Testimonials | Dawn Parker Health Coach

When I found Dawn about 4 months ago, I was in a desperate search to find something to help me cure all of my symptoms. I have struggled with IBS for years, and as a result, have had so many embarrassing side effects. I suffered with horrible binge eating habits which resembled an unsupervised 5-year-old, and my cravings were out of control. I had unexplained weight gain and poor nutrition from cutting out so many food groups. I had bloating, gas, and diarrhea after everything I ate, which created newfound anxiety about eating just about anything. I developed random rashes, headaches, and mental fog, and was constantly irritable. I was a mess.

I had tried everything, from expensive GI doctors, to weight loss doctors who were pushing pills, to just about every diet out there to try and find some sort of relief. Nothing was working, and I was confused about all the mixed messages out there about the “right” diet to solve all your problems. I felt like I was stuck without any hope of ever getting better, and that’s not something anyone - yet alone someone in her twenties - should feel.

I started working with Dawn, and was open to the process and hearing all of her suggestions, which I think was the biggest part of my success. It was tough at first to cut all of those bad habits, change the way I eat and manage my stress, but it was so worth it. I immediately began to feel better and my symptoms were erased one by one.

From helping me figure out what I can and can’t eat, to easing my anxiety about eating in social situations, to helping me live a hormone-free and balanced life, Dawn has been there for me. She has single-handedly changed my life for the better. If you’re reading this now and wondering whether or not she can help you, please do yourself a favor and give her a call. I am able to live my life now without worrying about those embarrassing symptoms and my happiness alone has made this whole process worth it.

Dawn, I can’t thank you enough for all that you have done to help me regain my health. Before I started working with you, I was struggling with so many symptoms and constantly feeling awful. With your help, I am now living symptom-free and have combatted all of the debilitating issues that go along with having IBS. I’ve lost weight, I feel in control over my eating habits, and I no longer have cravings, which is crazy for someone like me who had a horrible sweet tooth. Thank you so much!

Alison - Indianapolis, IN

I’ve had thyroid issues for over 20 years. In all that time, even though I saw many primary care doctors and even endocrinologists, no one ever tested me for Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. When I stared working with Dawn she suggested I get my antibodies tested to find out if I had this autoimmune condition. When the test came back positive, I couldn’t believe that none of my doctors had ever suggested it.

Then I learned there are certain foods that don’t work for me like gluten and soy. I thought removing them from my diet was going to be horrible. No bread? No waffles? No muffins? I’m happy to say Dawn has shown me many ways to switch to better options of my favorite foods, rather than exclude them forever. I’ve learned that it’s not about going without, it’s about making a few changes and choosing healthier foods that work better for my body. Dawn has shared some wonderful recipes with me. I love her healthy waffles and her trick for a lower sugar maple syrup. We also love her cookies, healthy pie crust and lots of other recipes.

My husband is very supportive and does most of the cooking, and he was able to make all of the recipes Dawn provided. She even took us on a health food store tour where we learned to read labels to find healthy foods without gluten and soy. My kids have benefited from these changes too. We’ve removed a lot of processed foods and the kids can’t even tell the difference! They enjoy the healthy foods and recipes we are now eating.

I’ve had some great improvements in my health as a result of working with Dawn. I’ve lost ten pounds, and continue to lose as I stick with this way of eating. I often experienced fatigue before, but now it’s easier to get out of bed in the morning and I have more energy throughout the day. My inflammatory labs have greatly improved and the joint pain that plagued me for years is almost gone. My blood sugar numbers like average glucose and A1c have improved and so have my thyroid labs. I was having frequent migraines despite being on a daily prevention medicine. Now I have been getting them so infrequently that I was able to come off the medication and am doing well without it. I was also able to stop taking hormones due to an improvement in symptoms and in my labs.

I’m so thankful for all that I’ve learned from Dawn and it makes me want to learn even more.

Melissa Ingersoll - Brownsburg, IN

While I have known Dawn for many years, she has been my Health Coach for over 6 months. What I really enjoyed about my time with Dawn is that my personal goals were always the priority. Prior to our first session, I outlined the goals that I had which included expanding my fitness, increasing fiber and healthy fats and decreasing my stress level.

