When I was growing up, my spinal health was checked regularly. I understood at a young age the body can self-regulate through the nervous system, and that alignment matters. What I didn't understand is that healing is not always that simple.

In 6th grade, I experienced significant life stressors, and my body did not cope well. In other words, I got sick. I went to the regular doctor, who didn't know what was wrong – the blood work all came back fine. So we assumed I was ‘fine’, and that this must just be my new normal, all wrapped up with puberty. I felt written off, as it was suggested it was in my head and I was attention seeking. I truly believed that how I felt was simply as good as it gets: daily coughing, allergies, scalp itching, stomach aches, poor sleep, anxious feelings, nightmares, aching from head to toe, and always feeling winded or bone tired. Somehow all of that was ‘normal’. It took many years before I believed it could be any better.

In my second year of college, I considered stopping school. I couldn't keep up the pace, I hurt head to toe, I was exhausted, I couldn't think clearly. And I didn’t know where to begin. With my mom’s help, I saw a nutritionist who practiced at the chiropractor's office where she worked. This woman was kind, pressed on my arm a few times, and assessed which nutritional tools would be helpful. I left that office not sure what to make of it, and highly skeptical – I was under the assumption vitamins would make my stomach hurt, since that's all I ever knew.  In a week I felt a lift in my spirit. And after three months of diligently following her ‘prescriptions’, I felt like a new person. In hindsight, all the woman gave me was extra nutrition and stress-handling support – but it opened my eyes to a whole new possibility for personal health. I discovered that there was something I could do. I had a new lease on life, and at that moment I learned: there is always something you can do.

I began feeling determined: to enhance my experience of health, and also to offer authentic solutions to others. The thought that someone had to settle for a meager, uncomfortable existence hurt my heart. So instead of becoming the 7th chiropractor in my family, I chose to be the first Naturopathic Doctor. I listened to my calling, and pursued Naturopathic Medicine, graduating from Bastyr University in 2006. I began the adventure of caring for others, and it has been a grand journey.

Shortly after graduation, I married Dr. Jeremiah Stevens, and we embraced being a Naturopathic super duo. We relocated to the Inland Northwest, and were quickly blessed with 4 children in 6 years. We also owned Stevens Naturopathic Center, complete with a team of Integrative Providers, and a many-month waiting list.  One day we woke up and realized we had built someone else’s dream. It was at that moment we chose to begin planning for our next adventure, travelling for an entire school year through Costa Rica. We pioneered telemedicine prior to the Covid era, and we made great memories. This is where the term ‘Life is for Living’  was originally born – little did we know the meaning would be understood with a series of events just around the corner.