Finding Balance — A Lifelong Journey to Wellness

When I was invited to write a monthly wellness column for this paper, “thrilled” doesn’t even begin to cover it. I’ve loved writing ever since my school English classes and always hoped to pursue it, but wellness has long been my true passion. To combine the two feels like receiving two precious gifts in one.

My wellness journey began in college. I entered as a psychology major, fascinated by what makes people tick. During sophomore year, at a friend’s urging, I took a nutrition class. I’ll admit — slightly sheepishly — that my initial motivation was the dreaded freshman 15. But what began as a way to shed a few pounds quickly grew into something deeper. I fell in love with nutrition and decided to double major. At the time, I thought psychology and nutrition were unrelated, but I couldn’t have been more wrong.

Even as my academic interest in nutrition grew, my habits didn’t always match. Like many college students, I drank beer, ate late-night pizza and fried dough, and relied on candy and ice cream to get through study sessions. The pounds didn’t come off; they multiplied. By graduation, I held degrees in both psychology and nutrition — and an encyclopedic knowledge of calorie counts — but I also felt a pull toward a more holistic, less conventional approach to wellness.

After college, I planned to pursue a master’s in nutrition but instead took a temporary job at Gubbins Running Ahead. There, I started running and cycling more, which fueled my interest in health and fitness. I got into great shape, running competitive 10Ks and even completing a 115-mile bike ride with my dad. Still, my focus remained on weight loss, and I relied heavily on processed, low-fat foods. My enthusiasm was real, but my choices weren’t always in alignment with my values.

Life took another turn when I opened a boutique in Sag Harbor, expecting it to be a short adventure. Instead, it became a 25-year journey with Satori, during which I got married and raised three children. My formal studies in nutrition went on hold, but my focus on whole, organic foods grew stronger as I nourished my family. Of course, with busy schedules, takeout was part of the routine — but often from Provisions, our local health food store.

It wasn’t until I sold my store that I began to embrace wellness more fully. I shifted from focusing solely on diet and exercise to nurturing all aspects of life. I cooked healthy meals for my family, formed a book (and audiobook!) club, explored new wellness research, strengthened relationships and spent more time walking in nature. Slowly, I realized these practices — connection, learning, joy and time outdoors — are cornerstones of true wellness.

Eventually, I returned to that little voice I’d heard years before and pursued holistic health education. I completed a yearlong program at the Institute of Integrative Nutrition and became an Integrative Health Coach. I expected to learn more about food, but what surprised me most was how deeply the program emphasized wellness as a whole. You can drink green juice and exercise daily, but if you’re constantly stressed or unhappy, it undermines everything else. True wellness means caring for body, mind and spirit.

This idea of multidimensional health is central to my work now. Wellness isn’t just about food and fitness — it’s also about relationships, career satisfaction, our physical environment, creativity, community, joy, gratitude and belief in something larger than ourselves. These factors are as essential as the food we put on our plates.

That said, food remains a powerful form of medicine, which is why I’m currently deepening my studies with a functional nutrition course. Still, I’ve learned food is just one piece of a much bigger puzzle.

Ironically, I now see how connected my two college majors — nutrition and psychology — really are. I’m grateful to be living in a way that reflects my values, even as I continue to grow and challenge myself daily.

I’m so excited to share wellness topics with you in the months ahead, in an honest and balanced way I hope resonates with many of you. And yes, I did finally lose those college pounds — not through quick fixes, but by embracing a way of life that nourishes me inside and out.