Jessica is thrilled to be a part of the Healthier Tomorrows team! She is a registered dietitian who loves food and deeply enjoys working with each of her clients, helping them discover or rediscover healthful eating and fall in love with food again. She has found that so many of her clients are dealing with stress and anxiety related to nutrition, and with positive energy, warmth, and empathy, she wants to work side-by-side with them to get back to basics and customize a pattern of healthy eating and lifestyle habits that best fits their individual needs and goals.
As a Certified Functional Nutrition Informed Professional (CFNIP), she believes that food does in fact act as medicine for the body and takes a functional nutrition approach to address the underlying cause of disease and nutrition-related health issues. She is here to help her clients use whole foods, eating patterns, and other lifestyle components such as sleep, stress management, mindfulness, and exercise to get back into balance and improve health outcomes. She particularly loves working with clients needing help with weight and metabolism, hormone imbalances, food intolerances and allergies, GI health issues, eating disorders, pregnancy, breastfeeding, and postpartum nutrition, blood sugar management issues such as Prediabetes and Diabetes, and general wellness. Jessica is here to support her clients while they take action, and can help them find recipes that delight their tastebuds and preferences while still suiting their nutritional needs, strategize with grocery store shopping, and help them build confidence in cooking! She can also help keep things streamlined and focused when working with families with differing nutritional needs among family members, keeping mealtimes joyful rather than stressful.
Jessica attended Meredith College where she received her Bachelor of Science in Foods and Nutrition and completed her dietetic internship program. She worked for over five years with the WIC Program, helping prenatal and postpartum women, infants, and children build a solid foundation with healthful nutrition patterns during those precious early years. She then began working as a consultant dietitian for ten years in various clinical and food service capacities. She has worked with the elderly population in the PACE program, helping clients with issues such as Diabetes, Cardiovascular Disease, Chronic Kidney Disease, Weight Maintenance, and feeding issues such as difficulty chewing and swallowing and altered taste. Additionally, she worked for three years with adults with Autism, helping them navigate meals and mealtime habits while overcoming barriers such as food aversions and social anxieties. She also worked for over five years with pediatric and young adult populations with food allergies and intolerances, and texture issues including dysphagia and other feeding difficulties, helping develop safe and appropriate menus while still including a variety of foods and nutrients.
In her spare time, Jessica loves to run, walk, bike, or swim outside. She lives for southern summers- perusing farmer’s markets, outdoor garden spaces, going to the pool, lake, or beach with her husband and 2 kids, and outdoor movie nights. She also loves volunteer work, listening to Yacht Rock, and diving into the local library’s “Staff Picks” for a good read. And her happy place is a toss up between Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s!
Cara Best received her Bachelor of Science in Food, Nutrition, and Dietetics from Carson-Newman University, and her Master of Science in Clinical Nutrition from the University of Memphis. She completed a graduate assistantship with St. Jude Children’s Hospital and clinical rotations within Methodist LeBonheur Healthcare system. She has experience working as an inpatient dietitian, including leading an inpatient clinical team, and also previously worked as an outpatient adult oncology dietitian for eight years. She is a member of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
Cara is passionate about providing care for patients going through the heartbreak of a cancer diagnosis. Across her years of education and professional experience, her passion has given her the opportunity to work with clients across a spectrum of diagnoses, including diabetes management, cardiovascular health, digestive concerns and disorders, and medical nutrition therapy. She is an eager learner and enjoys bringing fun and excellent, evidence-based nutrition therapy to her client sessions, making it easy for her clients and their families to make nutrition-related choices that help them to maximize their health and wellness.
Cara grew up in Tullahoma, Tennessee and adores her songwriting husband, her toddler, and her orange tabby named Halli. She loves to spend time with loved ones, and loves being outdoors!
Claire is a registered and licensed dietitian who enjoys working with her clients to find food freedom and peace with their bodies. Her work is aligned with the Health At Every Size ® movement, and she incorporates the principles of Intuitive Eating into her sessions to help guide her clients towards a more relaxed and judgement-free zone around food and their bodies. She prides herself on providing a safe and supportive environment for her clients to open up about their deeply personal food and body challenges. Claire understands that her clients may come in with multiple co-occurring mental health diagnoses, and she feels confident in helping them see how these can be interconnected, whether it be obsessive compulsive disorder, trauma, depression, or another area of medical or mental health. She makes sure to meet her clients where they are in their recovery journey, and together, with her clients, she builds individualized plans to ditch the diet rules and rediscover the joy of eating. Along the way, you’ll see that Claire includes compassion, empathy, active listening, and even some humor into her sessions.
