Hi, I’m Heather!
Mom, wife, coach, reader, writer, athlete, karaoke enthusiast, food lover, and friend. Among other things…
A cancer diagnosis with a less-than-1% chance of survival forced me to slow down in ways I never could have planned for.
Suddenly, what I’d relied on to get through exercise (and life) - pushing harder, achieving more, driving through fatigue - not only didn’t work, it wasn’t even possible.
My body needed something entirely different: a softer, more intentional, and deeply supportive approach. Something that had to start on the inside and had nothing to do with how much I could lift or how far I could push myself.
Before cancer? Movement and discipline were core parts of my identity. I earned a black belt in Tae Kwon Do, trained in CrossFit, immersed myself in yoga, and even hosted a podcast about exercise and wellness. I was proud of what I’d accomplished and who I was. I’d found my rhythm.
Then everything changed.
During my cancer recovery, I learned that strength didn’t always look like progress or performance. Some days, strength was simply showing up, taking a breath, and beginning again.
Why I Do This Work
Living through cancer reshaped my entire perspective. I realized how many women (especially those recovering from cancer and other life-altering illnesses and trauma) try to rebuild by going back to what worked before. But those are now outdated strategies that ignore what their bodies are going through and how they’ve changed.
Far too often, we’re told to push harder when we’re already running on empty (or even less than that). The societal (and medical) push to "getting back to normal" leaves cancer survivors feeling like they have failed somehow. They are left feeling like they are the problem and if they can just “get normal” again…they can get past their experience.
But you’re not the problem and you never were. However, where you are now - your current capabilities, strengths, and goals - are different (not worse, just different).
A Little More About Me
Favorite way to recharge - a cup of hot lemon water, a soak at the Grand Lodge Soaking Pool, a solo hike on an easyish trail, solitude with my writing
Something I can’t live without - My sleep mask
Go-to movement practice right now - Friday morning yoga & my new Strength Flow class!
Favorite place to be - The beach at Sauvie Island or in the Tillamook Forest
My Background & Credentials
I combine evidence-based behavioral coaching with restorative movement practices to give you a holistic, safe foundation to move forward:
Degree & Behavioral Science: B.S. in Exercise Science & Behavioral Coaching
Fitness & Nutrition: NASM Certified Personal Trainer & NASM Certified Nutritionist, CFL-1
Mindful Movement: 200-Hour Yoga Teacher, Certified Yin Yoga Teacher, and trained in both Buti and Deep Yoga
And beyond my credentials, I understand what it feels like to have your relationship with your body completely upended and what it takes to rebuild that connection from the ground up.
If you’re in a place where your body feels unfamiliar, unpredictable, or hard to trust, you don’t have to figure out the path forward by yourself.