Hi! I’m Jill. I’m a registered dietitian nutritionist and a certified intuitive eating counselor who has fallen in love with just about every homemade salsa that I've ever tried - at first bite.  Needless to say, I happily ate my way through Mexico when I lived there as a former twenty-one-year-old.  In fact, it was then and there when I realized that I was crazy about bold flavors.  And mangoes.  Gosh I love a good mango!    

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But while fresh-off-the-tree mangoes had me at "Hola" in my early twenties, I sure didn't love my body as a teenager.  Or during parts of my twenties and thirties - unless I had just finished losing some weight.  And then I liked my body's appearance.  In other words, while I adored food that tasted delicious, I also bought into diet culture.  I thought that I "should" look "thin."  Therefore, as a teenage athlete and  off and on through my thirties, I would prepare for a beach vacation or special occasion by exercising more than usual.  I would also eat a little less, and avoid keeping "forbidden" foods in my house that I was sure to eat in a short amount of time.   Actually I kept those foods out of my house almost all the time.  Unsurprisingly, buying into diet culture never worked on a long-term basis because it wasn't sustainable for me physically, emotionally, or mentally.  It was harmful. 

While I did not develop an eating disorder, I wish that in my teens, twenties, and thirties I would have respected my body for its ability to move me forward in life, dance, play sports, hold baby cousins, transport me through beautiful cities or the countryside, and hug my family and friends.  But sometimes when we least expect it, a life-changing event occurs.          

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When I decided to pursue becoming a dietitian, I did so because I wanted to work with food as much as possible through recipe development and a nutrition-related private practice.  Shortly after becoming a dietitian, I read the powerful book, Intuitive Eating, which was written by the dietitians, Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch.  As I read their book, I really tuned into the fact that I absolutely needed to develop a healthier relationship with my body, food, and mind.  As a result, I took a year off from working as a dietitian to do my own internal housekeeping and create a business that I could truly believe in. 

I am happy to report that I am now a Certified Intuitive Eating Counselor who can keep my formerly “forbidden” foods in my home and feel comfortable around them.  No food is off limits.  I now feel gratitude for what my body can do.  When I move my body, it is to promote my overall health and joy.  The days of counting calories and using a scale are over.  And they can be for you too.  As I run my private practice, Cultivate Joy Nutrition, I hope to assist you in empowering your overall wellness - at any size.