Dawn took the time to truly listen to me and at times, that meant abandoning a planned topic in order to focus on something that had become important overnight. In addition, Dawn answered questions and provided support outside of our scheduled one-on-one discussions. She consistently checked in with me and celebrated the little things, like the fact that I was able to meditate for 4 whole minutes without distraction!

I have always been an active person and prided myself on my healthy eating choices and my knowledge of general nutrition. After my first session with Dawn, I realized that I had a lot to learn. I have changed my diet significantly and now focus on whole foods and buying organic foods whenever I can. I continue to experiment with new recipes and my family is slowly adjusting to changes.

In addition to using various techniques to control stress, I have also tried new forms of exercise and don't beat myself up for not getting that "cardio burn" at every workout. I focus more on a balanced exercise regimen which has helped my stress and flexibility and got me back to a good early morning routine which I had abandoned so that I could check e-mails before others got into work.

There were also a few unexpected benefits of working with Dawn. One was an increased awareness of the not-so-great ingredients in things that I use every day like shampoo, sunscreen, deodorant and make-up. I was born on Earth Day and pride myself on being "natural" and chemical-free whenever possible. However, Dawn introduced me to websites and other excellent resources which provided information that I used to overhaul my toiletries selection.

Finally, I realized that since I began working with Dawn, I have not been sick for a single day! I suffer from the typical sinus infections that pull me out of work for a week at a time. This was not expected, but a very welcome side effect of our sessions and the changes that have resulted from eating better and stressing less.
Overall, I look at my time with Dawn as a very valuable investment. Health is priceless!

Christine Olds - Castle Pines, CO

I always thought I was a relatively healthy eater until I started working with Dawn. She taught me a lot about our food supply and how to make better choices for me and my family. Dawn helped me achieve a number of goals by providing realistic solutions that worked with my busy lifestyle as a full time working mother of two small children. My job requires quite a bit of travel, and Dawn provided solutions for healthy eating on the road as well. I had always read food labels in the past, but Dawn helped me understand what the ingredients were, and the impact they could have on my body, which ultimately helped me cut out processed foods. This wasn’t as hard as I thought, because Dawn provided healthy alternatives to some of my favorite not-so-healthy foods.

Dawn’s recipes helped me get my extremely picky toddler to enjoy nutritious foods that were easy to make. Both my daughter and I did not like beans or nuts. With Dawn’s recipes like walnut brownies and garbanzo bean cookies we’ve learned to like them! I once brought her chocolate-covered rice cereal bars to a party and everyone loved them and could not believe how healthy they were! I have also incorporated healthy smoothies into my family’s diet on a regular basis, which is an easy way to sneak nutrients into meals without hearing any complaints!

The recipes that Dawn shared with me were simple and easy to follow, which was key for someone who doesn’t have a lot of free time. While she still provided me with healthy suggestions for prepackaged foods, I now try to make as much as I can at home. I continue to make several of the recipes I received including granola bars, cookies and homemade chocolate. Working with Dawn helped me make long lasting lifestyle changes. Not only did we focus on healthy eating, but she also helped me reduce overall toxins in my household. I am looking forward to trying Dawn’s new recipes in this much anticipated cookbook!

Sheila Newth - Newton, MA

I am 65 years old and a year ago I was in rough shape. My weight was at its highest ever and my doctor said I was diabetic. For two years I had been suffering from gout and shingles on my face that disfigured me for quite a while. All this while under the care of doctors at the Mayo Clinic. Feeling quite discouraged, I took a trip to see Dawn. She believed she could start me on a new path to better health. I was skeptical but open to new ideas. I had already tried every scheme and diet plan out there.

Dawn was great at teaching me new ways to cook and introduced me to a host of new foods as well. The very first week I lost 5 pounds. Dawn instills the fact that you are not on a diet, but slowing making changes for a healthier lifestyle. As I worked with Dawn, I found that eating certain foods was actually making me sick. I have found that sticking to the healthy foods that work for me made me feel much better and helped me lose weight. I still get to enjoy eating out but make wiser decisions now. After a few months I started working with a yoga master and after six months of yoga and continued healthy eating I was healthy and strong enough to join a gym and am now working out twice a week with a personal trainer. I have improved greatly.

