My healthcare journey began at 13 years old when I battled severe and debilitating asthma. I invented creative and specialized activity regimens, dietary adjustments including macrobiotics and healing connections with local shamans even at this young age--I was catapulted into my lifelong journey of health and wellness and entered several immersive periods of deep study and integrated experience. I am eternally grateful to my amazing teachers and unique opportunities and feel ready to share my gifts with the Asheville community.
I started my early professional career as an attorney, but soon realized I desired a literal ‘hands-on’ approach to helping people become free from pain and fostering a deeper connection to spiritual growth. I had two false starts with traditional Chinese Medicine school, yet I still felt a persistent ‘calling’ to continue on this path.
In the summer of 2016, I graduated with highest honors from the prestigious National University of Natural Medicine (NUNM) in Portland, Oregon with the Medical Doctorate (in-residency) in Classical Chinese Medicine, Advanced Herbal Medicine & Qigong, in addition to extensive naturopathic training. During my 6-year tenure at NUNM, I was fortunate to secure a prized herbal mentorship with Heiner Fruehauf, one of the founding professors, who is globally recognized as a pre-eminent herbalist within the field of Chinese Medicine. He was also instrumental in my recovery from deep seated and chronic immune deficiency as I worked very intimately with him for seven years as a patient and also in his clinic directly.
I am proud to bring extensive education, experience and a compassionate healer’s heart to my integrative clinical skills that have been forged over the last 20 + years. I created Profundus Medical Massage early on in my career to help my community understand and heal from debilitating acute and chronic pain by collaborating with local area physicians in Denver to facilitate healthy alterative therapeutic bodywork and lifestyle changes. I also created Sattva Spa, Denver’s first Ayurveda Yoga Spa to administer yoga, detoxification and rejuvenation protocols to bring awareness to the mental, emotional and spiritual causes of physical pain. Both of these businesses were created way before massage and yoga were popular and commonly accepted.
In addition to a consistent personal yoga, qigong and meditation practice for over 20 years, I taught Ayurveda in Denver’s premier yoga teacher training program and I hold 3 in-depth yoga-teaching certifications from Master teachers in addition to extensive massage, Bodywork and energetic certifications and trainings.
I successfully sold Profundus Medical Massage to one of my top independent contractor therapists in 2009 before attending my doctorate program. I am honored to say this business is still viable, productive and flourishing with this person.
Since graduating from with my in-residency medical doctorate, I have practiced in Oregon, Colorado, Virginia and currently reside in Asheville, NC. I have deepened my dedication to herbal medicine and acupuncture and have integrated these along with medical qigong programs to help alleviate pain and the treatment of chronic disease processes.
My Treatment Philosophy:
I have always been passionate about healing and transformation and believe that anything can be truly healed given courage, commitment, dedication, alignment to Nature both internally and externally along with some Divine Grace. Perhaps it is our surrender to Truth in our lives that effectuates the deepest healing vibrations. True healing might have facets that aren’t aligned to perfection or complete cure in an ego sense, but a deepening internal relationship to our innate wisdom and potential can always bring peace, harmony and acceptance.
I consider it my deepest “calling” to assist others in decreasing pain and suffering and helping them live their best life inspired by natural principles and more fulfilling connections with their family, friends and the environment.
My Treatment Approach:
I am very practical and intuitive in my approach and like to see results.
I approach each treatment session using a combination of left and right brain functions combined with applied kinesiological muscle testing. I use extensive pulse diagnosis, energetic body readings, and palpatory skills along with in-depth questioning and intuition to assess physical, emotional/mental, and spiritual dis-ease. I also assess the innate intelligence of my patient/clients via muscle testing to verify any prescription of Chinese herbs and acupuncture protocols. Our time together is synergistic and therapeutic and I view our session as collaborative and not just a one-way dictation of therapy.
I am interested in being a partner in healing the core of your Being and aspire to bring a sense of peace, balance and trust to help you see the healing places that lie within, and to foster acceptance and motivation in the process of transforming one’s life.