About Stephanie Papadakis, N.C.

If you’re like me, you know what it’s like to have your power stripped away from you. To have health issues stem from it. To have your mental health suffer. To feel like your spirit has been drained from your body. To so badly want to rise up out of it but don’t know or can’t figure out how to do that. 

There is a way to get your power back and I’m here to help.

Hi, I’m Steph.

I help you step back into your power, your body, your work, and your life by taking control of your nutritional, mental, and emotional health so you can become who you were always meant to be. 

I didn’t always feel empowered. For most of my life, even though I displayed outward confidence, I felt broken on the inside. I was always anxious, had crazy mood swings, and never felt good enough. I was trapped between what I thought I was (a failure) and who I wanted to be in the world.

On top of this, I had years of undiagnosed gut health issues, symptoms of IBS, racing heart, bloating, digestive distress, and many other painful symptoms that doctors couldn’t figure out the cause of. I was beginning to feel hopeless.

After years of beating myself down for so long, I had the most transformational experience that led me to where I am today. 

I was getting certified as a grief recovery specialist and one of the exercises we had to do was write out our final words as if we were going to die. I wrote everything that I was sorry for, how I felt like a failure, all the traumas I’d had, how much internalized homophobia I’d had, and how much I’d worked on trying to better myself. Once we finished, I was chosen as the ONLY person who died, and my partner read my final words to the group while I laid under a sheet on the floor, listening (and sobbing uncontrollably). 

I was so sad for the person they were talking about. I wanted to hug her and give her the love she so seemingly needed - to tell her she was beautiful, worthy, and powerful.

It wasn’t until I heard the words I had written that I was finally able to have compassion for myself. To feel love for myself. To see how much I had accomplished and how I had been living my life with integrity and authenticity, but I just couldn’t see it. To ultimately see that I was NOT a failure. 

From that day forward I decided I’d had enough.

Enough of the negative voices telling me I wasn’t good enough, enough of my chronic anxiety getting the best of me, enough of my health falling in the shitter (literally). I wanted my power back. So I finally decided to take my health into my own hands, to give it everything I had to heal, and to find the support that would lead me to living my best life.

As my gut health improved, so did my mental health. As my mental health improved, so did my emotional health. I began to look at each day as a new beginning, saying daily affirmations to encourage positive outlooks. I started waking up with a smile instead of a frown. I practiced self-compassion and self-love in all areas of my life and you know what? Positive things started to happen.

I booked more clients. My neck and shoulder healed and I was able to work out again after almost two years. My friends and family started to notice my new attitude. I felt empowered to share my knowledge with the world. I woke up happy, ready to go about my day with confidence. I felt strong, authentic, and alive. I felt truly worthy to live this life, not just by being in it, but by thriving in it.

I had finally reclaimed my self worth, my happiness, and MY POWER. And I can help you do the same.

Now here’s how I’m going to help you make it happen…  

STEP 1: Download the free recipe book: Does Your Gut have Integrity? With this collection of 16 gut-healing recipes, you’ll get a jump start on nourishing your gut, clearing your mind, and learning to balance your soul so you can become who you were always meant to be.

STEP 2: If you’re interested in finding out more about working together, click here. I’d love the opportunity to support you.

Fun Facts 

• Originally from Southern California, I lived in Santa Cruz, Boston, San Francisco, and Marin County before settling in Santa Rosa, CA.

• One should call me a staunch feminist. Ask me how this plays a huge role in the way I live my life and conduct my business.

• As a queer white woman, I have to make a daily effort to be actively antiracist, and to do my part to dismantle white supremacy (read my antiracist action statement here).

• I believe reproductive health must include trans, non-binary, and gender-nonconforming folx in every conversation.

• In September 2017, I married my long-time partner in her parents' backyard in Glen Ellen, CA. It was the best day of my life!

• Added wedding bonus: I was able to use the photos of me on this website!

• My dog's name is Bounce. He definitely lives up to that name.

• Chocolate chip cookies are my kryptonite. I can't eat just one.

• My wife, my mom, and my sister all have autoimmune diseases, so I'm very familiar with the Autoimmune Protocol.

• My IBS-D gets triggered by certain foods (including the aforementioned chocolate chip cookies), stress, and anxiety.

• I was diagnosed with SIBO after many years of having gut issues, and I'm navigating the journey to healing my gut, one low FODMAP food at a time.

• I'm not above taking medication to regulate mental health. I tried to do without it. It didn't work. I balance meds with nutrition in a way that best suits me, and can help you do the same.

• My father unexpectedly passed in 2009 and I've learned about the role food plays in the grief journey, first hand.

• For 6 years, I worked for a lesbian travel company as a communications/social media manager. Send me a message if you need a nutrition AND marketing consultant.

• "I'm a high life flyer and a rainbow rider, a straight shootin' son of a gun."

Education & Credentials

• Certified Holistic Nutrition Consultant, Bauman College

• Certified Grief Recovery Specialist, The Grief Recovery Method

• Autoimmune Protocol (AIP) Certified Coach

• M.A., Anthropology & Women's/Gender Studies, Brandeis University

• B.A., Anthropology & Education, University of California, Santa Cruz

Professional Memberships

• National Association of Nutrition Professionals

• National Association of Professional Women

• Human Rights Campaign