Working with Kara for the past few years has been a truly life-changing experience. As someone who struggled with a severe eating disorder for almost 9 years of my life, I never thought I would be able to get better. Being as sick as ever after having spent years in and out of treatment centers, dietitians’ offices, doctors’ offices, and therapy rooms, I had just about lost all hope when I started seeing Kara. I’d been struggling for years with anorexia and bulimia, as well as binge eating, exercise addiction, and orthorexia. I thought that I was in too deep to ever find my way out; that I was doomed to live the rest of my life in the hell that is the self-hatred and obsession of an eating disorder.

Through my work with Kara, I found a way to let go of the food rules that were dominating my life. I learned the meaning of balance surrounding food and exercise and how to honor my body instead of punishing it and pushing it to extremes. With our weekly goals, I was able to take steps in the direction of healing. Together, we turned abstract concepts into actionable items. Almost all of my previous relationships with dietitians had been ones of constant struggle. When they would talk to me, it often felt as though all they could see was my eating disorder. In contrast, when talking to Kara, I felt like she was speaking to me. Even as I was wrapped up in a whirlwind of behaviors I could not seem to control, she saw me at the center of it all, and she stood by my side. I felt respected. Nothing was ever forced upon me. Instead, she worked with me to build a strong relationship of trust so that, for the first time, I didn’t feel like it was me and my eating disorder versus my dietitian. Instead, it was Kara and me versus my eating disorder.

Today, I feel freer than I have since I first developed my eating disorder when I was a young teenager. I no longer have fear foods, as unbelievable as that feels to write out. Most of the time, I eat when I’m hungry and stop when I’m satisfied without any rules or restrictions. Sometimes, I overeat; but I’ve come to accept that that is okay. I don’t beat myself up for imperfections because I now recognize that imperfections are a part of the journey. I find joy in moving my body in ways that feel good. My body image continues to fluctuate, which I realize is normal. Some days are better than others, so rather than saying I have constant body love, I would say that I have gained body respect. In my opinion, this is even better because it means that I can take care of my body and have a healthy relationship with it, even when I don’t like how it looks at times. I am so grateful for the ways Kara has helped me grow, and I know that she will continue to change so many lives through the amazing work that she does.

Working with Jean on my relationship to food, diet, and exercise has been a truly life-changing experience. Before my work with Jean, I spent many hours a day meticulously planning my meals down to the calorie, dividing foods into “good” and “bad,” and exercising as a form of punishment instead of as a form of positive movement for my body. I was deeply unhappy and engaging in negative self talk. I felt very desperate for a change, and feel that I found this practice at the perfect time!

Through my work with Jean, I learned an incredible amount about gentle nutrition, mindful movement, and the pervasiveness of diet culture in our lives. She helped me reframe negative thoughts, deeply consider the root of my anxieties around weight gain, and gain peace with my body. My life has so tremendously improved from this work – I’m cooking and eating the way that I want and that makes me feel good, I feel safe around foods I used to fear, and I’m moving my body because I want to, not because I’m sticking to a strict exercise schedule. I feel like a whole person, and though nothing is ever perfect, I feel so much happier than I was before we started working.

Jean was always patient with my questions, and always made me feel comfortable talking about my insecurities and my past mistakes with diet culture. She’s extremely knowledgeable about gentle nutrition, and would bring in helpful scientific data to back up her claims. I thought that since I’d never been diagnosed with an eating disorder, my problems with diet culture would not rise to the level of needing help. Jean never made me feel less than, and took my concerns seriously even though I had never been diagnosed. I can’t say enough good things – going to these sessions changed my life.

-SM

Kara was amazing in working with me to improve my relationship with food and challenge the diet culture we are constantly surrounded by. Before working with her, I was restricting myself and living with constant guilt surrounding everything I consumed. Throughout our time together, we addressed and worked through the numerous food rules I had set for myself over the years. Kara not only helped me leave these rules behind, but challenged me to question and understand where they came from. Having this understanding has helped me move forward and feel confident in my relationship with food. I am so grateful for our time together.

