About the founder…

Cooking for my friends and family has always been one of my greatest joys. There’s nothing quite like watching someone savor something I’ve created — that moment of connection through food is powerful.

But my path to functional nutrition wasn’t immediate or obvious. It took time, exploration, and a lot of curiosity to realize how deeply I was drawn to the healing power of food — not just how it tastes, but how it supports energy, mood, focus, and long-term health.

That curiosity ultimately led me to functional nutrition.

From early on, I also knew I was meant to build something of my own. I’ve been drawn to entrepreneurship for years — even winning a Shark Tank-style competition in high school. That drive evolved into The Pretty Vegan (TPV), a brand rooted in plant-based living and making health more accessible. TPV opened incredible doors, including the opportunity to pitch at the San Francisco Giants’ Oracle Park in 2023 — a moment that pushed me to fully commit to this path.

Shortly after, I made the decision to step away from pursuing a master’s in psychology and instead pursue certification through the Functional Nutrition Alliance. Through their Full Body Systems program, I studied the body’s interconnected systems — digestive, immune, endocrine, neurological, and more — and how nutrition plays a foundational role in how we feel and function every day.

Today, as a Certified Functional Nutrition Counselor, my work has expanded beyond individual support.

I’m now focused on something bigger: bringing preventative health education into schools.

Through Healthy Habits Santa Cruz, I am developing a K–12 functional nutrition curriculum designed to help students understand their bodies early — before confusion, misinformation, or chronic issues take hold. This work centers around a simple but powerful idea:

When kids understand how food impacts their energy, mood, and focus, they make more confident, informed choices for life.

While I still offer individual guidance and community education, my primary mission is to build a system that makes this knowledge accessible at scale — in classrooms, in families, and in everyday life.

Outside of my formal work, I stay deeply connected to my community. I serve as a substitute teacher in Santa Cruz County, volunteer at the Holy Cross Food Pantry, work at Paradise Beach Grille, and support my grandparents as a caregiver. These experiences keep me grounded in the real, everyday challenges people face — and reinforce my belief that health education should be practical, accessible, and woven into daily life.

This work isn’t just about nutrition.
It’s about connection, confidence, and giving people the tools to understand their own bodies.

And I truly believe the earlier we start, the more powerful that impact becomes.

I’m proud to be building this work in Santa Cruz, California — a community that continues to shape and inspire everything I do.