Claire received her Bachelor of Science in Community Medical Dietetics from Viterbo University, where she also completed her dietetic internship with an emphasis on sports nutrition and eating disorders. Claire is a Certified Eating Disorder Specialist (CEDS) through the International Association of Eating Disorder Professionals (iaedp). CEDS status is granted to dietitians who meet rigorous education and skill requirements, accumulate a minimum number of eating disorder client hours, and commit to staying up-to-date on the latest research in the field of eating disorders.
Before joining Healthier Tomorrows, Claire worked at a leading mental health treatment center with clients of all eating disorder diagnoses. She has experience providing individualized care in inpatient, residential, partial hospitalization, and intensive outpatient settings for adolescents and adults. Along with providing one-to-one nutrition counseling sessions, Claire also has extensive history providing nutrition education, cooking sessions, and food exposure challenges.
Outside of time spent with clients, Claire loves spending time with families and friends. She enjoys soaking up the outdoors in almost any capacity—whether it’s exploring new state parks, fine tuning her pickleball skills, or boating on the river. When not outside, you’ll find her baking up some sweet treats or catching coffee dates with her best friends.
Lauren Burkett, MEd, MS, RD, LDN is a registered dietitian who enjoys working with clients with a variety of disease states and supporting them in developing mindful eating habits and learning to recognize and honor their hunger cues through intuitive eating habits. She has a particular passion for working with clients struggling with gastrointestinal issues, including IBS/GERD/SIBO, diverticulitis/diverticulosis, fatty liver issues such as NAFLD/NASH, and low-fat diet post gallbladder removal. She also enjoys working with clients on challenges around emotional eating (with or without binge eating disorder), diabetes (with or without chronic kidney disease), and developing heart-healthy diets (for hypertension, high cholesterol, and/or heart disease).
Lauren believes that mental health is equally as important as physical health, and she supports her clients in developing behaviors that will assist them in both areas of their lives. She works with her clients to develop a more regular eating routine that works best with their lifestyle and allows them to get joy out of eating again. She takes great pleasure in providing individualized care to each of her clients. She guides them as they strive to reach their health and wellness goals. This supports them in having a more balanced lifestyle for years to come.
Lauren completed her Bachelor of Science in Nutrition and Dietetics with minors in Biology, Medical Humanities, and Sociology from the University of Delaware (UD). She also earned her Master of Education as a Nutrition Education Specialist through Framingham State University and a Master of Science in Entrepreneurship and Design from UD. Lauren completed her dietetic internship program through Virginia Tech and considers herself a learner and self-starter.
In her free time, Lauren loves to cook (her favorite meals are shrimp scampi and chicken à la King), paint on canvas, go to spin classes, and play with her two pet bunnies, Quinoa and Pancake, and four dogs, Eevee, Bruno, Twinkie, and Cloud!
Julia is a registered dietitian who is passionate about educating and empowering clients to improve their health and overall quality of life. She believes that all foods fit into a healthy lifestyle and implements intuitive eating principles into her practice. Julia takes a non-judgmental, empathetic, and hopeful approach when addressing food and body image. She works collaboratively with her clients to create individualized and sustainable changes by building supportive and trusting relationships. She strives to shed light on harmful dieting myths and reframe thinking patterns to lead to a more balanced and fulfilled life.
Julia obtained her Bachelor of Science in Human Nutrition and Dietetics from the University of Arkansas. She completed her internship at Vanderbilt University Medical Center where she worked closely with clients focused on diabetes management and heart health. Prior to joining Healthier Tomorrows, Julia worked in a residential facility with clients recovering from substance abuse, eating disorders and disordered eating.
In her free time, she loves taking ballet classes, hiking, running, listening to music, and creating new recipes. She has found that virtual nutrition counseling can encompass more than just discussion and she enjoys being able to provide meal time support, meal prep and virtual cooking guidance to her clients.
Summer Cooper is a registered dietitian who enjoys working alongside clients on their individual health journeys and guiding them to a positive and sustainable relationship with food and body image. Her work focuses on targeting ineffective behaviors and beliefs about food and body using Health at Every Size principles, Intuitive Eating, food exposures and FBT-informed care. Summer appreciates everyone’s uniqueness and offers a gracious and affectionate approach throughout the treatment process as she works to balance nutrition science and education successfully. She enjoys working with individuals of all ages!
Summer was born and raised in Kentucky but now calls Indiana home. She received her Bachelor of Science degree from Western Kentucky University, where she also completed her dietetic internship.
