Hello! I’m Fran, founder of Simply Mindful and a Mindful Wellbeing Educator. My work has grown (and is still growing!) from a deeply personal journey of discovering my authentic truth and how I can best contribute and serve during my time here.
After some significant life changes, I felt a visceral need to nourish the roots of my own life. I realized that learning how to be true to myself and feel “rooted”—in spite of the chaos outside of my control—was the only way I’d ever achieve true well-being.
This realization led me to pursue a functional understanding of the mind-body connection—specifically, how food affects mood and energy. Along the way, I discovered how our emotions, beliefs, and attitudes impact our overall health in ways that can either uplift or challenge us.
For the past 20 years as a holistic health professional, I’ve had the honor of guiding both individuals and organizations toward sustainable wellbeing. My background in health promotion and behavior has shown me, time and again, how mindful practices create bridges of connection—to ourselves, to those around us, and to the world we share.
I’m particularly fascinated by the gut-brain relationship and the health of our gut microbiome. This crucial yet often overlooked connection forms the foundation of our mental clarity, emotional balance, stress resilience, and overall wellbeing—elements that touch every aspect of our lives, from personal relationships to workplace interactions.
Above all else, I believe that developing a sense of self-awareness, care and compassion within ourselves naturally extends to how we show up in the workplace, in our personal lives, and the world around us with others. This ripple effect builds a solid foundation for true wellbeing. Mindfulness is the gentle pathway I use to help clients rediscover this essential reconnection. I’ve been fortunate to study awareness practices with some remarkable teachers and experts in mindfulness and meditation throughout the U.S.—including coursework through UCLA’s Mindful Awareness Research Center (MARC) and Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) practices created by Jon Kabat-Zinn. These diverse perspectives have deeply informed my approach.
I earned a B.S. in Health Promotion and Behavior from the University of Georgia and became a Certified Holistic Health Counselor (CHHC) through the Institute for Integrative Nutrition and Columbia University’s Teachers College in New York City. I’ve also completed plant-based culinary training at Living Light Culinary Institute in Northern California, deepening my understanding of how food can serve as both nourishment and medicine.
When I’m not working with clients, you’ll find me spending time with friends and family, wandering in nature, tending to my organic garden, experimenting in my kitchen, running trails, practicing yoga, swimming, camping, exploring new places, capturing moments through photography, dancing like nobody’s watching—and remembering not to take myself too seriously!
Some of Fran's work and speaking engagements include:
