Life’s mission: To protect the environment, create a more sustainable world for future generations and do what is the highest good for my family, our community and Florida’s precious ecosystems.

Work: I am a coordinator and personal trainer at NCH Wellness. I also teach multiple types of classes there, including OMfused, the nationally trademarked program which I created to fuse body, mind and spirit.

Proudest Achievements: It takes caring citizens to speak out and take a stand to protect our environment. My contributions toward this are: halting the Squirrel Island permit, which would have drained 27 square miles at the Fisheating Creek headwaters; speaking in Tallahassee to halt a Department of Environmental Protection backfilling project designed to make part of the creek no longer navigable to the public; and speaking against a project that would have removed the oxbows and straightened the Imperial River. This saved the estuaries. I’ve also saved and nursed back to health several rescue dogs.

Expectations for the future: I will continue to be a voice for the environment and apply the many lessons I learned from my dear friend and mentor, Ellen Peterson. I will also continue teaching yoga and helping others with their health, nutrition and fitness goals. I also intend to keep living a peaceful life on a beautiful piece of property that I share with my husband and our rescue dogs.

Favorite websites: GreenMedInfo.com. PreserveOurParadise.org.

Local causes supported:  Responsible Growth Management Coalition, Preserve Our Paradise, The Pit Bull Crew.

Favorite things about Natural Awakenings: The eye-catching cover art or photo, stories and information on health and nutrition.

Most frequented healthy food restaurant: Food & Thought, in Naples.

How do you invest in your community? My annual labor of love is the coordination and management of the local Earth Day festival. I also donate to the local women’s shelter.

Favorite quote: “Always stand up for what you believe in, even if it means standing alone.” Author unknown.

What are you doing to be the change you want to see in the world? I protect the environment, think globally, act locally, help others to become aware through education, follow the principles of yoga teachings and through teaching classes, strive to bring them into mental, emotional, physical and spiritual balance, which brings into focus critical elements to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

For more information about the 13th annual Earth Day Festival at Riverside Park, call 239-777-0186 or email [email protected].