Hey y’all! I’m Haven, the woman behind Health by Haven. Thanks so much for popping onto my website!
You may be wondering how I became passionate about the world of health. I feel very fortunate that I have grown up with a mother who instilled healthy eating habits and a father who modeled dedication to fitness. I know that’s not the case for everyone, so I’m here to share these values with you!
When I was five years old, I made the personal decision to become a vegetarian. I know. Just five years old. The year was 2000 in case you were wondering. I was a vegetarian before it was cool.
Growing up, I was definitely a much pickier eater than I am now. Most of my meals consisted of a combination of bread and cheese, which is ironic, as my body now has trouble processing too much dairy. I wasn’t eating meat, but I definitely wasn’t swimming in vegetables. I grew up playing a ton of sports, and eventually I chose to focus on dance. In college I was on the dance team (go Bucs!), and practices, workouts, and cheering at football and basketball games kept me in shape.
It wasn’t until I stopped dancing that I realized the toll my diet was taking on my overall wellbeing. During graduate school I really started exploring more healthy, whole foods with new recipes and formed a consistent fitness routine. I continued to add more plants and eat less processed food and I realized I felt SO much better mentally and physically. I began to develop a consistent sleep routine, and it was LIFE CHANGING.
After fully immersing myself into the health and wellness world (books, podcasts, articles, you name it), I decided I wanted to share my knowledge with others. I became a Pure Barre teacher in Columbia, South Carolina in June of 2019 and in August of 2020 I enrolled at Cornell University to earn my certification in Nutrition and Healthy Living.
I am so excited to share everything I’ve learned from my research and education at Cornell with you through my articles and coaching sessions. Just by being here you’ve made the decision to put yourself first and invest in your health, and for that I celebrate you! Let’s do this thing!