BIO

Hi loves, here is a little backstory about me. I am a devoted mother, wife, holistic health practitioner, yoga teacher, author, and creator of The Golden Secrets- a holistic, sustainable skincare + wellness line.

I grew up as a ballerina in Chicago, Il. My mom owned a dance studio so dance was my entire childhood. I left home when I was 17 years young. I went to Florida on spring break and never came home- true story! This was when I started modeling for a living. Even though I had dabbled in modeling as a child, I always hated it. I had a love/hate relationship with it, as it gave me the freedom and independence I craved but I hated the superficial part of being judged solely on how I looked and the shallowness of what many people in the industry deemed important.

Around this same time, I discovered yoga and as I've said a million times, yoga has saved my life over and over again. I eventually became a certified yoga teacher in 2008, not really with the idea to teach but I was just so in love with the practice that I wanted to learn everything I could.

When I was 25 years young, I unexpectedly got pregnant with my now 17-year-old son, Kaleo. It was the greatest surprise blessing of my life. I always say that I came into my own when I became a mother. It was the first time in my life that I really started learning about the power of self-love, holistic health, and my passion for empowering women.

I chose to give birth at home naturally, in water the Khalsa Way- a Kundalini prenatal yoga practice. It was the most beautiful, primal experience I have ever had. I continued to do everything naturally- I ate my placenta, breastfed till my son was 4 years young, and raised him in a style of parenting called attachment parenting. The only challenging part of becoming a mother for me was having to do it alone. Despite my son's dad being excited about becoming a father, I don't think he realized all that is actually entailed and I ended up having to do it alone. This became a very hard time for me. Looking back I realize that I was living in survival mode. Trying my best to be the best mom I could, while being able to provide and care for my son solo, ended up taking a toll on my body.

After 4 years of living in this survival mode, my body eventually shut down. Up to that point, I really felt bulletproof. My M.O. was to just keep pushing harder to get through to the other side but my body just wasn't having it. I knew something was off but I didn't know what it was. After months of going from doctor to doctor, I was finally diagnosed with the disheartening diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis.

I went through quite the healing journey from completely allopathic to holistic and everything far and in between. Being diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis was what inspired me to become a holistic health practitioner and was the inspiration behind me writing my book- The Golden Secrets to Optimal Health. Having experienced firsthand what chronic dis-ease can do to you and all that is needed to thrive despite it, I started gathering tools that worked for me. People started reaching out to me and asking me how I was able to thrive with such a debilitating disease. At the time, I was very much in the public eye. I had to take about a year break as I didn't walk for almost a year but after I initially went into remission, I built my body back up from the ground up and better than ever before. My modeling career exploded with the help of all the new yoga companies being launched and for one of the first times in my life, I loved my job. I was able to share my story and my yoga practice for just about every yoga/athletic company there was.

I felt the need to share my story. I saw so many people hurting and stuck, especially those living with autoimmune disease, chronic illness, and even single moms. I felt inspired to share all my "golden secrets" to help others. I figured if I could do it, then anyone could. Me being able to share my story and help people made all that I had gone through, not be in vain. It became my passion to share. To especially share unconventional, ancient tools, modalities, and spiritual practices that were not talked about. This was when I started my blog called, The Golden Secrets. There are still hundreds of articles on there from everything to natural childbirth, self-love, manifestation, empathy, parenting, and more. Eventually, I started sharing my natural oil blends that I had been making- some since high school! I never anticipated being a skincare owner but it all organically unfolded just as it should. Not only are my products based on ancient formulas, mother nature, and organic beauty- they encourage time to do the work. Each product comes with specific affirmations to recite while applying to further enhance the benefits. My products become the tool to practice rituals of self-love and through the years, I have realized that self-love is the foundation for everything and I truly believe it will help heal the world.

Today, I am married to the love of my life. We have my son, Kaleo from a previous relationship, two rescue dogs and at 45 years young, I am currently pregnant. My daily job is running The Golden Secrets but I still have a passion for sharing the products and tools that have worked for me, outside of my own. That is why I created this page- to share everything I personally love and use since this is one of the most common questions I get asked, I wanted to put everything in one place for you.

This is also where I am excited to connect on a more personal level and dive deeper into building a community where not only you can turn to but me too. Thank you for being on this journey with me. I am excited to see where it takes us. xo