Today we’d like to introduce you to Kate Ouellette-Cretsinger.
Kate, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
After waking up one day in my mid-thirties with a fourth migraine that week, I remember saying to myself: “I know that I can feel better than this.” At this point in my life migraines were a regular occurrence and I learned how to function with one. I was also struggling for 12+ years with hip and back pain due to a very serious car accident I was in when I was 18. Every day I was tired and I never felt 100%.
On top of dealing with chronic pain, unbeknownst to me, I was dealing with food allergies and sensitivities. I was always sick, from stomach pain to common colds and flu. My energy was never 100% and often times I was lucky to get short bursts of energy from caffeine.
I was constantly bloated and feeling 50 pounds heavier than I actually was – like a constant force was just pushing down on me. And then, of course, there were the rashes. I would break out in red patches and hives all over my face and neck and up and down my arms at what seemed to be random times..
I knew this was a battle I could win. I took a moment to reflect on all the “impossible” things I accomplished in my life: I raised 2 children when I was just a child myself. I completed college and worked 2 jobs as a single mom of 2 kids and still had to find time to be a mom. I walked again after breaking both sides of my pelvis when I was told I wouldn’t be able to do any of the active things I loved.
With these accomplishments as ammo, I made the decision that I wanted to feel better. I pushed through that fear of change and started looking outside the normal way of “treating” things.I became my own experiment and started looking at my food intake. Finding the answer to the “Why do I feel this way?” is where the healing started, not the effort I put into the countless years of covering up my symptoms.
After doing my own research and learning everything I could about food intake and how it effects me, I stumbled upon the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. I began to realize that not only am I capable of healing myself, I could take all of my knowledge and experience to help others too. I want to be the message: a diagnosis is not an end-all be-all; it is a wake-up call.
I want to teach others what I have learned: we have more control over our health than we realize. I want to empower people to take control of their health and teach how you can sustain a healthy lifestyle, and not one where you have to weigh your food every day for the rest of your life or even count calories every day to keep a certain weight. Learning what food works for your body is the key to this lifestyle change, and I want to support and guide others to figure that out!
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Growing is never a smooth road! The real struggle is helping others understand that I have the tools to get most American’s healthy. It’s about getting people to keep an open mind and forget what they have already learned such as conventional wisdom, to forget what the media has told us. What I educate my clients on is against everything that we were ever taught or lead to believe when it comes to what IS healthy for nutrition and exercise.
K8 4 Wellness – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
I am a Certified Nutrition Coach (CNC). In 2004, I graduated from University of New England with a Bachelor of Science degree in Exercise Science. In 2015, I received my nutrition coach certification from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. I have over 15 years of experience in the health & wellness field as a personal trainer, instructor, and nutrition coach.
I work with athletes that want to get lean and/or increase their performance. I also work with mom and people who have careers that are looking to get healthier. I am well known for my work with individuals who suffer from chronic illness, Lyme disease, headaches, low self-esteem, the inability to maintain weight loss, and people who have bounced from doctor to doctor unable to find answers.
What really makes my sessions unique is that I strive to step away from just counting calories and keeping track of weight or measurements; even though results are possible with this method, it fails to help develop ingrained habits and a true understanding of your body. The suggestions I offer are based on my client’s personality, lifestyle, and how their body responds to the foods that they eat.
I coach my clients to treat this as a lifestyle change: they walk away from my sessions with the knowledge to take control of their nutrition decisions and the confidence to continue with this lifestyle long after these support sessions have ended. When it comes to nutrition and exercise there is never a one size fits all. I offer that customization!
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
My proudest moments are when my clients give their all in my program. When they do, they see amazing results, reach their goals and most of which are life to change!! I have a lot of life-saving testimonials as well. Its great to see my clients get results from their hard work and dedication!
Contact Info:
- Address: 60 Main Street Suite 320 Nashua NH, 03086
- Website: www.k84wellness.com
- Phone: 1.603-402-9134
- Email: katecretsinger@gmail.com
- Instagram: K8_4_Wellness
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/k84wellness
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/k84wellness
- Other: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kateouellette/
Image Credit:
Britney Kelley Photography
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