My decision to take back control of my health was transformative. I had gone to the Amazon Jungle on a mission trip with my church during Spring break while I was in graduate school. Getting a Master’s degree is difficult during the best of times, recovering from an undiagnosed illness compounded the situation. I became the Queen of Carbs as I ate my way through papers and presentations. Like so many Americans, I thought I’d exercise the weight off. So, I grabbed my tennis racket and a can of balls. When I put on my tennis skirt, I thought it had shrunk over the winter. Realizing it wasn’t the weather—or the dryer’s fault, I Facebooked a friend of mine who had told me about a fantastic weight loss program. Working with my health coach, I lost 22 pounds and then transitioned to an ideal eating plan. Ironically, I was the cook on a mission trip to New Orleans after hurricane Katrina when I did the weight loss portion of the optimal living program. When I came back, many of my middle-aged friends said to me, “Dawn. I don’t care what kind of KoolAid you’re drinking, I want some!” So, like a good friend I gave their names to my health coach only to have my friends say they didn’t want to work with someone else—only me. That punt changed the direction of my life. My passion is being a professional coach who uses a take shape for life approach to help my clients live an optimally healthy lifestyle. Collectively, my clients have lost the equivalent of the curb weight of a Honda Civic. I couldn’t even begin to count the number of medications they’ve been able to eliminate. You could say I am on a mission to help make America healthy. The path to optimal health is rarely a straight light. And I understand this. Not only from personal experience, but from walking alongside my clients on the journey to whatever optimal health is for them. There’s no judgment here. Each person is unique. Each optimal health journey is different. My joy comes from awakening a client’s intrinsic motivation to pursue optimal living. I celebrate each success. And, I’m right there for them when we need to start all over again. We become a team striving to reach those elusive optimal health goals. We build a sense of community. Because an optimal living community creates the best possible scenario for success. Where a person is on the health spectrum is where we start. My approach is to help someone move away from the habits of disease and move toward the habits of health as they learn to live an optimally healthy lifestyle. This journey begins as soon as s/he takes that first step. That first step is the decision to want optimal health. Along the way, I am able to help my clients through the knowledge I have gained as a COPE Certified Health Coach, Certified Leadership Coach, Certified Life Coach, Certified Nutrition Consultant, Certified Holistic Health Counselor, and as an NES Health Practitioner. You see, it’s not what I know, it’s what my client wants. I am all about coaching transformation. Transformation is about living a lifestyle one day at a time, one decision at a time, over a lifetime. I have lived in Holland Township, NJ for the past 25 years, am married to the man I met at age 14, and have 3 outstanding children, an awesome son-in-law, and 2 grandchildren who light up my world. I have traveled extensively—moving 11 times in 14 years—living internationally in both Japan and Brazil. I am active in my church and community, and was recognized as a 2013 NAPW Professional Woman of the Year. After investing 12 years in my community as a professional volunteer, serving as founding member, president, and fund development officer of the Source for Excellence in Educational Development (SEED) Foundation, and as Vice President and Communications Chairperson of the Holland Township Board of Education, I received my Master’s Degree in English from Montclair State University where I have taught in the nationally recognized First Year Writing Program lecturing on substantive writing, critical thinking, and close reading. I love being a motivational speaker on topics as diverse as Food & Addiction, The Power of Habit, Living Your Purpose, Working with Volunteers, Achieving Optimal Health, Creating Value for Yourself and Others, and The Phoenix Syndrome: Reinventing Yourself. One of my favorites is How to Burn 60 Calories Without Lifting a Finger!