Hi! I'm Dawn.
I'm a master's prepared registered nurse, board certified nurse coach and a lifelong learner of all things health and wellness.
I have been a witness to countless examples of chronic unwellness, attributed to nutrition and lifestyle choices. Annoying and harmful weight gain and metabolic problems almost all begin with blood sugar dysregulation causing epidemic levels of chronic illness. I help women and men rediscover health and vitality, providing them with energy and joy they once had for daily life! I'm so happy you are here. How in the world did I get here? Keep reading to hear my story...
I BEGAN AS A SCIENTIST
With a B.S. in Bacteriology and Genetics, I began my journey in research at the University of Wisconsin. I worked with a team that studied allergies and cold viruses and their effects on asthma. It was here that I was first introduced to germ theory and how natural exposure to germs in our environment was shown to produce a more robust immune system and perhaps less incidence of allergies. It was an emerging idea at the time. But it fascinated me and would prove to show up later in my career …
THEN I BECAME A NURSE
Over time, my love for the lab evolved to a desire to work more directly with people (and less with Petri dishes). The scientist in me was hungry for a way to use evidence to connect with people who needed it. I became a nurse and found my place. As a nurse in organ transplant, I realized that so much of nursing was truly teaching and coaching. The miracles I witnessed were always coupled with a new way of life, and it was my job to show my patients the way. I thrived in my role where science, technology, teaching, and compassion were all blended at the bedside.
EVENTUALLY I FOUND EDUCATION IN NURSING AND BECAME A NURSE EDUCATOR
Did I say I loved teaching? Years later, I became a nursing instructor and attained a master’s in nursing education. Teaching and coaching nursing students inspired me seek a bedside nursing position once again. I worked as both a nurse and nursing faculty; these two jobs dovetailed beautifully and satisfied all my professional desires, teaching students and serving patients…except for one thing…
​
As a nurse in neurology/stroke, cardiac, and general medical-surgical settings, I noticed that most patients hospitalized were there due to poor lifestyle choices. The numbers matched my suspicions. It is estimated that 75-80% of adult hospitalizations are due to obesity, poor nutrition, smoking, drinking alcohol, drug use and lack of exercise. The same types of patients (or the same exact patients) kept the doors revolving.
​
And hospital nursing had fundamentally changed. I found myself rotating the nursing unit checking patients, checking boxes, and peddling pills. Patients improved enough to go back home only to do the same things that would get them a round trip ticket to the hospital again. I felt there had to be a better way. I knew I was ready for a different way.
Luckily, I found a better place for my nursing heart and mind.
SCIENTIST + NURSE + EDUCATOR = HEALTH & WELLNESS COACH
Achieving board certification as a nurse coach in health and wellness perfectly combines my love of science, nursing care, and education. My role as a health and wellness coach from a registered nurse perspective perfectly captures how I wish to serve people. I am certified as a nurse coach, and I received a certificate in Functional Medicine for Nurses through the Institute for Functional Medicine. Armed with my life’s work, I am inspired to coach individuals back to a life full of vitality by teaching better lifestyles with both art and science. My ultimate goal is to guide each of my clients on their own personal journey back to thriving in life, whatever that means to them. And through the process, we will prevent, reverse, or improve chronic disease.