ABOUT
Hi, I’m Bert! I am an inspiring, intuitive, and inquisitive leader. I am a happily married introvert, vegetarian, and tree hugger! I love connecting with people, especially over the kitchen table. I love the ocean, nature, gardening, cooking, puppies, friends, family, and my husband. ‘I’m so glad you are here and taking your next step towards a more wholistically nourished life. Here is my journey.
My first home was in West Linn, Oregon, on five acres in the country with cedar trees, gardens, chickens, ducks, pheasants, and music. As a kid, two of my favorite activities were making dirt cookies and letting Barbie drive the horses through the garden in her flatbed semi-truck. There was always something to try; parsley was on the left just outside the back door, raspberries were behind the house just past the apple and plum trees, and wheat was in the field next door. The garden always seemed to have plenty of tomatoes, cucumbers, beans, blueberries, peppers, and comfrey (don’t know how we got this, but it was yummy). We even tried a Jerusalem artichoke one year, and of course had it for years after. We didn’t plant corn because the cousins had plenty to share.
I always enjoyed playing with nature and eating straight off the bushes. Intuitively, putting mud on my nettle and bee stings to ease the pain (my later research found mud actually helps remove toxins). Playing outside was my favorite pastime, sun or rain.
Researching things has always been enjoyable to me. My dad would affectionately call me the ‘but why’ kid. Later in life, when I better understood my personality type (INTJ) ~ well, of course!
Science and math were intriguing for me; they just made sense! My formal education started with an engineering degree from Walla Walla College; in the 1980’s it was the smallest engineering accredited program in the nation. I loved the small campus and the spiritual aspects; it felt like home.
As time has passed, I never lost interest in the garden and plants; and I found out that cooking was fabulous. Mixing all of these interests together to make tasty delicious creations for friends and family. It started in college when we had to cook because Mom was 300 miles away and eating out was not an option. Gleaning the onion fields, picking nuts and berries, bartering with friends, and the free butter|cheese|eggs|flour where a fact of life.
My engineering career started in 1989 when we moved to Richland Washington and I started working in the environmental industry cleaning up hazardous waste sites. Fun and exciting times, hard work, and travel. Things started to change in the mid-2000’s; my energy required more and more caffeine, exercise was waning, migraines were starting up again, my middle was increasing, and my health care provider indicated wheat and other gluten related grains should be eliminated from my diet. Next, my provider put me on thyroid and adrenal fatigue medications – I hated taking prescriptions. My gut told me there must be a different way; I just didn’t know what it was. So, my science research brain started diving into what this different way might be.
It first started with essential oils taking the place of most medicine cabinet over-the-counter drugs. My education at Bastyr University studying Aromatherapy & Essential Oils fit in so well; lavender for a scrape, peppermint for a headache, birch/wintergreen for a back ache or muscle cramps, clary sage for PMS, frankincense and helichrysum for skincare, carrot seed and cedarwood for my hair, the list goes on … Exercise started coming back into the picture, mostly peaceful walking with some yoga here and there. I also started reading up on the importance of food and its preparation – my body was starting to feel better and I realized I wanted more knowledge.
And then, in 2016, a great friend introduced me to The Wellspring School for Healing Arts and their Wholistic Nutrition program. The program integrated eastern and western approaches focused on nourishing our bodies. So much learning! Everything we put in, on, or do to our body has a result – good or bad. Here is where I was starting to find the different way. Our body is a magnificent machine. Energy, chemistry, consciousness. As I learned in Daverick Leggett’s book, Recipes for Self-Healing, Nutrition is more than the food we chew; it is everything we do to nourish our body – air, water, plants, cosmic energy, sensual nourishment, relationships, and, of course, food. Our energy suffers if we are missing any one of these seven principles of Wholistic Nourishment.
As I learned more, I realized there were key elements that kept arising from a daily wellness perspective. Whole plant foods were necessary, not the food we get from an industrial plant. Daily ferments, just a touch, assists your body getting the added probiotics that are removed from most of our purchased foods. Eating the rainbow adds both a wide variety of nutrients but also makes you very happy when you look at your plate. Having good proteins meaning from a quality source (if you are eating animal products) and a wide range of nuts, legumes, and grains; and also acknowledging the vast amount of proteins we don’t realize in most all vegetables. Adding healthy fats to our meals to both support our bodies and also add some satiation length to our meals – I realized this when, just by adding a touch of butter or coconut oil to my morning oats kept be satiated until lunchtime. Oh, and eating undistracted, away from the TV, and best with friends and family around the table; nourishing on so many levels. And last but not least, speaking to your senses – listening to what your body needs, loving the food that you eat, not judging yourself, and making your meals delightful and satisfying as a whole. As I continued learning, these seven element continued to shine. And that is the birth of my Engineered Wellness vision – a marriage of my past and my future!
So, here I am, wanting to share my knowledge with each of you.
Welcome to Wholistic Nourishment, Every Day, Every Way.
As I learned more, I realized there were key elements that kept arising from a daily wellness perspective.
-
Whole plant foods were necessary, not the food we get from an industrial plant.
-
Daily ferments, just a touch, assists your body getting the added probiotics that are removed from most of our purchased foods.
-
Eating the rainbow adds both a wide variety of nutrients but also makes you very happy when you look at your plate.
-
Having good proteins meaning from a quality source and a wide range of nuts, legumes, and grains; and also acknowledging the vast amount of proteins we don’t realize in most all vegetables.
-
Adding healthy fats to our meals to both support our bodies and also add some satiation length to our meals – I realized this when, just by adding a touch of butter or coconut oil to my morning oats kept be satiated until lunchtime.
-
Oh, and eating undistracted, away from the TV, and best with friends and family around the table; nourishing on so many levels.
-
And last but not least, speaking to your senses – listening to what your body needs, loving the food that you eat, not judging yourself, and making your meals delightful and satisfying as a whole.
As I continued learning, these seven element continued to shine. And that is the birth of my Engineered Wellness vision – a marriage of my past and my future!
So, here I am, wanting to share my knowledge with each of you.
Welcome to Wholistic Nourishment, Every Day, Every Way.