My beginning
I was born in Portland, Maine and grew up in the small town of Randolph, Maine. When I was 20 years old I moved to another small town in Germany to live and work as an Au Pair. It was at this time that I became fascinated by the different varieties of foods and ways of living when compared to American culture. It was refreshing that during a time of carb or fat-restricted fad diets imprinting themselves onto the American food culture I was fortunate enough to be living in a culture where the words “food” and “guilt” were not synonymous. This was in 2004.
It was this pivotal point in my life that guided me towards a career path in health, wellness and well-being. Upon my return to the states, I pursued and earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Exercise Physiology from the University of Southern Maine.
My move to The City
In 2009 I made the move to “The City” where I earned a Master’s Degree in Clinical Nutrition & Dietetics from New York University and completed my dietetic internship at Beth Israel Medical Center, which is now transitioned to the Mount Sinai Hospital System. While the classroom instruction was profoundly beneficial it was the experience inside the hospital, food service kitchen, and community that expanded my knowledge in nutrition and dietetics to new heights not found in a textbook. Working alongside a mentor who is a leader in the “nutripreneur” movement I was provided with a glimpse of the different avenues in which I could take my skills and knowledge beyond its traditional hospital grounds.
My work so far
I have worked in various neighborhoods in NYC in areas such as employee wellness, HIV/AIDS nutrition care, gestational diabetes, and perinatal nutrition. I was introduced to telehealth in 2014 when I was asked to be one of the first dietitians on the app Rise. In 2015 I was introduce to Maven Clinic, a womens and family health tele-health clinic, in which I was one of the first dietitians onboard.
I enjoy volunteer work and have volunteered in various settings such as local soup kitchens, working with the Hill Tribes in Mindanao, Philippines, refugee support in Paris, and teaching Pilates to women at Dubai Foundation for Women and Children.
In 2016 I was recruited to the United Arab Emirates for work and moved there in January 2017. After completing 3 years between Abu Dhabi and Dubai as a manager, consultant, researcher, and Pilates Teacher I returned back to NYC in January 2020. I began teaching Pilates at Equinox on Greenwich Avenue in February and stopped teaching on March 16th, 2020 due to the COVID pandemic. During the 6 months that Equinox was closed, I took a short-term urgent position as a Clinical Dietitian at a hospital on Roosevelt Island and later as a Long-Term Care dietitian in the Bronx. At the beginning of 2021, I taught a Health and Wellness class at an independent prep school in Manhattan to students with learning disabilities. After a whirlwind arrival back to America and working through the pandemic in various settings, I made the decision to focus more on my own brand and on teaching Pilates. In 2022 I got married and moved to France, and with the shift in environments my business got a shift as well.
Curiouser and curiouser…
With all of the experience and knowledge I gained while learning about other cultures over the years- their food, history, customs, and habits that may positively impact one’s lifestyle- I realized that this factor was often overlooked in standardized textbook literature and in the media. I reached out to other nutrition professionals around the world, primarily, but not all, dietitians, and I continued to learn more about the manners in which cultural ways may improve the health and well-being of both individuals and a community of people. Specifically, the health of the mind.
The present moment
My previous brand laid the foundation for my current brand, Zavoir, which has strong roots to grow from. I aim to grow as a writer, a reader, and a researcher. I hope that by creating something good in the media this insight is spread to my readers; that they learn and grow themselves and get to know their being on a deeper and more personal level.