Photographer – Ulises Rangel
Where are you from and how long have you lived in town? What brought you to the area?
I am a proud, native Chicagoan! Although still a City Girl to the core, as a newly-wed, I joined a OBGYNE practice in Gurnee and moved to Green Oaks over 20 years ago! Although I found suburban living to be an extreme cultural shock, this community has proven to be the ideal place to raise a family.
Do you have child(ren)? Age(s)
We have been blessed with 4 amazing children! Our eldest son, Jabari, is studying finance at Indiana University and spending a semester abroad in Spain. Our second son, Giovani, is taking a gap year, choosing to stay local to work and study part-time. Dominic, son number three is finishing his final year as a Wildcat, with plans to study computer engineering at U of I in the fall. Baby girl Mia (smile), is a sophomore who enjoys basketball, shopping and spending endless hours with her girlfriends! To her credit, she was the only one of the 4 to have held 2 jobs before the age of 16!
What are your favorite things to do in the area with and without your kids? Family friendly restaurant? Date night?
When my children were small we spent countless hours at Cook Library and local parks. During the toddler years, winter days were spent at Gurnee, Hawthorn or Northbrook malls and as they grew older, at the snow hills in Vernon Hills and Old School Forest Preserve. Summer days at Adler Pool, local water parks and Independence Grove are some of my fondest memories.
My personal time, has been spent for many years enjoying tennis, group fitness and amazing friendship at the Libertville Tennis and Club (now LifeSport Athletic Club). Summer days on the courts at Riverside Park and biking the North Shore bike trails are my elixir. For self-care, yoga at Orinoco Fitness, a massage at Massage Motu and pampering at Mario Tricoci are my trusted go-tos.
As busy parents, who don’t get out much, a rare date night is spent with friends over dinner at any one of a number of great restaurants in the area. Our favorites are Shakou, Casa Bonita or the Mainstreet Social.
Are you involved in a business venture, a local organization, a creative endeavor or in the corporate world? Please share!
Yes! I recently changed my course and embarked on a new approach in my medical practice!
I now provide completely PERSONALIZED HEALTH AND WELLNESS CARE TO WOMEN stemming from my passion and respect for the body’s NATURAL HEALING ability.
As an INTEGRATIVE GYNECOLOGIST, I support natural healing processes using a combination of conventional and complementary approaches aimed at restoring hormonal and nutritional balance, and managing stress related conditions.
My goal is to help restore HORMONAL, NUTRITIONAL AND MIND-BODY BALANCE, which supports natural healing so that you look, feel and perform at your very best!
How has this community been instrumental in getting you to where you are now?
By ensuring a safe environment for children, an abundant variety of organized recreational and athletic activities, as well as a value for academic excellence and opportunity, this community has provided the secret sauce for supporting parents to develop as individuals while raising accomplished, well-balance young people.
What is one thing people would be surprised to know about you?
While I cherish time alone with a good book, I also enjoy great conversation with friends over drinks, a live band and a dance floor!
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve gotten from another Mom?
I’ve gotten a wealth of great advice from other mom’s but one of the most recent and most reassuring was, “what seems like the biggest, insurmountable parenting challenge today, will one day prove to have been just another passing phase.”
What is next for you?
I am a true believer that the sky is the limit…….that anything is possible! I have experienced this first hand and am anticipating an exiting future. But I’ll settle for growing my business in unique and amazing ways, spending winters in Miami, and exploring the globe- – -one new country every year!
