Hi, I’m Misty.
I get it. I’ve spent decades of my life counting calories, points, fat grams…and all the rest. My weight went up and down and my eating was totally out-of-control. It didn’t matter how small I got, I was never thin enough. Even at my lowest weight when hospitalized for an eating disorder, I thought I was fat and gross. What a waste of my time, energy, and adolescence.
Trauma and loss put an end to that saga about 10 years ago. My husband and I weathered a fierce storm of infertility, invasive treatments, and pregnancy losses. Although my weight was the farthest thing from my mind at the time, my body dissatisfaction was at an all-time high. I hated it for not giving me what I desperately wanted. I felt broken and absolutely useless. Ironically, this was the only time in my life in which my weight didn’t mean a damn thing to me. I barely had the will to breathe let alone worry about the size of my jeans. It’s humbling how well grief and pain can help to clarify what’s important in life.
I suffered from post-partum mood disorder after having my older daughter. In my mad dash to have a baby, I left little time to grieve our struggle and losses. I pushed that pain away by focusing on getting and staying pregnant and, then, caring for a newborn. But, as any new parent can attest, no amount of denial or willpower can overcome the effects of grief, flaring hormones, and lack of sleep. In addition, I had major milk supply issues and my daughter was intense. I felt like a failure every single day because I couldn’t calm or feed my baby. Again, I felt broken and useless.
Therapy helped. But what truly saved me was connecting to other parents with similar experiences through Parent Support of Puget Sound and PEPS (Program for Early Parent Support). Through these community groups, I made authentic connections with others that understood my pain and struggle. These experiences were so profound that I became a PEPS leader to help others navigate their new lives as parents. This was my first official foray into coaching and it was amazing. I realized years ago that I wasn’t happy in my professional life but was too scared to pivot. My career as a research scientist was tied to my identity and was also a perfect example of how I lived to please others instead of following my intuition and desires. After leading my first parent group, I knew I needed to make the change.
As a body image and life coach, I help women who’ve spent their lives hating their bodies and living by other peoples’ rules. I help them embrace their beauty and inner strength so they feel amazing in their bodies and can focus their time and energy on what truly matters to them.
More About Me
I have a Ph.D. in Molecular Microbiology (Stony Brook University) and a Master of Public Health in Epidemiology (University of WA). Science is cool and interesting but I was never passionate about it. I’m a people person who has always had an obsessive interest in psychology and personal development. I completed my foundational coach training with Shannon Conway (Martha Beck trained coach). By the end of my training program, I knew that I wanted to focus on women’s food and body issues. I am incredibly lucky to be one of the few coaches that trained with the inspirational founder of the BARE coaching process, Susan Hyatt.