If it were not for Dawn, I would be in a much worse place in my life. My doctor was so pleased with my tests for my yearly physical (after 5 months of health coaching) that she took me off two medications entirely and reduced the dose of another in half! Overall I have lost 60 pounds. In addition, I am no longer diabetic and have been sleeping better too.

Mary Ellen - Scottsdale, AZ

I started working with Dawn because I wanted to "get healthy" and achieve some weight/appearance goals. What I didn't know is that it would greatly impact many areas of my life and open my eyes to just how much control we have over our health.

I love the fact that I can purchase healthy, whole foods with confidence now that I understand how to read food labels and catch hidden ingredients. With the information I've received through our sessions, I've been able to reduce toxins in my home and I'm becoming more conscientious about the products that I buy and use on a regular basis. I've become that annoying friend/family member/coworker who can't stop talking about all the incredibly important yet little-known information I've been getting...I just want everyone else to experience how great I feel! I have more energy, my skin looks better and I've lost weight and inches.

Dawn helped to encourage me in making healthy substitutions or tweaks to foods that I enjoy so that I don't feel like I'm on a diet, I feel like I've changed my lifestyle. I'm recommending her to everyone I know!

Angie Brier - Indianapolis, IN

If you ask any of my friends, they would tell you that I eat healthier and know more about nutrition than anyone else they know. I would have agreed with that statement…that is, until I met Dawn. As a religious label reader, I would watch out for the contents of salt, sugars, carbs, and fats, but I didn’t realize that I was eating a lot of foods that contained MSG and were also genetically modified (GMO).

During my sessions (one of them was a shopping trip to Whole Foods), Dawn taught me how to REALLY read the labels and look for healthy ingredients. She has given me many articles on health issues and great recipes. She has excellent communication skills and promptly answered all of my questions and concerns. Dawn has also personally tailored my diet to strengthen my bone density and lower my cholesterol. She saved me hours and hours of doing research on my own.

I would highly recommend Dawn as a personal health coach! The benefits of her services have been incredibly valuable to me and my family. Investing in my health is something I will never regret!

Barb
Carmel, IN

When I started meeting with Dawn in January, I was suffering from GERD, digestive issues, and chronic headaches. These symptoms had greatly improved in recent years by removing gluten and dairy from my diet, but I still suffered set backs (from travel) and it was clear there were other triggers. I had not been able to figure them out.

Our first meeting Dawn listened and asked a ton of questions. In future sessions, she reviewed my recent lab results and identified areas where I was deficient. She recommended supplements (in addition to ones I was already taking). Furthermore, she told easy ways to add more iron into my diet. Each time we met, I left with a checklist of things to do and I tried not to waste any time, so I'd have time to see if the changes helped before our next session. Every meeting I was able to discuss changes I've made and gauge improvement.

It wasn't until our last session when I realized I hadn't used all my migraine pills that month. Typically, I would need a prescription refill every month and would even get fearful that I might run out before I could refill. When we calculated the number of pills remaining vs. how many I would normally use in a month, we determined that my headaches improved roughly 75-80%! It was unbelievable!

Additionally, I was taking prescription medication for GERD. I had tried in the past to stop taking medication and instead use healthier alternatives to treat my GERD, but I was never successful. Dawn helped me approach it from a different angle. She explained the science of it. We discussed what I normally ate and drank. She explained the obvious food and beverages (coffee) that I should avoid and also helped me discover other triggers that upset my reflux. In time, I have improved tremendously. I have not taken my prescription medicine since early January and my symptoms are 95% improved and getting better every day.

Dawn's recommendations made sense. They were simple to do. She followed up each session and made me accountable. In between sessions, she sent follow up emails and texts. She provided me tips on delicious and healthy food, locally sourced foods, educational articles, and recipes. She taught me about harmful GMO's, pesticides, toxins and gave me a better understanding of how to read food labels so I could avoid unhealthy foods. I've been able to quietly implement so many changes in our household and I feel better about the meals I am preparing for my family. The experience has been invaluable and life changing and I cannot recommend her services enough! Thank you Dawn for helping me find better health!

Brenda Schelman - Carmel, IN

One of the biggest assets to having Dawn as a health coach, is that she holds you accountable for achieving the goals that you set for yourself and encourages you while on your journey to better health. I felt that Dawn truly had an interest in my health and well-being and her health plan was customized to fit my specific goals and was tailored to what my needs were.

