a certified health and wellness and mindset coach for women cancer survivors who are ready to reclaim and define their health and wellbeing. Over 22 years ago I was diagnosed with stage IV colon cancer at age 22. I was a graduate student and just starting my life as a grown up, yet I was not feeling well for months. When a GI finally diagnosed me with cancer, everything stopped. 

Suddenly I found myself back at home living with my parents. It was a frightening, confusing, and lonely time. After over a year of multiple surgeries and chemotherapies, I had no evidence of disease. I expected I would pick up life as it had been before cancer, but when I returned to  graduate school, I was not the same Erika who had left. I did not want cancer to stop me from living my dreams and goals, but at the same time, I wasn’t sure what those were anymore. Before my diagnosis I had been solely focused on finishing my Master’s degree and starting a Ph.D. program. After treatment, I recognized how much I wanted to have a family and the things that bring me joy. I wanted to focus on my health but I couldn't be sure what it meant to be healthy anymore. Even though cancer showed me what was truly important to me, I struggled with confidence and had much uncertainty around what I was "supposed" to do with my life. As survivors we face a challenge to live our days fully and in the present with making decisions and plans as if we will have the long life we so desire. With clarity of what I want in life and the purpose to drive toward those desires, I have been able to move forward and live life for me. 

My husband, also a colon cancer survivor, and I have built a lifestyle around nature and the outdoors and time with our children doing the things we love. I am a freshwater ecologist and a biology instructor at a small private college in central Illinois. Coaching has helped me see I am worthy of more than just surviving and deserving of a fantastic life. I became a coach to help other survivors transform their lives after cancer. I am a UWSP/NWI certified health and wellness coach and a certified mindset coach through the Ignite Coach School.

Hi. I’m Erika,