I’ve always been fascinated by people. As a kid I used to go to sleep away camp and loved meeting people from different countries and walks of life. I enjoyed meeting them, learning about them, seeing how we differed and yet how much we have in common. Making people happy made me happy. I remember giving back rubs by the pool when I was 10 and putting people to sleep. At that same camp, I also learned I could make people happy by singing and acting. I found I enjoyed it so much I went to collage and graduated with a degree in English and Theatre.

After graduation I immersed myself in my craft. (Translation: I was a waitress.) It was a good opportunity for me to people watch and make people happy. I mean who doesn’t love the person who brings you food: besides it’s easy to get a shift covered to go into the city to audition. After years of that my life changed, I got married and the running into to the city for cattle calls lost its luster. When I got a massage courtesy of a spa bridal party, my life changed again.

This was the path I was meant to follow. So I went to the Somerset School of Massage Therapy and in the fall of 1994 graduated. I also received a certification in Neuro-Muscular Therapy that same year. In the years that have followed I have also studied Postureology 101, Raindrop therapy and La Stone to name a few. I even taught at The Gentle Healing School of Massage. I am also the President of Corporate Care an on site chair massage company. Massage gives me the ability to help people and make them feel better. To feel the tension in a clients muscles start to relax when I work is very rewarding and to know that people trust me to help them is very humbling. As I continue grow and learn, I realize I learned what I needed to know at summer camp. Even if we come from different places, we all need to feel good and I am blessed to have the opportunity provide this for my clients.

My journey into the field of Natural Health started basically when I started. I was born with an intestinal disorder that later manifested into migraine headaches. The condition was diagnosed later in my life as a serotonin imbalance and was also accompanied by muscle spasms, TMJ, depression, anxiety, sleeping problems the list goes on and on.

After a myriad of testing (at times I thought I would just grow a new head from the amount of radiation I received!) and complications with medication a new condition developed called Benign Essential Tremor of the head (this means my head shakes a bit) with a new chemical imbalanced-Dopamine, so needless to say finding safer more natural methods of healing myself was not only a necessity but became a career path.

My first lesson in massage therapy came to me at the tender age of 10 at Gymnastic camp, where we were shown how to use massage for injuries and sore muscles. My next lesson would come when I attended Union County College in Scotch Plains NJ for Physical Therapy Assisting. I seemed to have had a knack for massage and found it to be so beneficial to my headaches and muscle spasms that I decided to get my certification. In 1986 I graduated from the Kinley Massage Instruction Center in Clark NJ, became a member of the American Massage Therapy Association and opened my first massage business shortly after.

As much as I enjoyed my business, massage therapy was not as well known as it is today and I decided I should branch out a bit. In 1993 I enrolled at the Ultrasound Diagnostic School in Iselin and became certified in Diagnostic as well as Cardiovascular Ultrasound. I became a Teaching Assistant at the school and also kept per diem jobs in several NJ hospitals. In 1997 I took on a full time position with Somerville Radiology in Warren NJ but the migraines and accompanying symptoms came on with a vengeance! My body was actually telling me to quit and if that wasn’t enough, the entire staff would ask me for massages on their breaks! I took the hint, quit the job and started my massage career over again.

I went back into the field mostly working the Spa circuit in NJ, The Hilton Hotel in Long Branch, The Doral in Princeton and finally The Gentle Healing Wellness Spa in Cranbury where I met Colleen. I really developed my skills as a therapist at that time taking classes in Neuromuscular and Aromatherapy and curiously found a new therapy that was supposed to help migraines, CranioSacral Therapy. Being as medically minded as I was I thought it sounded a bit hokey, they hardly touched you!!  I found a therapist in the area that did the work and I was hooked after my first session. I started attending classes with the Upledger Institute and opened Natural Therapeutics in Kingston, NJ in 2000.

Although my headaches were much improved by the CST there we’re still symptoms that would hinder me throughout my day. I was constantly reading about herbs, vitamins and organic foods (and so were my clients!) When I began to see that my client's had an overwhelming interest in the subject and were looking to me for answers I enrolled in the Clayton College School of Natural Health. In 2007 I received my Bachelor’s Degree in Natural Health, teamed up with my old friend Colleen and we opened the NHC.

I’ve continued my studies at Clayton and am working towards my PhD in Naturopathy. I am still an active member of the NJ Chapter of the AMTA and write a column on Natural Health for their Newsletter. I do have days when my system goes “off balance” but I now know the ways to get back on track and hope to help others find their balance, whether it be from a chemical imbalance or just a stressful week. All imbalances are welcome!