Hi! I’m Laura

Integrative Nutritionist

For the last couple decades I have prioritized creating a lifestyle that embraced food as medicine. I LOVE growing my own food, herbs and bringing process and practical arts to connect with as many healing arts as possible into my daily life.

I was fortunate to study with several Sonoran and Appalachian schools of botanical medicine, preferring the ones that put my hands in the earth and on the plants. I desired a stronger understanding of the foundational sciences that explained human physiology and what made natural medicines and botanical teas so effective. I dedicated two years to a rigorous program offered by Sonoran University of Health Sciences (formerly Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine) and obtained Masters of Science in Clinical Nutrition (MSCN), graduating with University Honors.

It was HARD and you might say that nutrition is to my practice as Lebowski’s rug was to his room… really tied it together.

Since youth I walked the woods fascinated by edible and useful plants which leant itself to a natural curiosity toward botanical medicine. Having lived on the land in the desert southwest at Reevis Mountain School of Self Reliance, my passions for connecting with my food source took a lasting turn.

I brought home a goat from the AZ state fair grounds to add to my then small collection of backyard chickens, and a lifestyle was born. I worked with the Valley Permaculture alliance sharing skills to live more sustainably, and bought my first acre of land on a wing and a prayer to set up the farm life in a regenerative way. That grew into a beautiful small farmstead and relocated twice in over a decade to NC then VA where I rented goats for weed abatement, hosted goat yoga, taught practical arts and botanical arts alongside many beloved herbalists, natural practitioners and local farmers. I was barely aware so much time passed. It seemed days had plans for me instead of the other way around. One day suddenly everything just stopped. I couldn’t do all of the things anymore. I was burnt out. We bought the dream property to set up the dream life. We were too far from the community that supported us, and we fell apart without them. They were integral to who we had grown to be and our commitment to our community was more than we could carry alone. It was time to turn inward and to sound the self care alarms for the next chapter! 

I’d outgrown my ability to work 14 hour days. My body was begging me to slow down. So I did. I am relearning how to live an urban life without goats, chickens, or the bounty of woodland forest in Appalachia. It was quite an adjustment and It is interesting how a much less demanding daily routine can invite laziness. My garden surprises me with rewards for any hard work and is very forgiving of my healing process. Every day offers a gift, this is where I choose to focus my energy.

What I Offer

Hormone testing

We are complex creatures with intricate systems constantly synthesizing, metabolizing, and prioritizing our physiological needs. Our hormones can often be the key to reestablishing balance.

Virtual Nutrition Counseling

Many of us need flexibility to fit all of our priorities into already full days. All of my sessions are available through phone and/or telehealth.