting to feel better in day to day life,  I’d love to help!  Click HERE to set up a free online consultation.

Certifications and Credentials:

NSCA CPT and CSCS: 

Founded in 1978, The National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) is a nonprofit association dedicated to advancing the strength and conditioning and related sport science professions around the world.

https://www.nsca.com/about-us/about-us/

Active Life Professional: 

Education and development course  aimed at creating a professional standard for coaches to be able to bridge the gap between fitness and healthcare

https://activelifeprofessional.com/

800g and Lazy Macros:

“The antidote to dieting nonsense”; a sustainable and research based approach 

to nutrition 

https://optimizemenutrition.com/

NARM Level 1:

online professional training in the NeuroAffective Relational Model® (NARM®), a unique and powerful approach for professionals who work with Complex Trauma

https://narmtraining.com/what-is-narm/

20 years of professional, wilderness guiding experience