I grew up being a keen observer of Nature; swimming in Lake Couchiching (Orillia, Ontario, Canada), travelling to Georgian Bay in the summer with my parents, and always wanting to learn more how things worked in general.

I grew fascinated with Nature as a whole, and really wanted to explore it in greater detail. I passionately learned about science throughout my schooling, going on to study Zoology at the University of Guelph. At the time I wanted to understand what made us humans unique; I wanted to understand what separated us from our closest relatives, the Chimpanzees.

Graduation came and I still had no answer; I was no closer to really comprehending what made us humans so darn special. At this time, my father passed away, and I really began to search for some answers. “Where did he go? Where did his soul go? What happens after death?”

These are the biggest questions we can ask, and I became even more obsessed with them. 

Little did I realize that the groundwork for my spiritual journey back to Nature was being set out.

I decided to move to Toronto, in the hopes that I would discover a career path that satisfied my quest for personal meaning. After some trial and error I discovered that I wanted to become a Holistic Nutritionist so that I could help people live long, healthful lives. My father’s death, in combination with my own health concerns, led me to appreciate even more the value of health. I enrolled at the Canadian School of Natural Nutrition in Toronto and learned a great deal about food: nutrition, ancient practices, and of course our modern food system.

When one studies food in a holistic manner, one cannot escape knowing and caring about the origins of one’s food.

This is when the magic of Eat Learn Grow began to materialize. As I was completing my holistic nutrition studies, my focus began to shift toward our food production system, and I again became obsessed. I could not believe the widespread damage that modern agriculture was causing. And since this system is based around maximizing production, but not nutrition, flavour, or environmental health, we the consumer were being “footed the bill.” I realized that we were settling for lower quality foods whose cultivation resulted in the depletion of soil, forests, water and biodiversity.

As I looked deeper I saw that our everyday purchasing choices were akin to votes being cast for this system. I realized that, collectively, we elected this outrageously destructive process through our arbitrary demand for all of the world’s foods being available for purchase at all places and all times, which is certainly not in alignment with Mother Nature.

With this knowledge I decided that I must commit myself to eating the most nutritious foods locally available while learning all I could about the food system, and growing my own food as much as possible.

Today, my goal is to use vegetable gardens as the ultimate “NATURE gateway drug,” helping my clients to foster a deeper connection with Nature. When we slow down and observe Nature, we are instantly transported to a new state, a calm state. By fostering this connection to our source, we can facilitate not only our own healing, but that of the entire planet. 

Growing food and stewarding the land, what greater gift IS there?

I invite you to join me on the journey that lays ahead. A nurturing journey, back to our roots. Join me, and together let’s EAT, LEARN and GROW!