I graduated from Bauman College in June, 2006. While I had no official training in nutrition or holistic health at that point, I had spent the 15 years prior studying nutrition, diet, women's health, and natural medicine. I read Andrew Weil, Julia Ross, Joseph Mercola, and Phyllis Balch, all of who inspired me to eat and live healthy. Eventually, I began spreading the word and helping my friends and family improve their diets, and they all said "You should be a nutritionist!" I was thrilled to find Bauman's holistic nutrition program, which complemented my interests in holistic health.

I remember thinking on my way to the first class that I would probably know a lot of what was covered in the first year Nutrition Educator program. My hubris quickly faded when I received the course materials and saw how extensive the curriculum was. It was so thorough and thoughtfully designed. Coupled with the instructors' deep knowledge of all the topics we covered, I received a top-notch education. When I attend seminars, I'm always pleasantly surprised when the Bauman grads in the group know more about nutrition and the body systems than many of the doctors!

Each and every class was so inspiring. I would leave excited to try out new recipes and diet plans on family, my friends, and myself. Bauman teaches not only nutrition education, but also focuses on one's lifestyle and emotional well-being. I learned that by helping people, we in turn touch so many other lives. When our clients feel better, they are more productive and make positive contributions to the world. I have made lasting friendships and connections from my classes that have changed my life in so many positive ways.

Soon after graduation, my education and the connections I made helped me land a wonderful job that taught me so much. I began working with Dr. Daniel Kalish (www.drkalish.com) in early 2007. He specializes in designing natural health solutions for hormone imbalances, fatigue, weight loss and digestive problems. I designed a six-month functional medicine clinical training program for him that teaches practitioners to design lab-based nutritional programs to help a wide variety of patients overcome health problems and achieve optimum well-being. The course became so successful that we partnered with osteopathic pioneer Dr. Joseph Mercola, who is using the model we teach in his clinic with his patients. I also assisted in designing Dr Kalish's new line of natural supplements. He has been a wonderful mentor, and I learned so much about developing the focus of my own practice from him.

I now work with Dr. Morgan Camp, a board certified family practitioner who specializes in natural medicine therapies. In our Mill Valley integrative medicine clinic, I design nutrition and lifestyle protocols for my clients to help them achieve hormone balance, digestive wellness, weight loss, and overcome adrenal fatigue. I work with all areas of a client's life: diet, lifestyle, exercise, and stress relief. I also teach regular classes on overcoming weight loss resistance, and I lead group detoxification workshops.

My other passion is writing. I write regular feature articles on health and nutrition for Terrain Magazine (www.terrainmagazine.org). My article on soy (I interviewed Ed Bauman for the piece!) was reprinted in Utne Reader, on AlterNet.org, and digg.com. I've also penned articles on mercury toxicity and herbal medicine. I maintain my own blog and website, www.maryvancenc.com, where I include recipes, articles, and posts about holistic health and nutrition.