about

Thinking back on my life, my first influential memory was of my beautiful mother in her bra and underwear posing and flexing her muscles, saying, “Look Vanessa! Mommy is Atlas.” In Greek mythology Atlas was a titan condemned to hold up the celestial heavens for eternity.  She often said, “Sometimes you’re not sure if you are strong enough to make it through and then you remind yourself that your shoulders are broad enough to carry the load.”  I like to call her little tidbits of wisdom, “Lorettaisms”.  Another favorite, “Sometimes you gotta go out there on that limb and hope it doesn’t break”.  So what does a daughter of this kind of woman grow up to become?  That’s a great question and I can tell you for sure that Im a work in progress and still figuring it out.  And that is ok.  That being said, Ive been strong on the outside but not always on the inside.  Life has taken a toll on my digestive and respiratory systems.

Like a lot of girls, I never liked my body.  I thought my legs were fat and I had no waistline. Of course I had no waistline, I was 8 years old.  That didn’t stop me from sleeping in my brownie uniform belt over my pj’s. Trying to squeeze a waistline in.  When I would complain about my legs, my wise mom would say, “Be happy you have two strong legs that can carry you around.  Some people aren’t so lucky.”  So poor body image and comparing myself to others including Susan Anton(who was 6 feet tall) and Farrah Fawcett(who didn’t compare themselves to her) lead to this sad view of myself as a little girl.  The self talk was so harsh and it was bound to manifest itself in some way on my body.  I know that now.  Wisdom looking through the rear view mirror.  So I started exercising and dieting in the 7th grade and continued that obsession through high school.  Body consciousness and awareness is wonderful if you are kind to yourself and doing the right things for the right reasons. However, I wasn’t doing it the right way or the healthy way. But you learn as you go and I did. 

I started teaching Group Exercise classes in 1983 at a very small studio called For Women Only.  I used a Kathy Smith album that I had for the audition.  I know, I just aged myself.  I then auditioned to teach for the new Richard Simmons Anatomy Asylum that was opening on the south side of Chicago.  It was there that I received my first formal exercise training as well as the body building bug.  I was going to school for a degree in Physical Education at UIC and training to be a body builder.  I started teaching and personal training at a high end health club in Chicago, The East Bank Club.  I received my first Group Fitness Exercise Certification in 1985.  I graduated from UIC with a BS in Physical Education in 1987 and from 1985 to 1994 I competed in 6 body building competitions and had a baby girl.  In 1993 I was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease.  My digestive system was shot. 

A light bulb went on for me when my first Gastrointestinal doctor told me to come back in 6 months to have my liver tested to make sure the medication he was prescribing wasn’t harming me.  I guess that’s normal protocol but I thought, “That’s crazy!”  The drug can hurt you and its not healing you! What’s the point?  Ive been seeking a natural path ever since.

It’s 1997 and now Ive got two more little girls.  A  kindergardener, a toddler and an infant.  I had told myself I would never be in that situation where I had two small babies so close together. But there I was and my body was stressed.  This is where Yoga comes in.  I picked up this book from somewhere.  I don’t remember why I picked up this book, The Quest For Personal Power-Transforming Stress into Strength. But it brought Yoga into my life.  Now this is not a “Yoga Book”.  But it does explain the breath and includes the Sun-Saluation.  My huge take away, “The breath creates the space between stimulus and response.” That opened my world. Deepen and lengthen your breath and you can slow down time and help you be more aware in the moment.  Awareness became my teacher, and I have become an awareness teacher. I’ve always said that everything you go through in life is there to teach you something and it can all be looked at as a blessing and a curse.  My father suffered and fought Parkinson’s Disease for almost 20 years before a kidney infection brought him to pass in 2019.  And my mom has been struggling with severe short term memory loss for some time now.  She can’t remember what happened 5 minutes ago.  I keep telling her that the most important thing is that she knows who she is and who I am.  The rest is in the past and the future isn’t here yet. Let’s just live in the present and let the rest go. And my dear mother in law had a severe stroke which kept her stuck in a body that would not work for her for almost 10 years before she finally came to peace.  All this brain disease can really wake you up. That is why I do what I do. 

And the rest of my story, in 2002 a little boy came into our life which was a dream come true for me at 39 years old.  At 40 I finally got my dream job working as a Group Fitness Studio Manager for Life Time Fitness and I received my first Yoga Teacher Certification and started teaching Yoga in 2003.  Since then I have furthered my teaching education with a 200 hr Yoga certification and a 300 hr Yoga Therapy certification.  I am also a certified Performance Health and Fitness coach with years of experience coaching individuals and their families through illness and disease to wellness and increased vitality. 

What I’ve learned along the way? To be kinder to my body and mind.  Make choices that support what my body and brain needs.  Not necessarily what I think I want.  And eating to live,  not living to eat. I geek out on anything about the brain~body connection, Neuroscience,  gut~brain connection and basically anything that reminds us that we are “Whole” not separated into body parts and organs.  Thoughts become things and things become our biology.  So, making a conscious choice to love ourselves through our choices and self~talk.  That all leads me here.  To help others find their way to health and vitality. 

From the wisdom of an old Helen Reddy song, “Oh yes, I am wise.  But its wisdom born of pain. Yes Ive paid the price but look how much I’ve gained.  If I have to, I can face anything.  I am strong. I am invincible. I am Woman.

I guess it comes full circle.  I am my mothers daughter.  Thank you Mom. Xo

YOGA

WHOLE HEALTH

My goal is to inspire healthy living in my family, friends, and clients. Every body is different and needs their own specialized menu of food, supplements, and exercise to reach their fullest health potential.

YOGA AS THERAPY

Whether it is physical pain such as lower back pain, headaches, chronic pain syndrome (among many) or pain due to stress and anxiety, I truly believe the path to healing is through a guided yoga therapy program.