meet karen

health coach, clean product junkie, mom

TKS130307-095f-Z-354x1024 300 width As a woman who used to hate the kitchen, I am passionate about helping busy women love their bodies, improve their health, and draw their families together.

[i don’t believe in]: guilt • perfection • hours in the kitchen • a right way • complicated rules • fancy equipment • or the latest cookware

[i do believe in]: family dinners • meaningful conversations • feeling awesome • mother’s pride • traditions • knowing where your food comes from • teaching kids about nutrition • having the body you always wanted!

When people see me in my mid-40s, in great shape, eating such healthy food, happily married for 21+ years and raising healthy teenage girls – they wonder how I do it. What’s my secret?

Why I’m sharing my secrets with you…

I may look healthy and full of energy today, but it hasn’t always been that way. Not long ago, we were just like most average American families we know.

Here’s a picture of us on vacation in Las Vegas in 2006. We were not at the peak of health – instead we were headed in the opposite direction. Eating out a lot. Running high-speed through our daily lives. Sacrificing our own health for our businesses.

As a serial entrepreneur, I have always had a passion for business. What I was NOT passionate about was the kitchen. I was never one of those women who loved cooking. I dreaded planning meals, making grocery lists, fixing dinner and I never knew what to bring to a potluck.

I was a sugar/carb addict, but since I was blessed with the ‘skinny’ gene, it wasn’t a big problem…until I hit 40. That’s when I was always bloated and couldn’t seem to control my weight by working out or cutting calories.

I never really thought about where food came from as long as it was convenient. My kids grew up off of pre-packaged, boxed foods. And, while I always tried to make healthy choices and count calories, I did not understand the role of nutrition. I definitely did not see the power of food to bring our family together.

Today it’s a whole new story.

With everything I have learned and experienced, I am on a mission to help people feel good so they can have the energy to carry out their own life’s work.

To learn how to use food to create an unstoppable energy.
To bring your family together.
To inspire your kids to live healthy lives.
To get the body you’ve always wanted.
To feel sexy and appealing again.
To experience a smooth transition into menopause and beyond.

I’m lucky that I stumbled into a new path. But, there’s nothing extraordinary about what we’ve done. If I (a Martha Stewart drop-out) can find a way to Reclaim Dinner, make nutrient-dense whole foods part of daily life, eat at home 90% of the time, and transform the pickiest eaters into food adventurers…you can definitely do it!

meet t.k.

fitness nutritionist, health coach, dad

TKS130307-100f-cut 300 width As a Specialist in Fitness Nutrition, I have dedicated my life to helping people lose weight, eat better, feel better and lead a healthier life.

[i don’t believe in]:
diets • complicated rules • counting calories • flushes • quick fixes • miracle pills • six-pack abs (in 6 weeks) • or the boogie man

[i do believe in]: small easy changes • eating “real” whole foods that taste great • exercise • sweat • fun • feeling good • simplicity • consistency • results • you having the body you always wanted!

When people see me in my mid-40s, in the best shape, drinking green smoothies and running The Kitchen Skinny – they think I’m “Mr. Healthy”.

But how did I get here and why am I here sharing this with you?

TK Before After

I struggled most of my life with weight issues and the older I got the harder it became. I worked out, was highly disciplined about what I ate (as best I knew how), tried every diet, every piece of gym equipment…but nothing really seemed to work.

When my 40th birthday arrived, I knew it was time to get serious or things weren’t going to turn out well for me. I found a trainer and I got serious. It worked, but at one point I was working out about 8 hours a week. I was counting calories and avoiding carbs. But, even the smallest slip ups in my routine would cause my weight to creep back up. I knew I could not keep this up for the rest of my life. It was too hard, took too much time and it just wasn’t fun to always have to turn down the foods I craved.

That’s when I started learning about food. And, the more I learned, the more I realized why my body was fighting against me.

Once I finally figured out what I was eating that wasn’t agreeing with my body, the magic really happened. I found I was never hungry and no longer craved the unhealthy foods I once could not turn down. I eventually found the perfect balance between the type, timing, and amount of food I was consuming to support my ideal body composition and, ultimately, my health.

The changes I made didn’t happen overnight, but what I discovered is a process that I now use to help others find their own perfect balance. I call it TKS Total Body Transformation, but it’s a program built around you. Your preferences. Your routines. Your family. That’s why it works.