About Me

As a mixed-race man with a profound understanding of the unique challenges faced by BIPOC and marginalized communities, I am particularly attuned to the disconnect that so many of us have from our bodies, minds, and the natural world around us that manifests in the form of stress and chronic disease. 

I grew up just outside of Washington DC, in Prince George's County, Maryland. Despite an active childhood filled with sports and nature, I graduated from college overweight and borderline hypertensive and was given an ultimatum by my doctor to drastically change my lifestyle or else begin a lifelong asthma and blood pressure medicine regimen. It was also around this time that my father suffered a series of strokes, leaving him partially paralyzed and permanently disabled. This was an eye-opening period of my life. 

Here was this strong black ex-marine I had grown up idolizing, who looked outwardly fit and healthy while internally had been ravaged by cardiovascular disease due to a lifetime of poor eating, chronic stress, and inattention to his physical and emotional needs. And here I was, racing into adulthood prioritizing career and material wealth while ignoring physical and mental health, destined to suffer a similar, if not worse, health outcome as my father. Living and experiencing firsthand the impact of societal pressures and cultural norms on health, particularly within the African American community motivated me to split my professional energy and begin working in health and fitness alongside my work in corporate project and program management.  

After more than 20 years in this dual-role, providing personal and group fitness training, as well as sports and health coaching while also learning and applying evidence-based change and process improvement methods, I have a unique perspective on the field of health and wellness that combines my passion for healthy living, movement, and the natural world with my expertise in helping individuals and organizations achieve their unique goals and objectives. 

My health coaching methodology, The Healthy Body Project, draws on decades of experience, education, and research to provide a framework anyone can use to realize lasting healthy lifestyle change. And my work as a Shinrin-Yoku forest therapy guide, helps me to assist others in repairing not just their relationship with physical health but also their relationships with their emotional health, spiritual health, and the natural world. I believe that true health is a harmonious balance of mind, body, and spirit, and that we can draw inspiration from nature to guide us in reclaiming our peace and well-being. 

I received my bachelor’s degree in psychology from the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD. I have held various certifications in personal training and group fitness instruction over the years and recently completed formal training in holistic health and wellness coaching as well as Shinrin-Yoku forest therapy. I also hold PMP and CSM project management credentials and have both attended and facilitated numerous trainings in project and organizational process improvement. 

When I’m not coaching, leading forest walks, or working in technical project and program management, you can usually find me on a local hiking trail, in a garden, out playing sports, or at a workshop or event continuing my lifelong learning with other healers and health practitioners.