I had been to many other nutrition counselors and dietitians in the past, all of which had good intentions, but I never seemed to be able to really engage fully and stick with the information that they gave me. I thought that coming to see Kara may be a similar story, but she not only had a completely different approach, but she knew how to hold me accountable. Kara gave me the time and space to discover what it was that I truly wanted, not only through food, but out of life. We discussed everything from my fears of carbs, to my core values. This approach was like no other that I had experienced, and it was just the thing that I needed to make a shift in my mentality towards food, and to rediscover the joy in food. I feel that Kara equipped me with the tools to be able to not only implement, but to relieve some of the tension and stress surrounding food and eating habits. She allowed me to recognize areas in which I was struggling, and provided tools of thought and new approaches to eating, and even life in general. Kara’s acknowledgment that food is an integral part of life and our core as human beings, allowed me to discover how to enjoy food again, and discover a whole new way of living my life. She provided the safe space to have honest conversations about thought patterns and mixed messages we receive from the media, and allowed me to discover a new approach to life with food. Kara fully acknowledges that there is no “one size fits all approach” to food, nutrition counseling, and life in general. I so appreciated how she approached each session, creating a personalized approach that works best for me. I always felt that while there was a general road map laid out, with goals clearly stated, that each session allowed me to discover more about myself and my approach to food, without the restrictions of some step by step plan. Kara took the time to build a foundation of trust with me, and allowed for my nutrition counseling experience to be fully intuitive, just as I would like to approach food and life.

Prior to working with Kara, I was exhausted, frustrated, and depressed with the amount of daily energy I wasted on food, exercise, and negative body image. I would spend hours a day scrolling through social media, wishing I could look like the various fitness models I followed, which only fueled further self-hate, food restriction, and overexercise. In working with Kara, I learned the importance of nourishing my body by eating full meals, utilizing snacks, and employing food variety. The loose guidelines we set helped me loosen up my previously rigid approach to eating so that I could actually enjoy meals with friends again without worrying about any arbitrary “rules” I had made for myself. I also learned that when it comes to exercise, rest days not only okay, but that they are necessary for your health. I learned that exercise can and should be fun, not simply a punishment. I began to embrace new forms of movement, and to respect my bodily cues and limits regarding activity. After having worked with Kara, I am much more at peace with where my body is presently at, which in turn helps me to fight the old urges of restriction and overexercise. I incorporate far more variety into my food choices, which helps me enjoy eating for the sake of eating, rather than just as a numbers game to reach arbitrary weight/body image goals. Most excitingly, I’ve more recently been challenging myself to push the limits with regard to fear foods, which makes it easier (and actually fun!) to eat out with friends and family again.

I worked with Kara for over a year and she has been absolutely instrumental in helping me overcome my eating disorder. When I came to Kara, I was suffering from multiple restrictive eating disorders, had a very negative relationship with food and my body, had low self esteem, and was extremely unhappy. I am so grateful to have found Kara because she helped me make concrete goals, gave me practical exercises and food challenges, sent me resources, forced me to really question my values and thought processes, and gave me so much support! She is kind, compassionate, extremely knowledgeable, practical, never judgmental, and a wonderful listener. I thoroughly enjoyed my sessions with Kara and I always came away from our sessions with renewed motivation to progress in my ED recovery and continue on my path to becoming my best, healthiest self. Since working with Kara, I have a much healthier relationship with food and myself and am more happy and confident than I have ever been in my life! I would highly recommend Kara as a nutritionist to anyone seeking guidance, support, and accountability for overcoming any sort of eating disorder.

– KH

Kara is a compassionate and inspirational nutritionist. She meets you where you are, uncovers your motivators for change, and through education and coaching, empowers you to make changes that fit your lifestyle. I would absolutely recommend Kara. With her coaching and expertise, I was able to make changes to my eating habits and saw long-lasting results.

Kara helped me tremendously in ways that I never thought were possible. Thanks to her help I have learned so much about myself, I am free from food anxiety, and I am grateful for my body and all that it does.

Kara was instrumental in jump-starting my eating disorder recovery after years of half-hearted attempts to patch up the most obvious pieces. She met me where I was while also challenging me to go deeper and improve my awareness of my eating disorder, which was crucial in propelling my recovery forward. Kara was compassionate, thoughtful, and collaborative. As a result of our work together I have made strides in increasing the variety of food I eat, having a more mindful perspective toward exercise, and having a more compassionate view of myself. I would highly recommend Kara to anyone ready to embark on a true journey toward healing.

Prior to working with Kara, I felt stuck in my relationship with food. After recovering from anorexia, I struggled with binge eating, restrictive thoughts, and negative body image. I had mostly normalized my eating behaviors, but I wanted to normalize my thoughts around food and my body. Working with Kara was wonderful. She was very kind during our sessions and always asked really thought-provoking questions. She has a great set of tools/exercises for working on body image; her approach to body image work is clear and practical. During my time working with Kara, I improved my body image immensely. I started to see my body in a kinder, more compassionate light. I was also able to let go of a lot of negative thinking around food. I no longer feel guilty about eating and she helped me work on introducing fear foods into my diet. I was surprised at how much progress I made working with Kara and would highly recommend working with her if you want to improve your relationship with your body and food.