My journey into health and wellness began long before I became a nurse.
Growing up, I heard my mother tell stories about the salves, compresses, herbs and berries her father used with their family. My grandfather had little confidence in conventional medicine, but he had a deep understanding of the natural approaches that had been passed down to him. His perspective stayed with me—even before I fully understood why.
During my last year of high school, my mother became ill with multiple sclerosis. I remember sitting in the hospital asking question after question about her care and receiving answers that seemed to leave me with even more questions. I hated the feeling of not understanding what was happening.
At the time, I had aspirations of becoming a top model. Then suddenly I announced I was going into nursing. Yes—the heads turned.
My path wasn't perfectly straight. Financial obstacles interrupted college, so I enlisted in the military and began working in healthcare as an EMT/Medical Technician. I gained experience in the Emergency Department, Labor & Delivery, Coumadin Clinic and Family Practice before leaving military service and returning to nursing school.
In 2004, I earned my Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Wright State University. But even as my conventional healthcare career developed, my grandfather's approach remained in the back of my mind.
THE OTHER SIDE OF WELLNESS
In 2006, I attended a Healing Touch seminar that introduced me to another perspective on wellness. Over the years, I continued attending seminars and collecting pieces of information about holistic approaches, but I hadn't fully committed to studying them.
That changed during COVID.
My boyfriend at the time was a physician, and our very different perspectives on healthcare led to more than a few conversations. During one of them, he asked me a question I couldn't shake:
“If I was so dissatisfied with the conventional approach to health, why hadn't I fully embraced the holistic approach I believed in?”
He had a point.
That question forced me to look at the distance between what I was beginning to believe about wellness and what I was actually doing with that belief. Instead of simply questioning the system I had worked within for years, I decided to expand my knowledge.
In March 2024, I completed a year-long program through Trinity School of Natural Health and became a Certified Holistic Health Practitioner (CHHP).
WHERE THE TWO PATHS MEET
Today, I don't see my nursing background and holistic education as competing worlds.
My experiences have taught me to look at wellness more broadly—to consider the body while also recognizing the roles that stress, emotions, nourishment, environment, personal experiences and self-awareness can play in the way we experience our wellbeing.
Dali Healthy Living grew from that perspective.
Here, I combine education with wellness experiences involving sound, color, frequency-based technologies, intentional reflection and other holistic approaches designed to encourage greater awareness and engagement in your personal wellness journey.
I don't believe wellness begins with having all the answers.
I believe healing starts with listening.
