During my late college years, I slowly developed an array of chronic uncomfortable symptoms—and didn’t have a clear direction on where to look for answers. My journey led me to expanding on my Interior Design degree by attending the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, where I became a Certified Integrative Nutrition Health Coach and developed a holistic outlook on health. While my studies and new passions brought me to experiment with using food as medicine, my symptoms persisted. I was frustrated, overwhelmed, and exhausted searching for answers.
Eventually I began working with a Functional Diagnostic Practitioner, where I learned I was positive for mycotoxins (mold toxins). Learning this opened my eyes to the way our environment and the products and materials we come in contact with every day can impact our health and build up in our systems over time creating an array of symptoms.
After years of creating a place where I can heal, I learned the detrimental role mold, chemicals, and EMFs can play in our health and how they can hinder the body’s healing process—which is why I now focus so greatly on eliminating these dangers within the home.
Sustainable design wasn’t new to me in my work as an Interior Designer, but everything I knew came crashing down when I learned that “sustainable” doesn’t always mean “healthy.” In fact, there is a big difference between the two.
It became apparent that as a society—as architects, designers, and consumers—our education and knowledge about how each material and system affects our long-term health is minimal at best. Since then, it’s been my mission to change this narrative by increasing awareness and education efforts and helping health-conscious homeowners create spaces that are built and designed with their well-being in mind.