KNOW
ME :)
GET TO
My Journey to Nourishing Life
I started my business in 2012, and for many years I’ve felt a desire to share what I consider some of the most helpful “gems” I have learned over the years. East Asian Medicine is a vast knowledge encompassing multiple millennia. It offers an endlessly fascinating way of seeing the world - in which each moment is layered with meaning and everything is connected. Studying this medicine isn’t just about learning theory or clinical skills; it’s about learning a new way of relating to life itself.
I love acupuncture and East Asian herbal medicine, and I’ve witnessed truly remarkable results. At the same time, like all medical interventions, they have limits. When people do not really care for themselves outside the treatment room, acupuncture and herbal medicine may offer only temporary relief rather than lasting change.
For a long time, I wanted to share more lifestyle guidance through the lens of East Asian Medicine, but acupuncture appointments simply didn’t allow the time for deeper conversation.
Then came a series of very challenging years in my personal life. My husband suffered a traumatic brain injury in August 2019, seven months before the COVID lockdown began in March 2020. Two years later, in March 2022, my mother passed away after a short battle with pancreatic cancer. During that same period, I was also navigating perimenopause and facing my own health challenges. It was an incredibly difficult time.
I realized I needed to take my own advice. I needed to fundamentally change how I was living. I had to create clearer boundaries with work, prioritize rest, and find healthier ways to process emotions. I needed to prioritize cooking and nourishing myself, rather than relying on prepared foods, meal prep services, and "healthy" takeout. I needed to move my body in ways that supported me, rather than the types of exercise I had done for many years that left me depleted.
Through this process, I also discovered new tools. Practices like Tai Chi, Qi Gong, and Foundation Training became essential, helping to relieve chronic back pain and restore a sense of stability in my body.
We live in a culture that doesn’t readily support this kind of self-care. There’s no product to buy, no quick fix. Real change often requires changing how we approach our lives. To heal chronic issues, we must care for ourselves from the inside out.
In East Asian Medicine, this approach is called Yang Sheng, the practice of Nourishing Life. It is what we might now call lifestyle medicine.
What does it mean to nourish your life? It begins with asking simple but profound questions:
How do I relate to my work... is it a healthy relationship?
Do I truly prioritize sleep and rest?
How do I process emotions?... do I allow myself to feel them, and notice where they live in my body?
How do I breathe?... do I use my breath to regulate stress?
How do I move?... does my exercise support my body and sustain my energy?
How do I eat?... does my food genuinely nourish me?
Do I honor my relationship with nature and adjust my life with the changing seasons?
These questions form the foundation of the Nourishing Life classes...
In the summer of 2022, I began shaping what I wanted to share and how these classes could be structured. Creating them became a deeply fulfilling creative outlet, and a way to pass on what I’ve learned over the years. I taught my first Nourishing Life class series in the summer of 2023 and have since offered it locally four times. In May 2025, I led my first retreat—and upon returning home, I immediately began planning for 2026.
I’m deeply grateful to share the wisdom of East Asian Medicine, and it’s incredibly meaningful to witness how these teachings support change in both big and small ways. I hope you’ll join us for the next retreat!
Apex Acupuncture
I was first introduced to acupuncture following a shoulder surgery, and continued treatment to relieve chronic headaches and migraines.
My fascination with acupuncture theory and the success of the treatments made me want to learn more. A lot more. After four years of school, over 3000 training hours, and four board exams, I became a licensed acupuncturist and board-certified herbalist.
When something within us is out of balance, it will eventually lead to greater injury or illness. This inspired me to launch Apex Acupuncture, where our goal is to help people find and maintain their highest point of health.
More information about my acupuncture and herbal medicine practice can be found at apexacu.com
Inspiration for the Nourishing Life Classes
I have been studying all things related to East Asian Medicine since 2008, and I have learned that East Asian Medicine, at its core, is a way of looking at and living in the world. We are interconnected at all times – interconnected with other people, with nature and the seasons, and with what is going on in our community and the world. I am endlessly curious about how humans work and the interconnectedness of all things.
My collective body of work has been gathered from various sources across 17+ years of continuous study, practice, and contemplation of East Asian Medicine. I have so much gratitude for the numerous practitioners, instructors, and world-renowned educators I have had the privilege to learn from, be guided by, and practice alongside. Special thanks to Sharon Weizenbaum and Matt Callison, my primary post-graduate teachers, who continue to play a profound role in my ongoing development.
My yoga practice began in 2001, and I taught from 2007-2019 with Namaskar Yoga in Chicago and with Forever Om in Lake Forest. My practice has been influenced by Quinn Kearney, Tom Quinn, Cilla Stoll, Lourdes Paredes, Mia Cutler, and Rhonda Kantor, among many many other wonderful instructors over the years.
My Tai Chi practice began in 2020 with Xie Ling Welch and has continued with classes from Mimi Kuo-Deemer and Adam Mizner.
I am deeply passionate about sharing these practices and this way of seeing and being in the world. I hope you’ll join us on our next retreat!
Movement Practices
