Hi, I’m Jessica and I’m so glad you’re here!
At its core, my life’s work has always been about helping women to (re)discover the strength and fortitude they have inside by acknowledging their struggles and then facing them with practical, manageable action. By doing this, I create the space for them to speak their truths, face their demons, find balance and honesty in their lives, and embrace the joy that can be so easily overlooked. I have done this through coaching, writing, teaching, and making one of my greatest passions, cooking and eating food, more accessible and pleasurable for busy families.
Like many women, my journey has not been a straight line. In the years right after college, I worked in grassroots organizing on social justice issues. Then, my boyfriend (now husband) and I moved to Ann Arbor to study social work at the University of Michigan, after which I worked in crisis intervention. But, after years of working in the non-profit world and struggling to find the right balance in my own life, especially as I became a mom, I decided that it was time to combine my love of helping people with my other passion: food.
I enrolled at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition and studied a wide range of dietary theories, as well as a variety of practical lifestyle coaching methods that help to build congruency between changes in diet with satisfaction with life.
Drawing on all of this knowledge, for five years I worked one-on-one with individuals and families who wanted to integrate more home cooking or healthy living into their lives, without it becoming an added stress or burden. Then, in 2017, I had the opportunity to acquire The Scramble from its founder (and one of my “sheroes”), Aviva Goldfarb. I jumped at the chance since it would give me a larger platform for helping people to shift their relationship with food and learn to love cooking through a practical meal planning service and resources on cooking and eating. This work was challenging, exhilarating, and deeply meaningful.
And then, in 2023, I realized that I had reached another stage in my life and career. While I loved the writing, recipe development, and business building challenges, I missed working directly with people. In addition, my own life changed as my kids went from being little kids to teenagers and I went from being a young mom to a woman in midlife. As my friends and I started to discuss the changes in our bodies, our families, our careers, and our social lives, I realized that women in midlife were screaming out for support. So, I decided to do something about it.
While I was already trained as a therapist and a health coach, I didn’t have any expertise in midlife or menopause, so I started learning! I read everything I could get my hands on, took a course on coaching people through the midlife transition, and became certified as a menopause coach. And, with this additional knowledge in hand, I decided to start up a specialized coaching program for women in midlife.
I believe in the power of action. Messy, imperfect action. I believe in the joy of being your true self. I believe in the love that is generated when we open ourselves to accepting and embracing a world in which we can’t do it all, but we will embrace the parts we can.
You never know where life will take you, but I can tell you this: I am so grateful that I have been able to build a life where I can integrate my passions and help women and families to navigate the scramble of life.
Here’s to living a full and joyful life! Let’s do it together!
