From Violin and Yo-Yo Dieting to Women’s Wellness: How I Got Here
I was originally pursuing a degree in music education, spending my days playing violin and preparing for a future in teaching. If you had told me then that I’d be where I am now—coaching women in wellness—I’d have been shocked. But, as they say, c’est la vie!
My path was definitely not the traditional one to working in women’s health. My dream was to one day teach violin from a small home studio and run a homeschool youth orchestra (and that dream still lingers!).
But, as much as we plan, sometimes God has other ideas. Proverbs 16:9 says it well: “In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.” And here I am—on a very different journey than I originally envisioned!
So, instead of an orchestra classroom, I’m working with women just like you, helping them feel great in their own bodies. The same lessons of patience, resilience, and perseverance that I learned through music have become part of how I coach—supporting women in their own wellness journeys, one step at a time.
Here’s How It Happened
My relationship with my body has had its ups and downs. Yo-yo dieting, hormones, cravings, and energy levels that seem to change daily! If you’re a woman, I’m guessing that you can relate.
For years, I was caught in the diet cycle. You know how it goes—I’d feel “on track” for a while, being “good,” losing weight, and then bam! Suddenly, I couldn’t get my appetite under control, and the weight came back with a little extra. It left me feeling so defeated, over and over again.
The mental energy I spent thinking about what I should eat, what I wanted to eat, and what I’d already eaten was exhausting. Sound familiar?
Then, in my twenties, things started to change. Two major things happened that shifted the way I viewed food, my body, and the whole healthy living thing.
First, I discovered intuitive eating. Instead of obsessing over calories or the number on the scale, I learned how to tune into internal cues (hunger, fullness, and satisfaction) rather than external food lists. It was like turning down the noise and tuning into my own signals in a way that felt freeing.
It was a game-changer, especially as I was getting ready to start a family and my needs (and weight) would change daily. Focusing on nourishment, rather than weight, has made all the difference in helping me feel energized and balanced.
The second was around body image. I had this moment where I had to ask the question: if God knitted me together in my mother’s womb, why was I spending so much time criticizing my body and genes? It shifted my attitude to gratitude. I began to see my body not as something to fight against, but as a gift—a reflection of His care. It gives me a way to interact with God, others, and the world. That shift in perspective helped me find respect in how I treated my body, and it’s been a huge part of how I help other women do the same.
These realizations helped me to navigate the changes and challenges that were about to come with the next stage of life. .
Motherhood. It’s exciting. It’s beautiful. It’s uncertain. It’s stressful. Whatever emotions you’ve ever felt, you’ll feel them to the max while trying to conceive, going through pregnancy, and recovering postpartum—all while welcoming a tiny person into your world!
For a recovering yo-yo dieter like me, the idea of gaining, losing, gaining, and losing weight (who knows how many times) was overwhelming.
I thought I had dealt with body image struggles, but pregnancy brings a whole new set of challenges. And while I expected the weight gain, the aches and pains still caught me off guard. Suddenly, I realized just how much I’d taken my body for granted when it was pain-free.
In the middle of all this, I stumbled upon a pregnancy and postpartum corrective exercise course that changed my life. And I don’t say that lightly, that course changed the way I viewed women’s health—and looking back, it set me on the path I’m on today.
After that, I couldn’t stop learning. I dove headfirst into more pregnancy and postpartum courses and eventually trained to become a doula. My original goal was to simply help women to prepare for labor and birth. But I enjoyed doula training so much that I did attend births (and while the on-call life is tricky with little ones, I’d love to attend more). Let me tell you, supporting a woman in labor is absolutely incredible.
Through doula training, I also learned something else that left me in shock that it wasn’t in a high school health class—the intricacies of the female cycle and fertility. I had no idea what was happening with my own cycle until I was well into my thirties (and yes, this was after having multiple children—by the grace of God, because I had no clue how to read my fertility signs!).
Fun fact: at the time I learned about fertility awareness, only about 4% of women knew how to track their cycles. FOUR PERCENT! Seriously, ladies, more of us need to know this stuff! Let’s spread the word!
I won’t bore you with the timeline of all my courses, trainings, and certifications (there were many and that would be tedious), but let’s just say, I couldn’t get enough. It was fascinating and so helpful to me as I grew my family.
And that? That was empowering.
I’m currently working on a master’s degree in functional medicine and nutrition to acquire the Clinical Nutrition Specialist designation. At this time, I only take on limited clients from my waitlist (more on that below), and I send emails with interesting women’s health topics as I’m actively in learning mode right now.
Even more exciting was that learning all of this continued to change how I saw myself. Intuitive eating and embracing a Biblical view of body image had already helped me appreciate my body, but now I was connecting with my design in a whole new way.
I combine my background in health coaching, nutrition, and perinatal fitness to serve everyday women seeking health and well-being while in the family growing phase of life.
Eight Quick Facts
My faith is the most important thing in my life
I finished an Ironman triathlon;
I was NOT fast! 😂
I’m a wife and mom of four - six and under
I can quote basically everything Michael Scott ever said
I get obsessive when I start a book and can’t think of anything else
Sometimes I get really into video games for a few weeks at a time
I’ve played concerts in six different countries
I regularly sing about the things that I’m doing
Educational Background
Dr. Sears Pregnancy Health Coach
Dr. Sears Master Health Coach
FEMM Certified Fertility Awareness Teacher
BASI Mat Pilates teacher
GGS Pre- and Postnatal Certified Coach
Pregnancy and Postpartum Corrective Exercise Specialist with Dr. Sarah Duvall
Prenatal and Postpartum Fitness Specialist trained with Erica Ziel
DONA trained Doula
Perinatal Nutrition Specialist with the Food Doula
Pn Certified Level 1 Nutrition Coach
Functional Nutrition Certificate from the Integrative Women’s Health Institute
Current: Masters degree in Human Nutrition and Functional Medicine at University of Western States
INFJ (I know, not particularly relevant here, except that I was curious who’d actually read all the way down here and bring it up when we talk)
I have so much to share about women’s health and nutrition, but let’s continue that conversation over email, okay?
Looking forward to getting to know you better!
Leslie