-In 2019 I had an E. coli infection from travel that led to an emergency room visit. As miserable as I was, the intellectual part of me enjoyed being my own science experiment.

-The first book I read on the microbiome was 10% Human by Alanna Collen, and the book that fully sparked my fascination was I Contain Multitudes by Ed Yong. I have listened to and read each of them multiple times now. 

-Two fingers on my right hand have bacteria tattoos: staphylococcus aureus and akkermansia muciniphila… which should I do next?!

-I have a smattering of teaching experience, from a private preschool, to middle school health and wellness, to undergraduate business school; as well as a BA in Physical Education and a MA in Leadership.

-At the time of writing this, my diet excludes gluten and meat. I’m not sharing this as a recommendation for anyone else.

-The microbiome and microbiology topics that fascinate me very most are: 

• the theory that our mitochondria were once bacteria

• human milk oligosaccharides in human breastmilk and overall microbial interactions that occur during birth and breastfeeding

• the role of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in obesity and inflammation

• fecal microbial transplants
  

-Yes, my home has a Squatty Potty.

-My favorite probiotic-rich food is spicy kimchi. I eat it raw straight from the jar as a snack and put it on charcuterie boards.

-I first got curious about gut health (now expanded to the full microbiome) in 2014 when I found myself feeling nauseous after most meals and having an alternating extreme range of bowel movement types within short periods of time. I turned to the scant amount of info on gut integrity and probiotics that I could get my hands on at the time, and the rest is history!

-I’ve only had one bucket-list dream in my life, and it was to visit Micropia, a microbiology museum in Amsterdam. As an unforgettable surprise gift, my husband took me there in February of 2020!

…now I’m in the market for a new bucket list goal! Any suggestions?