Your healing journey is personal and I take it seriously because I’ve been where you are.

I discovered this field only after a series of personal challenges shook my world to a breaking point. I had gastrointestinal issues from an early age. When I finally made it to a GI specialist he diagnosed me with IBS, which is a common diagnosis that doctors use when they can’t find a smoking gun. He prescribed an acid reducer, told me to limit certain foods and that I would likely live like this forever.

Seven years later I was in an emotionally abusive relationship, didn’t recognize it initially and did not have the necessary coping skills to protect myself or manage my stress. In addition to the regular gastric symptoms from my IBS, my hair started falling out, my nails were constantly breaking, I was indescribably cold and had dry skin all the time.

I was fatigued beyond description – barely able to move and it didn’t matter if I had had eight or 15 hours of sleep the night before. And if I’m honest, I was also depressed and anxious.

My PCP diagnosed me with Hypothyroidism and put me on a synthetic hormone. Six months later my symptoms returned, but this time she couldn’t do anything to help me because my blood levels were within the acceptable range.

My life truly changed when I met with a fantastic functional medicine doctor who got to the root of my illness. He discovered that in addition to hypothyroidism, I had developed leaky gut syndrome and Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis, an autoimmune disease that can cause Hypothyroidism. He told me he had a way to rectify how I was feeling, but I would have to give up a lot in the process and it wouldn’t be easy. As hard as it was to go on an extreme elimination diet and drink disgusting supplements, after seven weeks we started adding foods back and seeing when and if I would have reactions. I could feel my energy increasing rapidly; my body getting stronger each day; my hair stopped falling out; my nails stopped being so brittle; and I no longer lived in fear of nasty reactions to eating.

My functional medicine doctor gave me my life back!

Today, after 6 years of following good health practices, I’m in a supportive relationship, have maintained my ideal weight, and don’t live in the shadow of my illness.

Sophie Shepherd at a Farmers Market

I went back to school at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition where I was trained to focus on what eating & lifestyle habits best support the individual person rather than the philosophy of one size fits all. The other half of the training was focused on balancing stress, career, exercise and other lifestyle factors – what I call the CORE pillars of health.

After my INHC certification, I completed a doctor approved Hormone Course in the Spring of 2018. This provided me with additional knowledge about how our endocrine system works, the common hormonal challenges we face today and how to support clients nutritionally with disrupted hormones.

In 2019, I completed both my C.H.E.K Holistic Lifestyle Coach certification and became a Functional Diagnostic Nutrition Practitioner.

As an FDN-P, I seek to identify healing opportunities within the hormone, immune, digestion, detoxification, energy and nervous systems of the body so that optimal health and function can be restored. I’m be able to run diagnostic lab work internationally to support my clients who are struggling with complicated digestive and hormone health related issues.

This specialization in hormone health in conjunction with my own personal experiences allows me to deeply support women like you with their hormones so they can thrive!

So my only question is:


Are you ready to thrive?

Pin It on Pinterest