What's Your Vision?
That's the very first question to consider
Chances are you're here because what you want for your child & family feels out of reach right now.
We never expect our kids to struggle so much or for feeding them to feel so complicated.
We never expect the allergies and skin breakouts, the explosive moods & unpredictable behavior.
Do they need medication? Is there something wrong with their brain?
Why can't they just do well at school, sleep and poop and stay healthy?
And why won't they ever pick the healthy stuff over the junk no matter how hard you try?
We can bring you closer to the vision of health and calm you have for your family. We do it by surrounding you with support so you can nourish your child deeply and relieve their hidden stress.
(psst...Looking for my professional bio with my
credentials and media kit all that jazz? Scroll to the bottom)
I help parents raise healthy kids... regardless of diagnosis.
That means, I help parents implement systematic changes so their kids calm down, have better poops, learn better, focus better, feel better, get better sleep, have more energy, have fewer sick days, rebound from stress better, stay off medication... and simply be happier. That's a resilient child, and it's what we work on no matter what diagnosis your child might have.
I'm a Functional Diagnostic Nutrition® Practitioner, Board Certified In Holistic Nutrition. But first and foremost, I'm mom to three beautiful boys and partner to an amazing artist. We are both purpose-driven entrepreneurs trying to simplify our lives, enjoy the process of raising our kids, and do our little bit to make a difference in the world.
I've worn many hats in my life, but education, health and personal development are the common threads that tie all my experiences together.
How I Got Here...
I became interested in the idea of resilience when, as a high school teacher, I noticed kids were struggling to cope.
Learning, mood and mental health struggles had become more common, but so had physical issues like recurrent illnesses and infections, allergies, sleep and digestive conditions, skin issues.
Mental and physical complaints had become so commonplace that we spent a significant amount of time strategizing about them in teacher meetings.
Many students responded well to our creative teaching strategies and emphasis on relationship - they started to cope better and feel better as they felt more secure. But some did not and referrals for assessments & medication or even expulsion became our only recourse; extreme measures, in my opinion.
I felt we had failed these kids.
I felt there was something deeper we were missing.
It was while working as a high school teacher that my interest in the factors that promote and erode resilience was born.
I left school teaching to study nutrition & holistic health with a particular interest in the impact of food and stress on child development.
I graduated top of my class from the Canadian School of Natural Nutrition in 2007 as a Registered Holistic Nutritionist™, (Certified Holistic Nutritional Consultant™in the province of Alberta). And I thought I had my answers.
I learned that while skills and relationships are key factors in raising resilient kids, true resilience also depends on physical health because myriad factors inside our bodies affect how we think, feel, act and function.
I had learned that each of us is biochemically unique and that "one man's food can be another man's poison". I had learned how and why stress is a game changer when it comes to our health.
I had learned about the deep and profound impact of food on our kids' mental and physical health and development.
I had found that missing piece and was ready to shout what I had learned from the rooftops to parents and teachers everywhere....
Then I had my first child, and my whole world changed
I realized right quick that there's nothing simple or straight forward about keeping a family healthy.
I realized that it's one thing to know information about what the body needs for health, it's another thing entirely to actually feed a family and apply all that knowledge.
And more than that, it's one thing to know how to support and change our own health, it's another thing entirely to try to change the health of another person (especially one we love with the deepest kind of intensity but who has food sensitivities, picky or aggressive behavior, or who can't sit down to get a bite in!)
Add in sleep deprivation, stress, and the pace of daily living and it's enough to throw even superheros over the edge!
So I set my mind to simplifying the job of keeping a family healthy.
The Raising Resilience Process Was Born
I discovered that the key to worrying less and staying focused on what's most important is to focus on the factors that support Resilient Health.
So I set my sights on developing a process to help parents do this.
The process for Raising Resilience I outline in my book is a two-step process: we need to identify and remove stressors and barriers and we need to feed in a way that deeply nourishes our natural processes of self regulation.
In the Resilience Roadmap we break the process into 3 phases. Moving through them helps kids learn better, feel better, sleep better, calm down, relax, focus better, reduce infection, reduce allergy, have better skin, and have more consistent energy... because they help you support the foundational systems that make the body work.
Learn About The Book Here Learn About The Roadmap Here
I have learned through more than a decade of study and practice that given the proper tools, guidance & strategy parents can improve their child’s ability to self regulate, learn & thrive, while also improving their own energy, focus & drive.
We do it by boosting the body’s innate resources.
When you learn strategies for raising resilient health you will feel empowered, confident, vibrant, in control and energized.
You will be giving your child a gift of health while being able to worry less and enjoy more.
You will be helping your child develop into their full potential.
The key is to stay systematic and focus on what matters most. The Raising Resilience System will guide you.
It's Time For Change.
My nutrition education and research have taught me about the need for good nutrition in building physical and mental resilience, and my parenting and my work with parents has taught me how to put it all into practice in strategic, practical & simple ways.
The process of Raising Resilience, sometimes in conjunction with other therapies, has helped families all over the world reverse food sensitivity, stabilize mood & energy, reduce sick days, reduce dental costs, improve sleep, reduce tantrums, improve skin, reverse attention problems, improve language... and so much more.
This model also helps busy mothers get their energy back, pick their libido up from the floor, and rekindle their zest for life.
You Have A Vision For Your Family's Health. Let's Move You Closer To It
When We Have Health, We Can Do Anything
Jess's Professional Bio
Jess Sherman is an international speaker and author, Functional Diagnostic Nutrition® Practitioner and award winning Registered Holistic Nutritionist™, board certified in Practical Holistic Nutrition. She is also a certified teacher and holds a masters degree in Education from The University of Toronto.
As a family health educator she has guided parents in at least 44 countries towards safe, natural and effective tools to improve the lives of their children with learning differences, anxiety, ADHD, autism and mood disorders.
Back when she was teaching high school, Jess became deeply concerned to learn that at least 60% of her students were on medication - either to help them learn, focus or stabilize their mood, or to help them sleep, poop or manage their allergies. When she discovered the profound impact of nutrition and stress on resilience she set her mind to helping the busy, frustrated, worried parents of these kids find natural, simple ways to help them thrive.
She now reaches parents around the world through her book, Raising Resilience: Take the stress out of feeding your family and love your life, her virtual community, and her online coaching program. Jess has been featured as a nutrition and family health expert for online and offline audiences where she has spoken about the impact of nutrition and connection for audiences of parents, medical professionals, social workers and teachers. She is a regular contributor to blogs and print magazines, where she translates complex research into practical action steps for busy parents.
In 2019 Jess received the award for Clinical Excellence from The CSNNAA for her work with families and was picked as a featured speaker in The Future Of Health series at the Mindshare Leadership Summit where she spoke about the challenges of raising resilient kids today.
Interested in booking Jess for writing or speaking? Click Here for media inquiries
