I was 33 and had given birth to a baby boy just 15 months prior (yes..you read that correctly) and found myself with three kids under the age of 2. There are a lot of hard things that I’ve done in my life– working full-time while also pursuing a rigorous nurse practitioner program, working in a cardiac ICU with patients literally fighting for their lives— but motherhood was a different beast.

As a born perfectionist (currently in recovery), I strived to become the perfect wife and perfect mother all while working hard seeing patients during the day and coming home to take care of my young children at night. I was challenged physically, mentally, and emotionally. Although supportive and very hands on, my husband is a police officer with an unpredictable schedule (because criminals don’t sleep) and with our closest family living in Louisiana, there was little time for a moment to myself. I remember talking to my doctor about how I was feeling– the overwhelm (I was a hot mess)– and was reassured that what I was feeling was normal but was not given any real solutions or support.

So I went on like this for years. I continued to take care of my family, I excelled at work. I put everyone first and took whatever was left over (which wasn’t much) for myself. I remember getting my family ready to take our yearly family photos. I meticulously coordinated our clothes, I bought the cutest bows for my girls and my son looked so handsome in his little dress shirt. We took the photos and I excitedly waited for the pictures to arrive. 

When they arrived—I was mortified. I had become so accustomed to being behind the camera and capturing so many pictures of my kids that I hadn’t seen myself in so long. Three years later and I was heavier than the day I delivered my twins. And if I didn’t feel defeated enough, I had a physical shortly afterwards and was told I was prediabetic, my cholesterol was elevated and of course my BMI was well into the obese range. 

As a mom who had kids later in life, I realized I had to take control of the situation. Yes, I had three kids under 4, yes my husband worked crazy hours and it would be a challenge to find time to go to the gym. Yes, I was stressed and lived in a state of exhaustion, but I had to do something different.  

I knew that aging was inevitable but I could control what that would look like for me. So I got to work. I woke up before the sun came up while my husband and kids were still sleeping (because mom and wife guilt is real and that was the only time I felt like I wasn’t stealing time from anyone else). I counted calories and I lost weight. I felt good about myself, I had more energy, my mood was better. I was happier and starting to feel like myself again. 

And then summer came. You know, the time of year where you’re at the pool hanging with kids and taking vacations and eating all of the really good stuff (I’m a Louisiana girl and we like good food). And the weight came back, quickly. I tried doing all of the things that once worked and I could not get the scale to move. I was always tired and had little energy to work out and felt defeated. I spoke to my doctor once again (by this time the office had changed staff again so I was basically speaking to someone I’d met for the first time) and was told of course I was tired, I had three kids and just needed to exercise more, eat less, and find ways to cope with my stress. 

It wasn’t that I was lazy or unwilling to work towards my health, my body was lacking what it needed to truly thrive. I found a provider who listened and understood how two key hormones–insulin and thyroid hormone– were keeping me on a hamster wheel. 

Your New
Wellness Bestie

I remembered how dismissed, frustrated, and hopeless I felt for so many years, and I didn’t want anyone to suffer like I did. I wanted to create a place where women were seen, listened to, and not rushed through 15 minute appointment slots with a revolving door of medical providers. I wanted to create a place where women could build true connections. 

So I took matters into my own hands and started The Aesthetics & Wellness Lab, a place “where beauty and wellness meet”.

As a woman, mother, wife, and nurse practitioner, it is my mission to make you feel seen, valued, and supported. I will look deeper to find the root cause of your struggles whether it be constant fatigue, irregular periods, insomnia, PCOS, struggles with weight, or the journey into perimenopause. 

For many women, the root cause of these struggles often lies in your hormones. Contrary to what conventional medicine tells you, hormone imbalances can start in your 30s (no, you are not too young) and make you feel as if you are on a physical and emotional rollercoaster. It can wreak havoc on your physical, emotional, and mental health leaving you feeling alone and defeated.

With the combination of supplements, prescription medications and the guidance of the right provider, I lost over 40 pounds and have managed to keep it off. But the true value isn’t just in the amount of weight I lost, it was in the ability to no longer feel easily overwhelmed and chronically exhausted. It was being able to enjoy ice cream with my kids and not feel guilty. It’s being able to enjoy moving my body three days per week rather than killing myself 5-6 days per week with little to no results. I feel like a mental fog was lifted. I finally owned my story, it no longer owned me.