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!
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.
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!
Evie Copeland is a registered dietitian who enjoys building strong relationships with her clients and helping them to reshape their view and relationship with food. She practices from a non-diet, all-inclusive food approach. Evie has experience working with clients struggling with eating disorders, disordered eating, weight concerns, diabetes, and substance abuse. She believes in setting small, realistic lifestyle goals that help her clients to slowly work towards creating a stronger relationship with food and improving their long-term physical and mental health.
Evie attended undergraduate school at Appalachian State University and received her Masters of Science in Nutrition at Meredith College. She completed her clinical training at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
In her free time, Evie enjoys cooking and trying new recipes, fishing, and traveling with family and friends.
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!
Adrienne is a registered and licensed dietitian who received her Masters of Science in Nutrition and internship training from University of Illinois at Chicago.
Adrienne’s background involves counseling on the topics of weight concerns, bariatric surgery, and dietary strategies for managing GERD/acid reflux. Through these experiences, she has learned that years of dieting, inflexible food rules, and a focus on weight loss can lead to disordered eating habits and a poor relationship with food and one’s body. This tends to take individuals away from, rather than moving them toward, their health goals. This has led her to be passionate about a non-diet, weight-inclusive approach to nutrition.
Adrienne enjoys supporting clients who suffer from eating disorders, disordered eating, or chronic dieting, and clients who want to improve their relationship with food and their body. She also enjoys supporting clients who suffer from IBS, acid reflux, and other chronic GI concerns.
Adrienne strives to help clients develop a “no fuss” relationship with food. This involves dismantling disordered beliefs surrounding food that many folks have internalized from years of dieting and myths prevalent in the media. This also involves helping clients implement straightforward and timesaving nutrition habits. Adrienne herself is not an avid cook, and prefers instead to keep it simple (while still desiring nourishing, delicious food!).
In her free time, she enjoys exploring Chicago through meandering runs, trying new restaurants and beers in good company, resting/napping, reading, and most importantly, making up new games and art projects to keep her six year old twin nephews entertained.
Nicole is a registered dietitian who has a passion for helping her clients develop a relationship with food that allows them to enjoy all of the benefits that food has to offer, from energy, to enjoyment, to socialization and community. She strives to help others struggling with disordered eating or eating disorders to be able to rebuild their relationship with food. Nicole believes that all food serves a purpose and can be part of a nourished life.
Nicole received a bachelor’s degree in culinary nutrition from Johnson and Wales University and completed her clinical training through Metropolitan State University in Denver. She received her Master of Science from the University of Nebraska at Lincoln. Prior to joining Healthier Tomorrows, Nicole worked at an eating disorder treatment facility with patients at inpatient, residential, and partial hospitalization levels of care. Before becoming a registered dietitian, Nicole completed culinary school, earned an associate’s degree in baking and pastry and spent time working in a number of bakeries and restaurants.
In her free time, Nicole spends time with her husband, daughter, 2 dogs, and 3 cats. Nicole loves to socialize with her extended family and friends and share meals with them.
Maggie is a registered dietitian who is passionate about helping clients recover from disordered eating. She is committed to fight against the negative effects of diet culture, and she utilizes intuitive eating, mindfulness, and the Health at Every Size approach in her practice. Maggie has worked with both the pediatric and adult populations, but most of her work has been with the pediatric population at both St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital. In these roles, Maggie worked with all age groups, with a primary focus on infant nutrition, eating disorder recovery, and weight concerns.
She is originally from Memphis, TN, and completed both her undergraduate and graduate degrees at the University of Memphis. In her free time, Maggie loves to bake, hike, spend time with her dog, Duke, and explore new restaurants.
Dara is a registered dietitian with a passion for using food as medicine and utilizing a holistic approach to help clients heal their relationship with food. Dara believes that food is much more than just nutrition, it can help to create internal and external balance and is a central part of life that holds so much joy! Dara loves to help clients rediscover the joy in food they may have lost. She also loves to empower clients by providing them with facts and tools they can use to be intuitive with their nourishment. She values creating a comfortable, safe, and welcoming environment in a virtual setting. Dara is passionate about functional nutrition, eating disorder recovery, intuitive eating, and helping clients leave the diet mentality behind.
Previously, Dara worked in a private practice that specialized in functional nutrition. Dara utilizes this functional approach in helping clients identify the root cause of any imbalances they may be feeling by examining areas in their lives outside of their diet, such as their stress, sleep, and overall environment. Dara has counseled clients in eating disorder recovery, picky eating, intuitive eating, cardiovascular health, and preventative functional nutrition. Dara has experience facilitating 1:1 meal exposure cooking classes for individuals in their eating disorder recovery and clients with picky eating and food aversions.
Dara attended the University of Vermont where she received a bachelor’s degree in Dietetics, Nutrition, and Food Science and a certificate in Integrative Medicine, and completed her dietetic internship at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Dara also became a certified yoga instructor before going off to college! Dara’s love for yoga influenced her passion for integrative nutrition, intuitive eating, and her holistic counseling style.
In her spare time, Dara loves practicing yoga and spending time at the beach with her family and four dogs. She also loves to travel, trying delicious restaurants, or creating recipes of her own! Also, a phrase you will often hear her say is that you can pronounce her name as “Sara”, but with a D instead of an S!