I graduated from Bauman College with honors and received my certificate as a Nutrition Consultant in 2012 and opened my private practice in 2013. I knew I wanted my focus to be on preventative care with children. 

I began studying under everyone I could: the Weston A Price foundation, GAP’s Protocol by Dr. Natasha Campbell McBride, Body Ecology, OAT’s Workshops by Great Plains, the NANP, both Functional and Integrative Medicine, as well as Naturopathic Medicine, amongst so many other philosophies of holistic health. 

While running my own practice I had the incredible privilege of working at an integrative pediatrics office for 5 years. I saw first hand the tremendous health issues our children are facing and just how their resilient bodies can respond to sound nutrition. I went backwards with my focus in those 5 years from pediatrics to newborns to pregnancy to preconception care because I was seeing the powerful effect that preventative nutrition can have on the start of life. 

I’ve spent extensive time with clients regarding the sensitive time of introducing solids, I’ve seen it go horribly wrong and also seen the incredible positive impact it can have on babies when done right.

You can follow along with Dani at Happy Healthy Littles and on Instagram @happyhealthylittles. 

As a young child and into my 20’s I suffered chronic ear + sinus infections. I was constantly sick and always on antibiotics which eventually wreaked havoc on my gut and left my body with a host of new health issues. 

In my mid 20’s I was able to heal my gut and achieve vibrant  health through radical diet and lifestyle changes and specific supplementation. Best of all, my passion to help people heal and nourish their bodies through real food was born. 

Flash forward 10 years and three babies later, and here I am. Having children changed everything for me, I felt so blessed to have gone through what I went through so I could make sure my children didn’t end up with the same issues. My greatest desire became clear; to help moms thrive and give their child the healthiest start possible. I went back to school for nutrition and shortly after teamed up with Dani to make this dream a reality. 

You can follow along with Whitney at Happy Healthy Littles and on Instagram @happyhealthylittles. 

Aside from being an Athleta legging addict and a homesteader in the making, I’m a nationally licensed pediatric occupational therapist. I own a mobile OT practice in Portland, Oregon (Steps 2 Grow), offering a family centered, naturalized, and flexible therapy option for kids in the comfort and convenience of their home. My biggest goal is to help kids feel brave and confident, and help parents feel informed and empowered.

While much of my career has been focused on supporting families of children with identified needs, I am also dedicated to prevention: helping parents understand their child’s developing brain and nervous system and how they can nurture it for healthy development. I have created an online course for new parents and offer virtual wellness consultations to fit the individual needs of parents seeking ways to optimize their child’s developmental outcomes.

I’m thrilled to collaborate with Healthy Little Bellies, not only because of our shared mission of giving babies the best start possible, but also because of my personal journey of using real food to manage gut dysbiosis and autoimmune disease.

You can follow along with Austen at Steps 2 Grow and on Instagram @steps2grow.