Nutrition + Wellness Coaching

At Sage Strong, we define coaching as supporting our clients through change.

How and what we eat is influenced by social, economic, and health factors. We believe our clients can be successful at making lasting changes that improve their quality of life by:
• defining specific goals,
• identifying specific influences, and
• mapping changes bit-by-bit.

Clients should expect to do most of the talking at the first session. To make a plan that enables you to meet your goals, I need to understand what it means for you to live your best life. There is no one-size-fits all in my coaching process. 

After booking your first session, you will be asked to gather some basic health information. You will need some basic tools to collect what you need.

• a bathroom scale
• a measuring tape (flexible is best and purchased within the last 3-6 months….they stretch over time)

These can be purchased at any local store and need not be fancy. 

Finally, when you arrive at the session we will spend most of our time together discussing what it is you would like to achieve and why that goal is important to you.

Having knowledge and acting upon it are two very different things. 

We can know we should fill half our plate with fruits and vegetables, but putting that into practice is difficult. (I say that from personal experience). Fresh fruits and vegetables can be expensive. Meal preparation takes time. Not everyone has the skills to cook a complete meal; figuring out what to eat can be a struggle!! 

As a nutrition coach, my role has four elements.

Firstly, I help you identify what knowledge you have and your capacity to put it into practice.

Secondly, I coach you through identifying what you want to change and assess how ready you are to make that change.

Thirdly, I teach new skills that help you reach your goals.

Finally, I am a gentle accountability resource. Part of getting to know about you and your goals includes learning how you would like to check-in regarding your progress.

This is a great question! I approach nutrition coaching from two perspectives: an Indigenous approach and an evidence-based approach. 

The Indigenous approach to health recognizes four elements: physical wellbeing, intellectual wellbeing, emotional wellbeing, and spiritual wellbeing. It is the balance between these parts that add up to good health. In my coaching practice, I work with clients to identify practices that optimize all four areas. 

The ‘evidence-based approach’ really means ‘show me the proof’. Many diet plans make bold claims regarding their effectiveness. Few have really been subjected to rigorous study that includes expert peer review. Using my knowledge of human physiology and health research, I do the work to identify what works, what doesn’t work, and what might work. I invest the time so you don’t have to!

I was born and raised in Newfoundland and I am a member of the Qalipu Mi’kmaq First Nation. 

My interest in nutrition found its beginnings in my own struggles with food and eating. My thirst for knowledge began almost three decades ago. I dabbled, taking courses here and there on foods, nutrition, and psychology in high school and then university while finishing my degree in Engineering. Working as an engineer, I found myself wanting more. I wanted to work with people. Like many others, the pandemic sealed my desire for change. I decided to take a leap and re-train for a different career. 

I applied to medical school and began my studies just as Canada was emerging from the pandemic. I gobbled up coursework on human systems; my engineering background has proven to be a solid foundation for understanding and troubleshooting the multiple “factories” that make up the human body. My interest in nutrition has been solidified through my learning. 

I know first-hand the difficulty that comes from a bad relationship with food. My eating-related recovery was filled with achievements and setbacks. I have felt the careful hope of ‘being cured’ and also the disappointment that comes with a fall. I hope that in sharing what I have learned along the way, I might help others in their journey toward better health.