Steph grew up in Santa Cruz, CA surfing and playing three sports a year, finally settling on volleyball.  She received her BA in education 1999 and her MA in TESOL and Special Education from Bethany University in 2001.  As a new teacher, she taught in Santa Cruz , New Mexico and Mexico.  After moving to Santa Fe, New Mexico, she got a job at an elementary school as an ESL Special Education Teacher. Five years in, she realized that teaching was not where her heart was so she moved on to what would be her life’s work for the next 25 years.  

 

While building her personal training business, she began working at a Physical Therapy clinic as a PT Tech.  A year later, she went to massage school to be able to take care of her clients more holistically.  During this time, her business grew and she was voted Best Personal Trainer 2005 in Santa Fe.

 

In 2007, she married her Air Force husband and she was whisked away to Okinawa, Japan, then Alaska, Hawaii (where she became a mom), Las Vegas, Washington D.C., and Spokane.  In every one of those duty stations she had a very busy massage practice, coached CrossFit, taught bootcamps, running camps, ran multiple Ultramarathons, and trained and played in MANY beach volleyball tournaments.  

 

Perimenopause body-slammed her when she was 42.  Of the 14 doctors and specialists she went to, not one of them identified her severe symptoms as perimenopause.  It was a naturopathic doctor (ND) who first shed light on what was happening.  It took the ND 18 months to get her back to some semblance of health.  It was at that point that she realized enough was enough. In 2023, she graduated with her second Master of Science degree, but this time in Women’s Hormone Health, determined that no woman should go through what she went through. Armed with this new degree and 25 years in the wellness industry, she opened Blossom Whole Wellness to provide a sanctuary for women to get real, evidence-based help and resources to make real change.  She loves what she does and she’s so blessed to get to serve the women of Spokane.

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A Little More on my Perimenopause Journey 

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My transition into my forties has been a rough one physically. Weeks after we moved to Spokane, WA for our final duty station as a military family, I began struggling with yet again, another round of adrenal fatigue symptoms. On top of that, I was hit by that little gem we call perimenopause.  I went to multiple specialists and even two cardiologists and a urologist, none of which ever made the connection that my symptoms could be hormone related.  No one knew why I was having extensive heart issues, breathlessness, chronic UTIs and exhaustion.  It was a naturopathic doctor who immediately identified what was happening. It was at that moment when I had an epiphany: women's health is overlooked, ignored, and generally not well-understood by the medical establishment.  In the military medical system, women's symptoms are often overlooked as "just anxiety."   

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After a battery of comprehensive testing and the most thorough wellness exam I have ever experienced, my naturopathic doctor and I embarked on a life changing journey.  My health improved under her expert care through acupuncture, herbs, meditation, yoga, nutritional therapy, massage, and targeted supplements. I even went to graduate school to learn as much as I could to help women like me. Throughout school, it became clear that women need an advocate for this vital time. I felt led to change the niche of my wellness business to focus solely on taking care of women throughout their menopause journey and beyond. Now my mission is to be your guide as you learn to walk through these transitions so you can live a more vibrant and successful life!