Meet Tara
Hi there! I figure the best way to get this blog going is to introduce myself! You can read a bit about me, my specialties and my education on my Meet Tara page, but I figure I'd use this post to tell my story in more depth!
Let's get started!
I grew up in Southern California. I remember life being all about playing on the front lawn with the neighbors until it was dark outside and we were forced to go in. My two sisters and I were very lucky to grow up with a mom who sacrificed everything for us and put a homecooked meal on the table every night (well, almost!). But hey, it was the 80's...packaged snacks, low fat, low calorie, high sugar was all the rage! Pass the margarine and enjoy the low fat cookies! I still remember getting home from school as a starving teenager and thinking that eight "emergency" cookies was the best snack ever!
I was a pretty healthy kid, with the exception of an ear infection here and there. But then I had some normal teenage acne, an exposure to TB as a college student, etc etc, and you know what that means. Antibiotics, antibiotics, antibiotics! The wonder drug! Right? Wrong.
A few years ago, my husband and I moved from California to Portland, Oregon because we wanted a change...you know...greenery and good food!! Oh, the food!! That's us below.
A few years ago...
I developed what seemed like a normal sore throat...except it was extremely uncomfortable and lasted two weeks...to the point I couldn't sleep. I'm usually too stubborn to go to the doctor, but I was desperate to get some sleep!
Well, I shouldn't be surprised that the doctor shrugged his shoulders and said he had no idea what it was, but that I should take a course of antibiotics and steroids..."just in case." Everything in me told me not to do it, but like I said...desperate!
Within ONE DAY of taking the cocktail, I developed horrendous acid reflux accompanied by constipation and other digestive issues.
Now, I have a degree in Biology and my desire was originally to go into the field of Nutrition (which didn't happen at the time)...but everything in me KNEW that those pills were to blame. Not only was I still NOT sleeping, but now I was crying every night and couldn't lay down at all!
Thinking back on my life, I realized that I had been on antibiotics for probably a total of TWO FULL YEARS! WHAT?? That's when I knew that this course of antibiotics was the straw the broke the camel's back...or my gut, to be more literal.
I went to multiple doctors who said I would need to be on acid blockers for the rest of my life. Yeah, no. Something happened to my body when I took those antibiotics and steroids. I wasn't about to spend the rest of my life MASKING THE SYMPTOMS! I was determined to get to the bottom of things and take my health back into my own hands! I was so tired of feeling shrugged off by doctors who didn't know how to help me and frankly, didn't care about me.
I started digging and researching (which is one of my favorite things to do <-- nerd) and came across some nutritionists who were talking about gut health and the fact that acid reflux can be caused by many things, namely NOT ENOUGH stomach acid, versus TOO MUCH...which is what western medicine and the drug companies would have you believe!
I noticed that the nutrition bloggers who seemed the most trustworthy and shared my "root cause, real foods" based approach were Nutritional Therapy Practitioners. I looked into the program and decided to go for it! Not only to learn more about my own nutrition, but to be able to help others who feel let down by doctors and want to take their health into their own hands! Pretty crazy that 15 years after graduating college with a degree in Biological Sciences, things were coming full circle and I was finally going into the field I had always wanted to study!
So, here I am...
extremely excited to be an NTP myself! I could not be more thrilled that I am able to help others on the journey to reclaiming their health! Let me just tell you that life is too short to let your health get in the way. Your body was built with the ability to heal itself and sustain you for life! Giving your body the fuel it needs to heal is the best medicine!
On top of that, I believe in holistic wellness. This means that all spheres of your life contribute or detract from your healing...your home, your work/life balance, the state of your soul.
In addition to having the degree in Biology, I spent 8 years working for a non-profit doing youth mentoring, I earned a Certificate in Interior Design, and I've owned my own home organizing business. All of the seemingly random paths I've walked down in life are beginning to make sense and there's a common theme between them all:
My passion in life is to walk alongside people in their journey, helping them discover the life they were created to live, and empowering them to live it to the fullest!
This is me. Being a weirdo while picking pumpkins. :)
That means...
helping you achieve optimal wellness through balancing your body, nurturing your soul, and creating a healing environment at home!
I would love nothing more than to walk by your side as you take your life and health back into your own hands! I'll be with you every step of the way! I want to empower you to understand how your body works and how you can best nourish it to do the job it was designed to do!
For me, my journey continues. Healing the gut and rebuilding a body that has been torn down for a few decades is a process, but my health and understanding of my body is SO much better than when I started. It's not an overnight fix or a pill to mask your symptoms, it's about getting at the root and fixing that foundation!
I hope my story encourages you to know that, wherever you're at, you don't need to do this alone anymore. Please reach out. I'm waiting to hear from you!