Hi - I'm Toni

I’ve always been passionate about health, wellness, food and nutrition, and I strive (not always successfully) to create a balanced life. I created Balanced Biome to help people build awareness about how they’re fueling their bodies and how lifestyle plays a key part. The information I use when working with clients comes from years of personal research, experience, and education.

My approach when working with clients is a whole-body approach, weaving principles from food and nutrition, Chinese medicine, meditation, behavior awareness, energy work, and a person’s relationship with food and their environment. Understanding the whole person includes knowledge of their health and wellness desires, past illnesses or health challenges, and their family and community.

I was fortunate to grow up with fresh food and vegetables (and actually embarrassed being one of the only kids at school with a sandwich made of whole wheat bread). My sister and I spent a lot of time helping our maternal grandfather in the yard planting vegetables, picking fruit from the many fruit trees, and collecting eggs from the chicken coop. I had a very active childhood playing softball, skateboarding, and learned to play golf at a young age.  This early training was soon lost in my later teen and early adult years.  Fast food took its place. So did fast cars, a lifestyle built with drama and self-doubt, and a poor relationship with food which stayed with me for years.

My career in tech started after graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Finance.  And I was hooked from the beginning, but my passion for health and wellness was close to me, and so was a growing concern for the health of our earth.  

Acute back pain in my 30’s surprised me one morning - it was not precipitated by a fall or accident; it simply appeared.  Referred by a friend when I decided to begin treating the back pain with acupuncture, I was introduced to a medical doctor practicing integrative medicine (an alternative medicine modality combined with traditional allopathic medicine).  A medical doctor using Chinese Medicine principles as primary treatment!  In addition to helping me with my back pain, he instilled the importance of baseline tests and lab measurements. 

I had a deep interest in learning more about alternative modalities in wellness.  My investigation took me on a path of education and certifications as I built my career in technology.

• Late 90’s / Early 00’s: introduced to Sivananda yoga by a wonderful colleague; visited Sivananda yoga centers occasionally.
• 2003 Acupressure Institute: completed 150-hour Acupressure Program; studied Chinese Medicine principles; introduced to Qigong
• 2007 Acupressure Institute: completed Reiki 1 and 2 programs
• 2008: my curiosity about Qigong stayed with me; I purchased Francesco & Daisy Lee-Garripoli's DVD, “Qigong Beginning Practice”, and still use principles and movements from their DVD in my daily Qigong practice
• 2009-present:  I studied and practice(d) different meditation styles including energy work focused on chakra alignment
• 2016-2018: Bauman College: completed a 700-hour / 18-month Nutrition Consulting Program and taught my first Nutrition class in 2018. 
• 2017: Created Balanced Biome and purchased balancedbiome.life domain name; a slow moving project for multiple reasons, Balanced Biome has been a passion nonetheless.
• 2019:  I found Emily Fletcher and Ziva meditation, a meditation practice I could stick with after years of searching for a breathing meditation that suits me. I still use it today.
• 2017-present:  multiple health and wellness seminars and conferences that compliment my Nutrition Consulting certification; topics are focused on general wellness to subjects such as brain health, women’s health, attention challenges, and trauma.

I love educating and working with people one-on-one and in groups. My one-on-one work with Clients began with the education I received at Bauman College, and incorporates knowledge and theory I've gathered before and after Bauman.  

In 2024 Balanced Biome became an LLC, and I hired a professional to help me build this website. 

Nutrition and lifestyle coaching are complemented by my career in technology where I help people and organizations with digital transformation projects using enterprise software solutions.  I enjoy helping people find and create successful outcomes in their personal and professional lives.

The San Francisco Bay Area has been my home for most of my life. I enjoy cooking all food, traveling the world, yoga, hiking, reading, and learning new things.  I practice meditation and Qigong daily.   

Thank you for stopping by.  Cheers!