Heather is a natural teacher with a deep and abiding love of learning. After six years teaching in classroom and corporate settings, she returned to school to pursue her dream of working in the foodservice industry. A trained pastry chef with a solid foundation in general culinary skills, Heather worked in a variety of restaurant and bakery settings before returning to the classroom to combine her gift for teaching with her love of food as an instructor at Wake Tech.

The restaurant industry isn’t known for great work-life balance or for the health habits of its workers. The stress, exhaustion, loss of fitness, and nutritional decline Heather experienced in this “work hard, play hard” culture drove her to make changes that would restore her equilibrium and put her on a path to live a long, healthful life. Throughout her own health journey, Heather has sought ways to share the benefits of strategic behavior change with others.

As a health and wellness coach, Heather is able to apply her skills as a teacher and her knowledge of food and nutrition to the incredibly fulfilling project of helping others realize their personal health goals. She grounds her coaching in what she calls “optimistic realism”: Every reasonable goal is possible. Most will be slow. Many will be challenging. Some will take more than one try. All will be worthwhile.

When she isn’t working (or working out), Heather loves spending time with her family, digging in her garden, reading, and solving the daily NYT crossword. She is also a devoted weekly volunteer at Raleigh’s first pay-what-you-can cafe, A Place at the Table, where she has the opportunity to build community through a shared belief in the healing power of good food.