Background

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Nutrition Therapist Master, Nutrition Therapy Institute

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Certificate in Advanced Sports Nutrition, Barça Innovation Hub – Universitas

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Cook Street School of Culinary Arts Professional Program

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United States Personal Chef Association member (USPCA)

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ServSafe Food Protection Food Handler

 

Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist (CSCS), National Strength & Conditioning Association (NSCA)

 

Group Exercise Instructor 

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MBA and Masters in Sport and Performance Psychology, University of Denver

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B.S. in Psychology, University of Iowa 
 

Community

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Wishbone Foundation Former President - non-profit organization that provides CEU's and training to labor and delivery teams on how to handle bereavement, logistics, and practice self-care when families experience perinatal loss

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University of Denver Adjunct Professor in Sport and Performance Psychology Masters Program

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Hobbies

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Hiking and riding trails with our labs

Skiing and biking at Winter Park and Granby Ranch

International travel - anywhere new

Entertaining at the house with friends

Reading food magazines and Jack Carr thrillers

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After graduating from the University of Iowa, I moved to Denver and joined “Corporate America.”  During my office stint, I witnessed and engaged in the self-destructive behaviors like sitting long hours, eating oversized portions of low quality restaurant food and undernourished processed microwave meals, taking little time for physical activity, and storing a personal arsenal of medicine - all of which took place at the expense of health, balance, and happiness.  Finally realizing I had zero interest in climbing that corporate ladder, I attained personal training, strength and conditioning, and wellness coaching certifications before enrolling at the University of Denver in their MBA and Master’s in Sport & Performance Psychology programs.  Combining elements from those backgrounds, I established Hardie Peak Performance to create customized plans so clients could reach their health and performance goals. 

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Life seemed to be falling well into place after checking off a bucket list item - Ironman, welcoming our son to our family, and maintaining some sense of a work-life-family balance.  But, a month out from my due date with our second baby, our well-laid plans and expectations suddenly flipped upside down when she was stillborn.  My emergency surgery delivery prohibited me from my physical activities "go to" outlet.  Performance wasn’t currently the focus because I needed first to recover – in all senses of the word.  During this time, many thoughtful people delivered food to us.  I noticed that while some foods left me feeling heavy and weighted down, other foods promoted an energized, lighter, and hopeful version of me.  For the first time in my life, I experienced what it felt like to truly be in tune with my mind and body.  Food was a new variable I could explore during my recovery.  With heightened awareness, I understood the impact and role that high-quality foods play, not just for performance, but for healing and maintaining a positive mindset.

 

This increased awareness reinvigorated my nutrition interest, and this time in a more holistic way.  Given my competitive nature, I accepted a new type of training program - to learn and do whatever it would take to completely heal so that my body could not only get back to my former shape but also successfully carry another baby.  I wanted to serve as living proof to others going through difficult times that while we cannot necessarily control what happens to us, we can control how we respond - and  whether that response is productive or destructive.  For me, focusing on healing through a holistic health approach was a productive focal point and because of this choice, I have experienced so many positive unintended results.  Opening up my mind to alternative ways of living and being has allowed me to grow and heal, leaving me feeling even better than I did before life threw that curve ball.  I had always considered myself healthy prior to all of these events, but at that point I also had no idea how much I didn’t know that I didn’t know.  Sometimes all we know is mediocre or good and never consider that we might be able to feel great with just a few adjustments.  

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Since then, I completed a Cook Street School of Culinary Arts Professional Program so that I could understand from a chef perspective the importance of how food is sourced, the chemistry behind the techniques that make it look and taste good, and how to marry those culinary concepts to effective nutrition so that we can optimally grow, prevent damage and disease, heal from injuries or trauma, and perform to achieve our goals.  I've since graduated from The Nutrition Therapist Master program at the Nutrition Therapy Institute in Denver and passed the board exam to become Board Certified in Holistic Nutrition.  To achieve optimal performance, I help people through nutrition education, consulting, individualized meal planning, and personal chef services to offer the gifts of knowledge, nourishment, and time.  I regularly incorporate these concepts with our family and share these insights with others who have interest in feeling and performing their best.