One major issue that I have been battling with for years, is a sluggish digestive system. With a combination of the elimination diet, healthy fun recipes and adding workouts to my usual yoga routine - my digestion has been better than I ever remember it being! That’s huge for me!

Dawn has a wealth of knowledge regarding foods that are high in antioxidants and nutrients and foods you should avoid due to personal allergies, GMOs etc. With the elimination diet, I was able to target foods that by body rejects and therefore caused me to have a list of complications such as fatigue, moodiness, bloating and poor digestion.

Now that I know my triggers, I am more cautious with what I eat and with Dawn’s great recipes, I don’t feel like I am deprived of the foods that I used to enjoy. Another major milestone I was able to accomplish with Dawn’s encouragement and guidance, was that I was able to establish a daily meditation routine that has helped immensely with my overall stress and anxiety levels.

Dawn is a true professional, especially when it comes to health related issues. I would recommend her to anyone who is interested in benefiting themselves by way of a healthier lifestyle.

Stephanie - Indianapolis, IN

"My results with Dawn Parker have been remarkable. My goals were to lose 12 lbs., to reduce inflammation and belly fat, and to reduce joint pain. After working with Dawn for 12 weeks, I lost 10 lbs. while eating more food than I normally eat and I am confident I will lose the additional 2 lbs. (or more) within a week or so. I am also much leaner as a result of a significant reduction in inflammation and belly fat due to eating healthier foods.

Dawn didn't put me on a "diet". Instead, she educated me on different foods, the science behind them, about GMOs and pesticides, etc. and made recommendations for foods to eat and foods to avoid, that made sense to meet my goals. Prior to working with Dawn, I didn't realize the amount of inflammation-causing food I was eating and how negatively it was impacting my health. I also didn't realize that inflammation is linked to joint pain.

To top it off, I achieved my results with little to no exercise. Currently, I do 30 minutes of yoga a few times a week but I'm looking forward to increasing my physical activity now that I have more energy - as exercise will also help reduce my joint pain.

Unlike diets, I didn't count calories and I didn't feel restricted in any way. It's about choices. Basically, it's a life style change and I have completely embraced it. I feel better, I look better, and I have more energy and enthusiasm for life. Who knew I could eat all this food and be in better shape and feel great. And eating healthy is so delicious! I highly recommend Dawn Parker to anyone who wants to optimize their health. She's a miracle worker."

Candace Alexander - Boston, MA

I am a client of Dawn's who would be considered healthy by most but was looking to take it to the next level. Dawn helped me understand my Hashimoto's thyroiditis and helped me improve my health with better nutrition, getting more sleep, finding a functional medicine doctor, and reducing stress with meditation and lower impact exercise. Dawn has helped me prioritize my life decisions by making priorities and goals - most importantly taking time for myself.

She also was able to give me recommendations for my daughter with Cystic Fibrosis to help her to eat healthy with snacks and meals a 13 year old can make like personalized high calorie shakes, frozen banana treats, bison meatballs, lots of healthy fats and spices, etc. To quote my daughter, "I am not sure why, but I am eating healthy now". This was all attributed to Dawn's great recipes and behavioral tips to help her take more responsibility for her health, diet and medications.

I highly recommend Dawn to anyone who is looking to greatly improve diet, health, well being and manage a busy schedule. Her recommendations worked and took little time to implement, and in the long run have saved me time.

Christina - Smithfield, RI

I can't say enough good things about Dawn Parker and how much she has done to help me and my family.

I came to her as a Pescetarian (I eat no meat), my husband has a severe gluten intolerance and my three year old will touch nothing unless it's a nugget, a noodle or a fish stick. We were a hot mess. Dawn worked with me at a slow, manageable pace, so as to not overwhelm, and in time gave me tangible ideas and tactics to help improve our lifestyle from top to bottom. Once we conquered food she even helped me with my daughter's sleep habits, my husband's snoring and helped me to replace many toxic household items with safer options.

She is smart, passionate and committed with a very non-intrusive manner. You will be in great hands!!

Jennifer Carmen - Zionsville, IN

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