Frequently Asked Questions

“Root Down, Rise Up” is a term used in yoga – it’s an energetic grounding down to the earth so you can stretch upward. During my time at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, the common theme of each speaker and expert in the wellness/health industry is that our healthcare system is broken: the system doesn’t search for the root causes but instead just treats the symptoms. When I was brainstorming names for my coaching business, I wanted to use Heart of the Home. I tried many variations of that name and came across the word “root” for “home.” It hit me at that moment: “Root Down, Rise Up”! “Root Down” to the cause/problems that are limiting us and “Rise Up” to the life we want and deserve. Also, our “roots” are in fact who we are, what we’re made of and stand for, our home and what we hope to pass down to our children. So to understand our roots and what might be holding us back is an important piece to the puzzle. Without first going to our roots it’s pretty difficult to rise up and stay up.

Several reasons! This is who I am – I practice what I preach. I thoroughly enjoy feeding people, creating healthy recipes, exercise, meditation and relationships. I believe we need to know ourselves on the deepest level in order to have a balanced and harmonious life. I believe that all of us should be living our healthiest life. There is a lot of “follow the leader” these days, a game we all are, in some way or another, guilty of playing. We are told something and just follow along, no questions asked, taking the easy way. I want people to know as much information as they can before making food/health decisions. I want moms to know there might be something they can do for a child who has eczema, allergies, ADD or rashes. There’s so much information out there to be absorbed! It can be intimidating but I hope to help people figure what works and doesn’t work for them.

The health of our children is truly awful – there’s no other way to put it. I’d like to give moms (old, new, and moms-to-be) as well as grandmothers options to help build children’s eating habits so they will be nourished. We need to set the tone for generations to come. We have to become healthier and nutrition awareness is something that we all should know – and something we have the right to know. 

I want to inspire health in our children and families.

Back to basics. Think of how our ancestors ate – nothing was in packaging. I think the more we eliminate processed, high-sugar foods with ingredients we can’t pronounce the better off we’ll be. Don’t get me wrong – there are some great packaged products out there! BUT, if we eat healthy, organic, local and seasonal foods we’ll have a leg up on overall health and wellness. So basically, let’s simplify and get back to basics. 

Seeing clients transform and have their “aha” moments – when the work I do with a client clicks – inspires me. The clients become more confident and centered. They become empowered to take the tools I give them and apply them to everyday life. They become more free and sure of themselves. They understand the cues their body is telling them and what that means they need as an individual. It’s really beautiful to see people transform and to be sharing their journey. They also help me continue my own transformation – it’s an ever changing process that ebbs and flows with us through life.

My “aha!” moment was around 2006. As a child and teen I suffered from seasonal allergies, sinus infections, tonsillitis and ovarian cysts. Shortly after meeting my husband I had a sinus surgery – to “hopefully slow down the infections”. At the time, he was training as a professional athlete. His trainer pushed us into a healthier lifestyle. This was a joint effort; we knew we were going to be together forever and embraced this new lifestyle. We were on a very high-protein diet, with no dairy or gluten and limited sugar. I always loved to cook and be in the kitchen, but this was different! This started my connection and awareness that what you put on your plate and in your body directly affects the way you feel and function. He had his best year of his career, and I have not had another sinus infection, cyst or allergy! Our diets are always changing to our specific needs and personal evolution, but because we can feel the effects of certain foods it makes it easy to keep them out of our diets. 

Clients can expect to have a personalized health plan that is created by both of us together to address specific needs and goals as well as their lifestyle. Each session will be a discussion of the client’s progress. The health plan is broken down and simplified into attainable goals. Clients will take continuous small steps over the 6 months that will make lasting changes in their health. I encourage clients, hold them accountable, provide recommendations and make a safe place for them to uncover blocks that might be holding them back. Clients will also receive recipes to try, giveaways specific to their needs, email support between sessions and priority for cooking demos and workshops I hold. 

This is for anyone who wants to take control of their health. This is for the mom who wants to lose the last 10 pounds of baby weight or the avid exerciser who can’t seem to shed weight in spite of a heavy workout schedule. It’s for the grandmother who’s been hearing so much about wellness and health trends but doesn’t know where to start and for families who want to rein in the junk food, connect with each other and live a healthier lifestyle together. And it’s for the athlete, young or old, who needs a set of guidelines to attain peak performance.

But Jackie, I hate to cook! I can’t do this!

Yes, you can. We’ll start slowly with one meal a week and you can count it as two because you’ll make leftovers.

It’s important to know what is in your food and where it came from.

In YOUR kitchen, you have full control from the moment you enter your grocery store. You own it!

An hour a day to cook a meal – that can turn into 2 or 3 meals

Protecting and improving your health is not an expense, it is an investment – in money and time and the effort of finding out what works for you.

It may not be easy to do the work for yourself, but it’s the only way you show yourself love and to give yourself a life that’s not limited by ailments. You have the tools to take that control.