My story of healing with whole-food, plant-based nutrition and how my business started

By my mid-20s, my health was completely wrecked.

I have been suffering from chronic sinusitis infections since I was a teenager. To deal with the constant sinusitis infections, I had to take antibiotics almost every month.

Years of antibiotic consumption led to a severely compromised immune system. I had ongoing inflammations, chronic migraines, digestive and stomach issues, and chronic fatigue syndrome. I also developed knee arthritis by the age of 25. I was not able to get out of the vicious circle of being constantly sick.

How Yoga Lead me to becoming vegan

My healing path started with yoga in 2007 when I lived in New York City. I was instantly “hooked” on yoga and began to attend yoga classes with my amazing yoga teacher 3 to 5 times a week. Constant practice has helped me stop eating heavy food as my body began to crave more light foods due to all the continual twisting, back-bending, etc.

But the pivotal point in going vegan was what my yoga teacher was saying in every class (and he still does nowadays). Like a broken record, in every yoga class, he was telling us that “there is no real yoga if we still consume dead animal flesh.” He kept emphasizing Ahimsa (the first rule of the true yoga path; Ahimsa means “compassion”).

He would say over and over again: “All animals love life. They are our inferior brothers and sisters. They love running around; they have families just like we do. All animals feel pain and suffering once they are killed. They sense also when they are about to be sent to a slaughterhouse, and they tremble in fear. What you end up consuming when eating animal flesh is that energy of fear. That is why you can not really be a true yogi, and you can not settle the mind into silence during your meditation because you are filled with the energy of pain. Ahimsa means compassion for all living beings. Ahimsa means your compassion has to go beyond your pets. Once you go vegan, you will also see how your physical health will tremendously improve! You will feel lighter, way healthier, but also stronger! Did you notice how the strongest animals, such as elephants, only eat grass? You become stronger when eating fully vegan! And in our modern world, there are so many plant-based alternatives now, you can choose anything you like! Go vegan to succeed in meditation, in yoga, and in life. Go vegan and see how your life and your emotions will transform into being more peaceful and drama-free”.

A year after I started my yoga practice, I transitioned to an entirely plant-based lifestyle in 2010.

Life-proof results

In addition to going plant-based, I also started doing regular juice cleanses and detoxes.

Within a year of my new holistic lifestyle (almost daily yoga + vegan food + ongoing juice cleanses), I was able to heal myself fully. I got off the antibiotics and all other medications.

For over a decade now, I have continued thriving on plants. I have not been majorly sick at all. I do not get colds or flu. I am entirely medicine-free. I do not take even Advil or Tylenol. I do not even have any in my home. I use only natural or herbal supplements and vitamins.

Expanding my education

I studied at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition to become a certified holistic health coach.

Later, I enrolled at the HMI Wellness, specializing entirely in plant-based nutrition. Thanks to HMI Wellness, I dove deeper into understanding how to support my clients with scientifically-backed studies on plant-based nutrition as I obtained my second certification as a plant-based health coach.

I  studied with raw vegan chef Eric Rivkin at his raw vegan retreat Viva La Raw in Costa Rica and worked as a prep cook at Burlingame’s raw vegan cafe Que Se Raw Se Raw.

I am a self-taught cook, and I continue expanding my skills and learning on the go.

Teaching cooking classes & expanding

As I stepped on my healing path, I began experimenting with vegan recipes to support my holistic lifestyle. I fell in love with cooking with fresh, whole-food ingredients.

I was later asked to share my cooking experiments with my friends in Brooklyn. I started hosting a series of classes on raw vegan foods.

In one of the raw vegan desserts classes, everyone loved raw vegan “cheesecakes” so much that I was asked to make more to order for the next class. Suddenly, I started getting more custom orders for raw vegan desserts for special occasions and celebrations and began catering desserts to special events around NYC.

A small juice bar in the Lower East Side asked me to supply all kinds of raw vegan desserts to their shop.

I later moved to the Bay Area, California. I continued my passion for sharing how to cook easy vegan meals and was offering cooking classes + dining experiences. Guests coming to my cooking classes now in the Bay Area started asking the same: prepare extra meals for my next class so they can take them home. My cooking class guest referred me to local families needing weekly meal prep. And this is how my business was born. I finally left my career in finance and fully embraced my heart and soul calling - helping people to eat healthier and cooking nutritious, healing foods for them.

I moved to Oahu, Hawaii, in August 2024 and continue offering 1-on-1 personal chef services and private cooking classes.