My Journey to Lighted Path Health

Hi folks! Let me share a bit about myself and my journey from physician to health coach. 

Fat, white woman with pink glasses and green shirt smiling and holding up large black mug.

I went into medicine because I wanted to help people, and felt that my passion and skill working with people, words, and science would be assets. My training as a doctor was long and stressful, but I loved shedding light on how people could partner with their bodies to improve their health. I found joy explaining complicated ideas in simple ways. Despite this, I realized that there are many barriers and pitfalls in the current American health care system. The pandemic highlighted these struggles as well as the significant racial and other biases leading to health disparities (people being treated differently despite having the same symptoms or issues). 

I was enraged and disgusted by the failures of the current American health care system, so I decided to start my own coaching practice. My hope is to support folks that are marginalized by American health care. 

Although I am white and middle class, I hold several marginalized identities. I’m fat, queer, disabled, and have chronic physical and mental illnesses as well a history of trauma as a child and youth. The health care system seldom treated me as a vibrant individual deserving of dignity and compassion. I knew enough about the current American health care system to advocate for myself. With a ton of internal work and external support, I now have a helpful health care team that listens to me. I want to teach you to do the same.

It’s not right that the current American health care system continues to shame, judge, marginalize, and abandon patients. All people deserve high quality health care delivered from a place of compassion and dignity. All. People.

All people deserve to be heard and have someone to light the path to better health.

There are some commitments that I want to make to you as a potential client on this journey:

  • I will listen to you.
  • I will be honest about what I know.
  • I will not advocate for intentional weight loss.
  • I will respect your bodily autonomy.
  • I will partner with you to develop an action plan to improve your health that is doable in your specific context.

I welcome learning about your lived experience from the expert – you.

Because of my journey, I have professional expertise and lived experience navigating this health care system as a person with several marginalized identities, and I want to share that wisdom with others. If this story sounds all too familiar, feel free to reach out to me for a free 15 minute call to see if I would be a good coach for you. 

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