My core mission is to improve the health of people with autism, Down syndrome, and other intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD). My approach is to identify the challenges and barriers to healthy eating and create programs and resources to transform the pain points into empowerment.I'm currently developing a web-based app to empower the over seven million people in the US with autism and neurodivergence to make better food choices and live healthier, longer lives. This population tends to die twenty years sooner than neurotypical people of preventable diet-related conditions, like diabetes and heart disease. I have over twenty years of experience helping people with I/DD including the creation of an interdisciplinary care team for physical and nutritional supports in Nebraska, serving as an expert advisor in the development of a risk stratification system for Anthem Healthcare Corporate, providing nutrition assessment and menu planning in several Intermediate Care facilities, and currently providing nutrition counseling in a specialty clinic for people with I/DD in my hometown of Louisville, Kentucky while developing a web-based app to help this population make healthier food choices.In 2021 I created a non-profit All Climbers Inclusive Climbing to support people with I/DD to experience indoor rock climbing and enjoy the pleasure of movement as a means to improve their health.I love teaching what excess sugar, salt, and fat does to our health, why it's irresistible at times, and how to re-wire circuitry in the brain that drives us to food for comfort. My greatest joy is empowering people to feed a deeper hunger by helping them find pleasure in healthy food, movement, and supportive connections to others.