For as long as I can remember,

I have been passionate about optimizing my health and getting as much out of my body as I possibly could. From a young age I was focused on maximizing my nutrition and getting 8 hours of sleep EVERY SINGLE night. Much of this stemmed from being a competitive athlete. I knew I hadn’t been blessed with the best athletic genetics, but I understood the most important thing was to optimize as many variables as possible. If I accomplished this, I could be highly successful.

As an athlete, that mindset took me a long way.  I went on to be a Division I track and field athlete at Kansas State University.  Following college, I began my love affair with mountain biking and quickly progressed to the Pro level.  In 2006 I began a decade-long career as an Xterra (off-road triathlon) sponsored athlete, before returning to the sport of mountain biking, where I continue to race today.  Along the way I have been on the National Championships podium 5 times, the World Championships podium once, and have been a National Champion. 

In route, I obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Nutritional Science and a Master’s degree in Physical Therapy.  I drew upon this knowledge to optimize my training and prevent injury. 

I knew how to push my body and get the most out of it.  But, in 2012 I learned about what can happen when you push your body for decades and have a lack of plentiful stress mitigation, recovery, and repair.  I found myself at the start line of the Xterra National Championships, utterly exhausted.  The following week I was diagnosed with Epstein Barr, adrenal fatigue, and hormone imbalance. 

Like everything else I do in life, I jumped all in to “fix” myself.  I sought help from a world-renowned naturopath who worked in collaboration with a local holistic nurse practitioner.  I quickly got 90% better.  But, I also found myself on a cupboard full of supplements and 5 prescriptions to support my body, with no plan on how to get off of any of them. 

Not long after, I was exposed to the possibilities of Biohacking.  Several years later, my eyes were opened to the world of Functional Medicine.  I was passionately drawn to this new way of thinking, that was deeply rooted in science.  I knew THIS was what I had been searching for. So, I jumped into the rigorous School of Applied Functional Medicine. 

Biohacking and stress mitigation

allowed enough healing in my body, to get me off all of my prescription medications and back onto the National Championships podium.  Functional Medicine is allowing me to take a deep look into my lifestyle choices and past events that have created my health presentation today.  I don’t have an uncommon presentation.  In fact, it is one many of you can probably relate to: 

• Stress contributing to sustained mild insulin resistance, gut dysbiosis, slight Estrogen dominance, adrenals that are struggling, and a thyroid that is working suboptimally.

• International travel leading to toxin and parasite exposure, further hampering my gut, thyroid and adrenals.

In the past I have wrestled with mild fatigue, mild brain fog, slower training recovery times, gut issues, and on and on.  Nothing alarming, and things many people deal with on a daily basis.  Many say, it is just a sign of aging.  Yet, I have been told I am in perfect health. 

Functional Medicine has shown me there is so much more that can be done to identify and address root causes BEFORE they become a full-blown disease.  You don’t have to settle for a decline in your health as you age.  You can methodically move the needle further and further towards sustained optimal health.

That’s what I have been doing. 

With each new personal discovery, in a quest to leave no stone unturned, I have moved closer and closer towards Optimal Health.  I now feel better than I ever did in my 30’s.  This has left me with a yearning to help others along the same journey. 

Functional Medicine can support your body to prevent that crash from happening, or it can help to dig you out of the hole after it has.