The Backstory

California is my home and happy place. I spent my formative years at the beach where I felt calm and centered. Away from the ocean I found solace in books and stories, and like every would-be writer I dreamed of writing the Great American Novel or a Hollywood blockbuster.

I abandoned those big plans when my 7th grade teacher made a hurtful dig about an essay I wrote and shifted my attention to nutrition instead. Admittedly, my interest in health stemmed from my horrendous college eating habits and destructive attempts to stay thin.

I earned two masters degrees in public health and nutrition at Tufts University in Boston where I learned the key to healthy eating—and living—is balance: Choose the best ingredients and allow yourself a few indulgences. Chocolate and wine both fall within that roadmap, so I thought I found my calling working as a nutritionist.

I returned to California and landed a job at the Los Angeles County Health Department researching residents’ health behaviors and counseling moms and kids on how to establish solid nutrition habits. Still with me? Well, my interest started to waver. While I was doing what I set out to do, I wasn’t excited to go to the office. That is, unless I had to write a report—playing with words, crafting witty analogies, and coining phrases—then I was like a kid with a bucket full of Legos constructing a masterpiece. Soon I contributed articles to health sites for extra cash. Once I had a few worthy clips, I ditched my junior high insecurity, merged my health and nutrition training with my love for words and built a thriving freelance business.

Today I’m a parent to three boys under 9, so let’s go ahead and add hurdling Lego towers and transforming myself into Super Woman to my list of qualifications. I’m also a wife to Brandon, a toy collector who frequently retreats to his 3-car-garage “Bat Cave,” which is covered wall-to-wall in superhero ephemera.

This is my reality. It’s where I live, where I love and where I mine ideas. And while my life has changed significantly since I penned my first essay, writing is still my passion. It’s how I maintain my sanity amidst the chaos of raising a family. A bonus: since I settled in the Temecula wine country outside of San Diego, there’s plenty of creative inspiration … and opportunities to indulge responsibly.