Before joining Healthier Tomorrows, Summer worked as a college campus dietitian and collegiate sports dietitian, followed by extensive work at an eating disorder clinic where she served as a dietitian in the individual and group nutrition counseling and intensive outpatient program settings. Summer is passionate about creating safe spaces for clients to work through their eating disorder/disordered eating concerns as well as supporting other chronic health conditions during one-on-one nutrition counseling.
Outside of work Summer enjoys spending time with her husband and two young daughters, church community, reading, the outdoors, and thinking of movie quotes to match most situations!
Rowan is a registered and licensed dietitian who strives to help clients build better relationships with food and body image by empowering them to trust their bodies. She promotes weight-inclusive care by providing a judgment-free space where nutrition education is geared towards letting go of dieting habits, enjoying nourishing foods, and finding pleasant forms of movement. As a certified Intuitive Eating Counselor, Rowan enjoys helping clients reconnect to their bodies’ innate intuition while learning how all foods can fit into a healthful diet.
Rowan completed her undergraduate degree in Nutrition and Dietetics at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. She received a Master of Science in Nutrition from Eastern Illinois University, where she also completed her dietetic clinical internship. Rowan has experience in clinical, outpatient, and community nutrition, working with both adult and pediatric populations. She’s experienced in counseling on chronic disease management, disordered eating/eating disorders, sports nutrition, and plant-based diets.
Rowan believes in treating each client as the unique and multifaceted individual they are while addressing all areas of life that can impact eating behaviors. She counsels using a patient-centered approach to help clients create practical and sustainable behavior changes. Being an excellent listener and gentle educator helps Rowan work with clients to improve their overall quality and satisfaction with life.
In her free time, Rowan enjoys spending time outdoors, reading, and cooking! She loves trying new foods and testing out new plant-based recipes at home. Rowan also enjoys being active by playing volleyball, taking long walks with her dog (Shanti), and doing Pilates, yoga, and strength training.
Emily is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist who is passionate about helping others achieve optimal wellness and build a healthy relationship with food and their body. Emily takes a functional/lifestyle medicine approach to nutrition, where she focuses on understanding the whole person and working with her clients to help them resolve their unique health concerns. She strives to provide a safe and empathetic environment where every client feels understood, empowered, and encouraged when discussing food and lifestyle.
Emily holds a Master of Science in Nutrition, Healthspan and Longevity from the University of Southern California, and a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Villanova University.
In her free time, Emily enjoys being outdoors, cooking, and discovering new recipes to test out with family and friends. Her last name – DaCosta – means “of the coast” which is surely on point because of her love for the ocean and the beach!
Nikki is a registered and licensed dietitian who is passionate about helping each client find happiness through improving their relationship with food. She specializes in making complex concepts easy to understand in order to help clients challenge their beliefs, thoughts, feelings, and behaviors around food. She provides a nonjudgmental, open, and honest environment and enjoys incorporating lighthearted humor into her sessions as appropriate. She also enjoys working with, and learning about, neurodivergent individuals, including those with ADHD and Autism as well as hormone and nervous system regulation. To support her clients, Nikki believes in providing customizable care, including individual and group appointments, meal support, shopping assistance, and more.
Nikki teaches nutrition classes at a local Florida community college and, before joining Healthier Tomorrows, Nikki was the primary dietitian for the Orlando VA’s eating disorder interdisciplinary treatment team, where she developed program guidelines and worked with veterans at an intensive outpatient level of care, while also teaching an innovative intuitive eating class and seeing patients for chronic conditions and weight concerns using a non-diet approach.
Nikki attended Virginia Tech (Go Hokies!) and obtained dual degrees in nutrition and psychology. She completed her dietetic internship and earned her Master of Science of Nutrition at Bowling Green State University.
Outside of working with her clients, Nikki enjoys all forms of crafting and DIY, reading, adventuring with her husband and two young sons, and collecting magnets and crystals.
Lauren is a registered and licensed dietitian with a passion for helping individuals who are struggling with eating disorders and disordered eating behaviors. She attended Miami University in Oxford, Ohio where she received her dual Bachelors in Dietetics and Kinesiology, along with her Masters in Exercise Science. She went on to complete her dietetic internship through the University of Chicago Medicine, Ingalls Memorial Hospital. She is currently working towards becoming a Certified Eating Disorder Specialist (CEDS).
Lauren is devoted to creating a safe space for working through eating disorders and disordered eating behaviors. She takes a client-led approach to counseling, utilizing empathy, validation, and humor. She is passionate about the physiological and psychological implications of eating disorders and disordered eating and takes a holistic approach when supporting clients through recovery.
In her spare time Lauren enjoys exploring new coffee shops, traveling, and learning new languages!