One day, a couple of years ago, I found myself sitting in the living room of a tarot card reader I had found on Yelp with my best friend, Brittany. Pretty normal Saturday afternoon.

I had visited a couple of tarot readers before, each quirky in their own way, but this reader told me something I had never heard before. She told me I had lived 11 lives before this current one; anyone who knows me will tell you I certainly act elderly already, so this m, in both high school and college, I was given the nickname “Mama Sami” by independent friend groups. I’m usually the friend with an extra snack in her bag, or some hand sanitizer, or I know how to find someone some Advil ASAP. I do, naturally, take care of people.

And so I found myself in the fall of 2018 after a few years of working in the somewhat tumultuous media industry wondering how I could actually help people.

I’ve been recovering from an eating disorder since about 2015. My ED started some time in college, but it took a turn in 2013 when I moved to New York. I worked with a gastroenterologist, an endocrinologist and a nutritionist to try and jumpstart a “healthier” food routine; unfortunately, no one seemed to be equipped to suggest that I was suffering from ED or how to help someone like me. After lots and lots of self-education, which can be risky even for people who don’t have disordered eating habits, I slowly began to re-learn my body’s cues.

In working with a therapist, trying new stress-relieving routines and taking self-care more seriously, I realized that it was time to take what I had learned and use it to help others. However, if I was super serious about it, I’d have to get as legitimate as possible. As of now, I’ll soon be applying to different local colleges in order to become a registered dietitian.

I want to be able to provide nutrition coaching services that aren’t focused on numbers, weight loss/gain or un-acceptance of anyone’s bodies. My goal is to teach others some of the methods of Intuitive Eating, the Health At Every Size movement, and other techniques to build healthier relationships with food. I know firsthand that humans are imperfect and flawed, but we all deserve to find our way back to more natural and helpful rhythms.

Thanks for reading, and please check back frequently for more blog posts about my own health journey as well as observations/tips I’m making throughout this new educational process.