Let's Beat Memory Loss: How and Why I Became a Memory Health Coach

I started on this journey ten years ago not knowing that it would lead me here.

My road to becoming a Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP) appeared linear… Get the grades, apply to graduate school, work your butt off, get your masters, apply for jobs. Check, check and check.

That linear path led me to work with adults and seniors where I learned a lot of life lessons and even more about our healthcare system.

Eventually, it was these lessons that gave me the strength I needed to create a new path beyond the structured healthcare model for memory health, a path that leads to clarity and empowerment rather than frustration and turbulence.

To understand what I do now, I must give you a glimpse of how I got here.

Education

Over the years, my career aspirations changed. From teacher, to lawyer, to audiologist and eventually to becoming an SLP.

Of all those career choices though, one thing always remained true: I wanted to work with people.

I attended the University of South Florida (Go Bulls!) for both undergrad and graduate school, obtaining a Bachelor of Science in Communication Sciences and Disorders and later a Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology.

The role of a Speech-Language Pathologist

What many people don’t realize is that the scope of an SLP is quite broad.

Yes, we work in schools and pediatric clinics targeting articulation and language. We also work in hospitals, home care and rehabilitation settings. We target speech, fluency, swallowing, communication, language, voice, and cognition across all age groups.

It didn’t take me long to realize I belonged working with adults. Don’t get me wrong, I love kids, in fact, I have two of my own! But professionally, I was drawn to rehabilitation with adults.

Why memory health?

I began working in skilled nursing, assisted living and memory care settings, where my patients were mostly over 60 except for a few who were 45+ (my youngest patient was 44).

Over the years, cognitive therapy became my thing. Honestly, I didn't really have a choice because everyone had memory problems!  But while memory problems are common, they're not normal, nor are they inevitable with age. And unfortunately, the traditional medical model does little to educate you on how to care for your memory and even less to rescue your memory once it becomes a problem. 

The current memory health crisis 

We are currently in a state of cognitive crisis. Currently, there are around 55 million people living with dementia worldwide. This number is expected to nearly triple by the year 2050. And yet, would you believe that many of these cases are preventable? It's true.

With the right lifestyle changes you can think clearer, have more energy, live longer and happier all while protecting yourself against neurological disease or cognitive decline. This becomes especially important if you're already noticing signs of cognitive change. 

Download your free copy of The Get Your Memory Back Starter Guide here!

Stepping Into My Power

I’m a strong believer that when your passion and purpose are aligned it shines through in your work.

I enjoyed my time in healthcare, mostly because I enjoyed getting to know my patients. I was captivated by their stories, strength, and perseverance. I also got to work alongside some fabulous therapists and teams. It’s honestly what kept me in the field for so many years.

But after so long, the medical model for health care began to wear me down. It’s no secret that there are huge gaps and flaws with our (US) healthcare system, and I began to feel the pressure from above weighing down on me, with corporate healthcare companies more concerned about their bottom line than their patients. After all, corporate healthcare doesn’t get paid for your compassion as a therapist. 

So, with every passing year I could feel the urge to branch out bubbling up inside of me until finally it boiled over.

From Passion to Purpose

During my final two years working in healthcare, I discovered a deep passion for learning about diet and lifestyle and how it impacts your health as you age, more specifically, your brain health.

It happened quite by accident. I was home with my daughter who was sick with a stomach bug, she was napping, it was snowing (rare here in SC) and I turned on a documentary about food. In this documentary, they covered information on processed foods and different diets and how it impacts your overall health. I was instantly drawn in and it sent me down the rabbit hole of reading book after book on the topic of food, lifestyle, and disease prevention.

Though I’ve always been what I had thought to be a healthy eater and avid exerciser, I began making changes to my own diet and lifestyle based on what I was learning, and I had more energy and clear focus than ever before (which is says a lot when you have toddlers!)

I couldn’t help but relate what I was learning with this new hobby with what I saw each day at work. I was surrounded by people (whose median age was getting younger) who had cognitive dysfunction, memory problems, strokes, heart disease, etc. I knew there was more I could be doing.

So, I did something I said I would never do after grad school... I went back to school.

I already had the memory health component down. I know how memory works. I can create and personalize memory strategies like the back of my hand. I can help you apply these strategies into your life. But memory strategies alone won't solve your memory problems. 

What I knew was missing was a more expansive lifestyle approach... A complete process to help you break down the barriers that are holding you back from clear thinking, master the right memory strategies to support you immediately while fueling better brain health and building better habits. And so, I got to work.

I enrolled at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition (IIN) and became a certified health and nutrition coach. Now I had what I needed to help you on a deeper, more meaningful level.

My role as a memory health coach 

After all that time in healthcare, I've finally left the system behind. I opened my own practice, Longevity Coaching, LLC. and now I work 1:1 with clients virtually from all over the world. It's been an absolutely thrilling, humbling and exciting experience stepping into my new role as a Memory Health Coach.

Now I feel in complete alignment. Leveraging my experience as a Speech-Language Pathologist specializing in memory and cognitive therapy with my passion for brain healthy living allowed me to develop a game-changing program that truly helps people overcome and prevent memory loss.

Virtual Memory Health Coaching

As an online memory health coach, I can work with people from all over who are experiencing memory changes to get their memory back, strengthen it and keep it healthy for a lifetime. You deserve a vibrant mind, no matter your age. And when those subtle memory difficulties start to creep in, it can make you question everything.

This used to feel automatic and now it's so effortful. Will this continue to get worse? This is so frustrating.  Are these early signs of dementia? 

Who I help as a memory health coach:

• Your memory has never been good and now it's getting worse.
• Your memory is not as sharp as it was 2-3 years ago, and you worry about what the next 2-3 years will bring.
• You know what you want to say but your words get stuck on the tip of your tongue.
• You chat with someone, read a book or watch a movie but don't remember the details shortly thereafter. 
• You struggle with generalized brain fog.
• You're concerned about your family history of memory loss and what it means for your future.
• You've been diagnosed with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI)

Let's beat memory loss, together

Your unique concerns deserved to be addressed individually. Clients in my one-on-one coaching programs each have distinct goals that are unique to them. Some clients experience subtle memory changes, and we work toward reversing memory loss while others are primarily focused on dementia prevention. 

The Memory Confidence Method™ Program is designed to help you:

• Master memory strategies that fit effortlessly into your lifestyle so you can stop second guessing yourself right away.

• Adopt lifestyle changes that work for you to build a better brain so you can think clearer, have more energy and be happier while protecting yourself from neurological disease or decline.

• Build the memory confidence you deserve to show up and be present in the life you've worked so hard to create, without the nagging fear of future memory loss or disease stealing your focus.

• Trade uncertainty for an easy-to-follow strategy that allows you to move forward now and stay on track to live the vibrant life you deserve, without memory loss interrupting your plans.

You can read more information on the program here.

Take the next step

If you're ready to make a change to support your memory, strengthen it and keep it healthy for a lifetime, schedule your free 30-minute call to get started. 

Download your free copy of The Get Your Memory Back Starter Guide here!