About our
practitioners

Robin’s story

Food has always been important to me. I love cooking, I love eating, and I love feeding other people. For most of my life, I took it for granted that I was more or less on the right track when it came to my health—until my late twenties, when I was suddenly sidelined by a health crisis involving symptoms of interstitial cystitis, which is also known as painful bladder syndrome. (Count yourself lucky if you’ve never heard of it!)

When I sought out conventional care, I was pretty much told there wasn’t anything to be done and I’d have to live with those symptoms forever. Instead, I decided to pursue a more holistic approach that was focused on dietary and lifestyle changes.

I pretty quickly started to feel better—even better, in fact, than before I got sick. And I came to realize that when it comes to chronic illness, most of us are overlooking one of the most basic tools available to us on a daily basis: food.

I decided I wanted to be able to educate people on how the food we eat can affect our health in more profound ways than we’re taught to consider. I obtained my first practitioner certification almost a decade ago, and have been working one-on-one with clients ever since.

Over the years, I’ve continuously pursued continuing education, mentorship, and further training in the fields of nutrition, natural medicine, and women’s health. I’ve obtained several additional certifications, as well as completed trainings and coursework related to my commitment to prioritizing social justice, anti-racism, and LGBTQIA+ inclusivity in the wellness world.

Frankly, the wellness industry is a bit of a shit show in my opinion. It tends to frame illness and health through the problematic and ableist lens of “personal responsibility.” Functional medicine can often convey that message too, unfortunately, and it can also fail to take into account the complex interplay between our emotional and physical health, our environment, and systemic barriers to wellbeing.

My goal in my private practice is to create a space to support people’s health from an inclusive, anti-oppressive lens—and to embrace a truly holistic approach to wellness at every level: not just mind, body, and spirit, but also in terms of collective liberation.

In addition to seeing 1:1 clients, I consult on cases and offer mentorship to other practitioners and those looking to get into the field. I’m also the co-founder of Ground Nourish Breathe, an online membership community for somatic and nutrition coaching.

I live with my partner on ancestral Mohican lands in the Hudson Valley of New York, where, after 20 years of living in NYC, I’m now enjoying long nature walks, native plants, and small-town life, and entertaining the possibility of finally starting my own vegetable garden.

— Robin

Sandy’s story

I’ve been in the business of helping folks heal physically, mentally, emotionally for over thirty years. My healing journey and passion to become a practitioner was fueled by my own experience of suffering from developmental childhood trauma and its impact on my health.

I struggled with asthma as a child and young adult, and I’m a survivor of the destructive effects of diet culture and fat phobia. Later in life, I dealt with uterine fibroids, which seriously impacted my menopausal transition, leaving me depleted, frustrated and looking for answers.

I couldn’t find the right alchemy of medicine and modalities to address my health challenges, so I decided to become the kind of practitioner I was seeking: one who uses a holistic, relational, trauma-informed approach to healing and health. I’ve been dedicated to learning and teaching others how to maximize their health and wellness ever since.

I have a long professional history as a body worker that includes Rolfing and other complementary modalities, as well as a background in classical homeopathy. Curious and steady, I am continually adding to my skillset. In 2015, I became a Functional Nutritional Therapy Practitioner (FNTP) and have completed multiple additional certifications and trainings in functional nutrition and functional medicine since then.

My approach to client care incorporates my skills and background not only as a nutritionist, but also as a homeopath, body worker, trauma-informed NARM professional, and a Safe & Sound Protocol practitioner. I focus on root causes, always looking upstream as I strive to help folks reach their wellness goals, and always remembering that individual healing is connected to our capacity for collective healing.

I come from a healing justice framework. “Healing Justice” is both a term and movement. First coined by the Atlanta-based Kindred Southern Healing Justice Collective in 2007, it aims to address widespread generational trauma from systemic violence and oppression by reviving ancestral healing practices and building new, more inclusive ones.

When I’m not in my south Minneapolis office working with clients virtually, you can find me elbow-deep in my gardens with my Husky mix, Marzipan, or reading British detective novels.

— Sandy