I know what it feels like to do everything right... and still not feel well.
After years of navigating my own journey with IBS, celiac disease, Hashimoto's, chronic anxiety, and countless wellness protocols, I discovered what I now believe is one of the most overlooked pieces of lasting healing: the nervous system.
Today, I help women who feel like they've tried everything finally understand what's been missing.
Through Somatic Experiencing®, evidence-informed coaching, and behavior change, I help women build the nervous system capacity to move beyond survival, reconnect with their bodies, and create lasting change that extends far beyond their symptoms.
I'm a Board Certified Health and Wellness Coach, Somatic Experiencing® Practitioner, TRTP Practitioner, Mindfulness Meditation Teacher, Fitness and Nutrition Specialist, and Behavior Change Specialist. But more than any credential, I bring the perspective of someone who's walked this path herself.
Because I know firsthand what it's like to spend years searching for answers.
And I know what's possible when your body finally learns it no longer has to survive.
"An autoimmune condition, at it's core, is a nervous system that cannot actually rest. If we can't rest, we can't heal."
For years, I believed the answer was to try harder.
Work harder.
Research more.
Find the right practitioner.
Follow the next protocol.
Buy the next supplement.
If I could just figure out what I was missing, I was convinced I'd finally feel like myself again.
Instead, I became really good at surviving.
From the outside, my life looked exactly the way I had always imagined it would.
I had a successful career. A wonderful husband. Amazing friends. A beautiful home. Every reason to be happy.
But inside...
I was exhausted.
I couldn't truly relax.
My mind never stopped.
I was constantly trying to stay one step ahead of whatever might go wrong next.
At the same time, I was living with IBS, celiac disease, Hashimoto's, and chronic anxiety. I was doing everything I had been told to do, yet my body never felt like it was on my side.
Looking back, I can see what I couldn't see then.
My body wasn't failing me.
It was protecting me.
The perfectionism.
The hyper-independence.
The constant doing.
The need to control everything around me.
Those weren't personality traits.
They were survival strategies.
And for a long time, they worked.
Until they didn't.
When my nervous system could no longer carry the weight of decades spent in survival mode, it forced me to pay attention.
That wasn't the moment everything fell apart.
It was the moment everything finally began to make sense.
"Your thoughts directly mirror the state of your nervous system."
"Your thoughts directly mirror the state of your nervous system." Jalena
"Your thoughts directly mirror the state of your nervous system." Jalena
What changed my life wasn't finding the perfect diet, supplement, or protocol.
It was realizing that my body wasn't working against me.
It was working for me.
Everything I had spent years trying to fix was my body's best attempt to protect me.
That single shift changed the way I approached healing forever.
Today, I still believe nutrition matters.
Sleep matters.
Movement matters.
Therapy matters.
Functional medicine matters.
But I also know that if your nervous system is still living in survival, it becomes incredibly difficult for those things to create the lasting change you're searching for.
That's why my work isn't about convincing you to throw away everything you've already done.
It's about helping you understand the missing piece so everything else can finally work together.
Because I don't believe your body is broken.
I believe it's been speaking a language no one ever taught you how to understand.
And once you learn that language, everything begins to change.
Healing begins the moment you stop asking, "What's wrong with me?" and start asking, "What has my body been trying to protect me from?"
"Your thoughts directly mirror the state of your nervous system." Jalena
"Your thoughts directly mirror the state of your nervous system." Jalena
The burnout.
The anxiety.
The chronic health struggles.
As hard as they were, they became the greatest teachers of my life.
Because they led me to the one thing no one had ever explained to me:
My nervous system.
I learned that my body wasn't broken.
It wasn't fighting against me.
It was responding exactly the way it had been taught to respond.
That realization changed everything.
Not because I found another protocol.
But because I finally understood the body that had been trying to follow all of the protocols.
Today, I know what I wish someone had told me years ago.
Your nervous system influences every system in your body.
It shapes how you respond to stress, how you recover, how you connect with others, how you experience your emotions, and how your body adapts to the world around you.
When your nervous system has spent years protecting you, it can become incredibly difficult for even the best health practices to create lasting change.
That's why I don't believe you need another quick fix.
I believe you need to understand the body that's been trying to heal all along.
Because once your nervous system learns that it no longer has to survive...
Everything else has the opportunity to change.
That's where our work begins.
Your body has been speaking to you your entire life. You were just never taught its language.
"Your thoughts directly mirror the state of your nervous system." Jalena
There's a good chance you're the kind of woman I love working with.
You're curious.
You're open.
You're willing to look beyond another supplement or protocol if it means finally creating lasting change.
You've probably spent years trying to figure out why your body feels the way it does.
Maybe you've worked with practitioners, cleaned up your diet, gone to therapy, or read every book you could get your hands on.
And while some things may have helped...
You're still searching for the missing piece.
You don't want another quick fix.
You want to understand your body.
You want to stop second-guessing every decision.
You want to wake up with more energy.
To trust yourself again.
To feel present in your relationships.
To stop spending so much of your life simply trying to feel okay.
If that's you...
I want you to know there is another way.
And I'd be honored to walk alongside you as you discover it.
"Cutting out entire foods groups is not a healing strategy, it's a management strategy. When you heal your nervous system and gut, the management strategy is no longer necessary." Jalena
No two nervous systems are the same, which is why I don't rely on a one-size-fits-all method. Instead, I integrate evidence-informed approaches that allow me to meet each woman exactly where she is and tailor the work to what her nervous system needs most.
My work draws from:
Somatic Experiencing®
The Richards Trauma Process (TRTP)
Polyvagal Theory
Mindfulness-based cognitive practices
Neurosensory exercises
Breathwork and nervous system regulation practices
Behavior change science
Neuroscience-informed approaches to rewiring patterns
Fitness, movement, and nutrition
Because lasting change rarely comes from one technique.
It comes from understanding the person in front of me and knowing how to apply the right approach at the right time.
You don't need another thing to fix your body. You need to understand the body you've been trying to fix.
"Your thoughts directly mirror the state of your nervous system." Jalena
While my personal journey led me to this work, my professional training allows me to guide others through it safely and effectively.
I believe your nervous system deserves more than generic advice or one-size-fits-all solutions. That's why I've spent years studying trauma, behavior change, health coaching, mindfulness, and Somatic Experiencing® so I can meet each client with both compassion and clinical understanding.
Somatic Experiencing® Practitioner (SEP)
The Richards Trauma Process (TRTP) Practitioner
National Board Certified Health & Wellness Coach (NBC-HWC)
Certified Mindfulness & Meditation Practitioner (MMTCP)
Understanding Coupling Dynamics
The Healing Trauma Program – Sounds True
The Power of Awareness – Sounds True
Functional Medicine Coaching Academy
Neuroscience Academy
Behavior Change Specialist
ACE Fitness Nutrition Specialist
ACE Certified Personal Trainer
ACE Certified Group Fitness Instructor
Ayurveda Practitioner Certification
Conscious Manifestation – Eckhart Tolle School