I am a mother, wife, and former foster kid with a childhood that sounds more like a movie than real life. In my formative years I learned to question the system and anyone who identified themselves as authority. I am originally from the Bay Area of California, but have lived in Arizona (for the most part) since around age 8. I spent the majority of my childhood as a ward of the court (in group homes, foster homes) or homeless. Despite not completing a single full year of high school or middle school - I got my GED and started college at 16. I started nursing school in 2010 and graduated second in my class with my BSN from Chamberlain in 2011. I worked in med/surg ICU for a few months as a new grad (this did not go well), then went to telemetry and then finally found my home in the ER. When I became a nurse practitioner in 2016 I worked in the same ER as a nurse practitioner. While I LOVED the ER and all of my people there, unfortunately the stress and rotating hours took a major toll on my mental and physical health. I knew early on that the ER would not be sustainable so I spent a lot of time trying out different areas of medicine. I even opened an esthetics office and did well - but quickly decided this was not for me either as I did not enjoy capitalizing on peoples' (mostly women) insecurities. 

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I eventually left the ER for good and spent the next two years working in patient safety and risk management. While the hours and stress level were definitely an improvement - I was now exposed to the behind the scenes of healthcare. It was eye opening and not in a good way. This position was eliminated due to COVID (funds were reallocated to direct patient care). When my position was eliminated I decided to go back to the ER as a floor nurse because I wanted to be there to do what I signed up to do when I became a nurse - help the world where and when it needs it most. This was short lived. A few months later I got COVID, and while in quarantine I learned schools would be closed again. I was faced with the decision of working or teaching our children - I chose our children. 

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From 2021 to 2023 I saw the degradation of healthcare and healthcare institutions secondary to COVID. Over my formative educational years I had become a person who science and institutions in very high regard. Despite being anti-authority, I trusted that science was beholden only to the truth. In these few years surrounding COVID my worldview fell apart. I realized that science was not free from corruption and that the insitutitions made their recommendations based on political inertia rather than evidence. I obviously was not naive enough to think it was not the case entirely, but I significantly underestimated the degree of corruption. Around time the CDC downplayed the efficacy of natural immunity despite the massive study done in Israel I lost faith in institutions. When the Alzheimer's studies were found to be fraudulent and were retracted I lost faith in publishing in addition to institutions. Around this time I went down the rabbit hole of how biased literature can be. I always knew that people did not have to publish their findings, but realized this was the norm especially if a particular agenda was in play. I always knew data could be manipulated, but it was far worse than I had realized. I considered myself adept at reading studies but in reading others' critiques of various studies (like the Women's Health Initiative) I learned just how much I did not know. I now review literature from the lens of recognizing my own limitations and seek more background information before making a decision. 

This distrust has put me in a very uncomfortable position. On one hand I still strongly believe we need to be practicing evidence based medicine, on the other hand I realize now that what is "evidence based" may be lying through statistics or outright fraud. Now I take all data with a grain of salt and ALWAYS ask "Who benefits from this?". Any study in support of a medication or intervention is given less weight than one that recommends nothing (for no one to benefit). I am still working through this revelation. I am still constantly listening to opposing viewpoints, criticisms and engaging in conversations to learn more and apply the best evidence to my practice. I believe that as a society we need to normalize civilized dialogue, critical thinking and openness to what we do not know we do not know. We need to be open to listening and sharing our thoughts on important subjects without devolving into reactionary tribal primates. Our salvation as a people lies in the middle ground of this chaotic world.

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As it stands today, I am leery of mainstream medicine. I started Performance Health to provide another option to people for their healthcare that is not enslaved to guidelines, time constraints and corporate interests. I am open and honest about who I am and my personal biases (hence the long bio). I am a staunch advocate for individual autonomy and personal liberty - even when I do not agree. All of my patients are empowered to use their personal agency to voice their opinions, thoughts and concerns to me without reservation. I always share what I know to be true of the literature with my patients and am in no way opposed to using Google or AI for further insight. I have learned and accepted that the gray areas of medicine are more vast than I could have imagined, far more vast than we are taught. I routinely research levels of evidence to support various recommendations and often consult European guidelines on issues to support my medical decision making. I strongly believe it is my primary duty to provide information to patients to help them guide their decision, then support them in that decision as long as it is reasonable and they understand the risks and benefits - without reservation and whenever legally possible.

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Personal: 

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I have 2 kids, 2 horses, a dog, a tortoise and a fantastic husband. In my spare time (when not jumping down rabbit holes) I enjoy spending time with my family, our horses, riding motorcycles, reading or crafting. I have been an avid weightlifter since I lost 50 pounds about 20 years ago and it was life changing for me. Being fit has rewarded me in so many ways - from being able to shoot a 50lb compound bow at 29, to learning how ride stand up Jet Skis at 30, break horses at age 31, start Jujitsu at age 33 (I'll go back eventually), ride dirt bikes on the track at age 34. Based on my experiences I cannot emphasize enough how important it is for health, longevity and happiness to lift weights and to never stop doing new things!​​​