Hi! My Name is Jess
The best title I have? Life changer.
Protein-loving, vegetable-obsessed, wife, mom, Registered Dietitian, marathoner, wanderlusting adventurer. I have a lot of titles. And I love them all.
You see my goal in life is to inspire, encourage, challenge and educate you to push yourself to reach YOUR goals, live your best life and rediscover the joy within yourself.
My passion for nutrition began my senior year in high school. As a sports nut, I was eager to learn more about food and its effect on the body. More specifically my body. I wanted to learn how food (the “right” foods that is) could help my sports performance. So my senior years I completely changed my eating habits.
Gone were the days of cookies, junk food and other processed foods. Instead, I started preparing salads, fruits and lean proteins to take to track meets. I even started doing the grocery shopping and making meals for my parents! That track season, I flew past many of my self-imposed goals and even competed in the state track meet! (PS - I just missed beating the school record for the mile by 1 second!)
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That is when I decided to become a dietitian. I knew it was my calling to share how good food can change your life. After graduating from Iowa State University in 2007 with a degree in Dietetics, I began working with the West Des Moines School District. Through a couple of career changes, I gained more connection with my clients as a dietitian for Mercy Hospital, Koch Facial Plastic Surgery and lastly, The Spa at West Glen.
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My mission is simple:
Achieving a healthy lifestyle can be fun, tasty, simple and affordable. Using evidence-based nutrition information, healthy, family-friendly recipes and inspiration to live each day to the fullest, let me guide you on your own “expedition” to whole health.
Hi! My Name is Tara
Hi, my name is Tara Mikus and I am the Corporate Wellness Coordinator and Personal Trainer for EW as well as the Social Media and Marketing Manager. I was born in Berkeley, CA but grew up in Lincoln, NE (GO HUSKERS!). I grew up playing all sports and ended up falling in love with soccer. This is where my passion for nutrition and exercise stemmed from. I needed to know how to correctly fuel my body and train so I could reach my full potential.
Fast forward to college, I attended the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and received my Bachelor’s degree in Education and Human Sciences where I majored in Nutrition, Exercise, and Health Science and minored in Business. I was able to really dive deep into pursuing this passion through my classes, sorority life, clubs, and even intramurals and it ignited a fire in me for health and wellness.
I moved to Des Moines, in 2021 with my now husband! We have a golden retriever named Marlin who is our pride and joy. I love everything wellness and helping people meet their full potential and hit their goals!
Hi! My Name is Emma
Hi, my name is Emma Dhainin and I am a licensed psychologist with Expedition Wellness. I attended University of Northern Iowa for my Bachelors in Psychology and then attended Western Illinois University and earned a Specialist Degree in School Psychology. A specialist degree is unique to the field of School Psychology in which I earned more credits than a master's degree, but slightly less than a Ph.D. My courses covered topics related to determining educational diagnoses in schools, clinical psychology courses, consultative services, and much more!
While earning my specialist degree, I worked for the University Counseling Center where I trained university students in relaxation practices and provided psychoeducation on a variety of mental health skills.
1 in 5 Americans live with a mental health disorder according to the National Alliance on Mental Health and every individual will face different stressors throughout their life that could benefit from additional support. Building personal knowledge on mental health symptoms, learning strategies to help combat these symptoms, and finding ways to incorporate relaxation into your everyday life can be crucial to a person's overall wellness.
My passion has always always been about helping and supporting others. I'm thrilled to be able to support Expedition Wellness and achieve overall personal wellness!
Hi! My Name is Colleen
Hello everyone! My name is Colleen Rilling and I am so excited to be joining the Expedition Wellness team as a Registered Dietitian.
I grew up in small town Iowa and completed my bachelor’s & master’s in dietetics and my dietetic internship all at Iowa State University.
A few fun facts about me:
-I love being outside & working out
-Summertime is my favorite season-hello sunshine!
-Ice cream is my favorite dessert
-During my down time I love going for walks with my husband & dog, Meeko!
Hi! My Name is Jennifer
I was born and raised for half of my life in San Bernardino. California. My Mom decided to move us to Iowa when I was 14 years old so we can be closer to her family. I have lived in two different states in Mexico, 4 years in Durango MX and 1 ½ in Guanajuato, MX. I really loved it there, it is so beautiful, and the life is so slow paced compared to here in the States. I am married to my best friend and have 4 beautiful children who literally drive me crazy most days.
