My HEALTH Journey

I’ve always been active. I grew up playing sports and started swimming year-round at age 10, eventually competing in college. After that came triathlons, cycling, and running—which became a big part of my life for more than 16 years. I ran competitively through pregnancies and early motherhood, completed 15 marathons, dozens of half marathons and shorter races, and coached hundreds runners along the way.

Movement was my identity. I was disciplined, strong, and by most standards, "healthy".

In 2021, after a long stretch of illness, injury, pandemic stress, moving our family, the heartbreaking progression and loss of my mother after a 15-year battle with Parkinson’s and my own struggles with depression—I was diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis, a chronic autoimmune inflammatory condition. It affected not just my spine and my joints but other systems as well since it's autoimmune. It was unexpected and life-altering. There is no cure for autoimmune disease.

But through professional mental health care, seeing a functional medicine doctor, seeing a chiropractor and strength training I began rebuilding—physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Then, most importantly, I learned that lifestyle matters—deeply. The better I slept, ate, moved, managed stress, stayed connected, and avoided things that added zero benefit (alcohol), the better I felt. Over time, those changes helped bring my disease into remission.

I still run today and can do so pain-free, but I no longer train for races. These days, I love strength training and yoga. I also love to move my body in other fun ways that bring me joy. Whether it’s surfing, skiing, a spin class, hiking on vacation, strenuous yard work, swimming in the ocean, or riding rides at an amusement park, I choose to participate fully. I don’t let autoimmunity be an excuse—but I do let it guide me to move with respect for my body.

I am rooted in my faith. I'm rooted by a clear sense of purpose. I’m grounded in who I am today. I’m rooted in family—both the one that raised me and the one I’m building. I'm rooted in communities (the local running community, my kids' schools, their sports teams, my neighborhood, church, etc.). And, yes, I love root vegetables—particularly the beet. So the name Rooted is by design.