Double 500-hour certified E-Ryt 500, Yoga Medicine Registered Therapeutics Specialist, Pilates Teacher, Pelvic Floor Health Coach, Functional Nutrition Guide, & Healthy Living and Aging Enthusiast!

How I Went From Scalpel Dreams to Stretchy Pants (And Never Looked Back)

Hi, I’m Heather — yoga teacher, wellness educator, anatomy nerd, and your go-to girl for aging vibrantly and living fully.

But here’s something most people don’t know about me…

In my early 20s, I was absolutely certain I wanted to be an ER/trauma nurse. I had this deep, burning desire to help people and make a meaningful impact. I aced all my college prerequisites, breezed through the nursing school entrance exam, and got accepted into my top-choice program. Mission accomplished, right?

Well… not quite.

Every time I stepped into an anatomy lab, something unexpected happened: I turned green. Literally. The smells, the dissection, the sights — let’s just say my stomach didn’t exactly have the iron constitution needed for the job. I became the designated note-taker for my lab group (bless them), but I knew deep down that I wasn’t cut out for a career surrounded by scalpels and sutures.

So, with a heavy heart (and a slightly queasy stomach), I withdrew from the program. And just like that, I was stuck. No plan, no passion, no clue what was next.

Cue the yoga mat.

Yoga had quietly entered my life during that time, and without even realizing it, I was rearranging my schedule to get to class, skipping happy hour for savasana, and feeling more like me with every practice. For years I kept showing up — for the breath, the movement, the way it made me feel physically, emotionally, and energetically alive.

Then one ordinary workday, I had a moment of radical clarity. I asked myself, “What do I actually love? What could I see myself doing for the rest of my life?”

And clear as day, the answer rang out:
Yoga.

I found a 200-hour teacher training at an ashram in Upstate New York, packed my bags, and dove in headfirst. It was a full immersion — 30 days of living, learning, and practicing with almost no contact with the outside world. It was transformational.

When I got home, my teacher took me under her wing. I assisted her classes for three years, soaking up everything I could and refining my craft. Then I moved back to Michigan and built OmBodies Yoga Studio from the ground up. That was almost 17 years ago.

Now, here I am — the founder of With Heather, your digital home for all things yoga, Pilates, functional anatomy, healthy aging, and feeling amazing in your body (for the long haul).

I never did become a nurse, but I did find a path that lets me help people in a big way — just from a different side of the wellness spectrum. I’m not working in trauma care. I’m working in prevention, maintenance, and empowerment.

Helping you move well, age well, and live well — that’s my jam.
And I’m so glad you’re here.