My love for running and playing sports all started my sophomore year of High School when my new friends talked me into joining the basketball team. Although I wasn’t the best at this sport, I loved how it made me more social and helped me make more friends who then convinced me to go out for track. Track is where I fell in love with running and the adrenaline rush I would get right before a race.
I have always had a passion for trying to maintain an active healthy life but have never been the best at it. It was literally just recently I contacted one of my best friends from high school (A.K.A Jessica Schroeder) to start getting some help on eating healthier so I can achieve my goal of losing some weight and to start toning my body a little. I started on this journey in mid- March of this year (right before the corona virus took over) and have lost over 20 lbs now. Not only did eating healthy help me lose weight it also helped me become more confident in myself and has given me more energy to accomplish more
things in my day-day life.
I have found my passion not only for exercise but I have found my passion for healthy eating and am now very passionate to share my experience and knowledge to others who a struggling with managing their weight and eating healthy.
Hi! My Name is Becca
Hi, my name is Becca Van Roekel and I was born and raised in central Iowa. I am a Registered Dietitian at Expedition Wellness. I attended Northwest Missouri State University for my Bachelors in Food and Nutrition: Dietetics and completed my dietetic internship and Master in Clinical Nutrition Program from the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics.
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My background has been in long term care and clinical nutrition with encompassing many areas. My husband and I live in West Des Moines with our two dogs. We are always on the go whether that be riding horses, hiking, running, gardening, walking our dogs, cooking meals and spending time with family, but I wouldn't have it any other way! My love for nutrition began with learning about the physiology of our body and how the foods we eat play such an important aspect on how we fuel our bodies. I began experimenting in the kitchen as my mom called it with incorporating nutrient dense foods into my family's favorite recipes.
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I have continued this love for nutrition and enjoy getting to work with individuals by guiding and educating them toward their individualized nutrition goals. I believe there is no one size fits all and that everyone has their own journey and goals on how to fuel their body but also enjoy the foods that we are eating! I am looking forward to getting to work with my clients to guide them toward their individualized nutritional goals.
Hi! My Name is Sydney
Hello friends! My name is Sydney Jacobson and I have been a Registered Dietitian for 14 years. I grew up in a small town in central Iowa and attended Iowa State University to earn my Bachelors of Science degree in Dietetics. From there I gained invaluable experience completing an internship at Ingalls Memorial Hospital in the suburban Chicago area. My husband Brandon and I live in suburban Des Moines and have three children. I love being active and enjoy traveling, hiking outdoors, running, cheering on the cyclones and being in my kitchen cooking!
My love for nutrition and health began when I was a high school athlete. I became fascinated by how my food choices affected my running performance and how I felt. It wasn’t until college when I began marathon training that I saw first hand how making changes to my diet had an immensely positive impact on my training, performance and recovery. I knew as a dietitian I could help others create better food habits to help them live an optimal life.
Since then, I have built on my experience working in a variety of settings including: clinical, pediatrics, specialized injuries, food service management, business and community wellness.
After becoming a mom, I discovered I have a deeply rooted passion for holistic health practices and have begun pursuing further certifications these areas. I believe in the power of natural, wholesome food as a means of treating illness and promoting overall well-being. One of my favorite things as a dietitian is educating to help others feel empowered in how they can properly fuel and care for their body with good nutrition. I love being part of the Expedition Wellness team and look forward to working with you on your road to better nutrition and health.
Hi! My Name is Candice
I am excited to share my passion for health and wellness with you! Using my 25 years of experience as a personal trainer, group fitness instructor and health educator; I am ready to guide you on your personalized wellness journey. I will meet you where you are at, while challenging you to grow to new fitness levels. My holistic approach of enhancing the mind, body, spirit, will have you feeling great from the inside out! When I am not at the gym I can be found with my husband and four active sons, in the garden or reading a book.
ACE Certified Personal Trainer
USA Weightlifting Level 1 Coach
Silver Sneakers Certified:
Classic, Chair Yoga, Parkinson’s
FiTour Advanced Boot Camp Instructor
Parkinson’s Training for Fitness Professionals-Certified
American Heart Association-Certified Instructor
