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What happens after a family is referred to Step Together.
Every family starts with a free Family Nutritional Therapy Session. We look far beyond food — at sleep, screen time, emotional regulation, anxiety, ADHD-like symptoms, food environment, family dynamics, parent modeling, and the emotional tone in the home. Both parents are involved whenever possible, because both parents shape the child's behavior.
Parents shape the environment, set the routines, decide what comes into the home, model coping patterns, and create the structure that makes healthy behavior easier or harder. Working with the parents protects the child's self-esteem and body image while still creating change.
Every family is paired with a dedicated childhood weight loss expert who meets with them at least once a week — someone who has personally lived through and overcome childhood weight struggles. They keep the family on track between your visits, help parents respond to the hard moments, and turn your clinical guidance into real behavior change at home.
When there's a meltdown at dinner, food sneaked at a party, or a child refusing anything except highly stimulating foods, the family has support in real time. This is what turns clinical advice into sustained behavior change at home.
If a child needs clinical evaluation, we support that. If labs or testing need review, that's your lane. If protocols, supplementation, or medication are appropriate, that's a conversation between the family and you. We handle the daily behavioral, emotional, nutritional, and family-environment work between visits.
Children are the future building blocks of our society.
If they are sick, the foundation of our future is sick.
We believe every child deserves the right to grow to their fullest potential, not be medicated into compliance or profited off by an industry that treats symptoms and ignores the root cause.
As an Engineer turned Nutritional Therapist, I know what it feels like to be the overweight child who is bullied, ashamed, and silently struggling.
My family tried everything to help me. Diets, programs, exercise, restriction. None of it worked because none of it addressed the real issue. My weight was a symptom of something much deeper.
That is why I founded Step Together. We help you understand what is really happening underneath your child's eating, so you can solve the real problem instead of fighting the symptom.
Every person at Step Together grew up struggling with excess weight.
We are not generalists giving advice from a textbook. We have lived your child's pain, we overcame it, and now we dedicate our lives to making sure your child doesn't go through what we did.
Home alone while her parents worked, Lauren had big feelings with no outlet.
At the root: emotional loneliness and having no guidance to understand her own thoughts, feelings, or needs.
Read Lauren's Story
Food was love in Robert's family, but without boundaries, it became how he coped with everything.
At the root: ADHD, emotional distress, and a lifelong pattern of reaching outside himself for relief.
Read Robert's Story
A happy kid on the outside, Marta secretly turned to sweets to cope with feelings she had no words for, especially during times of family stress.
At the root: unprocessed emotions and having no safe space to talk about what she was feeling.
Read Marta's Story
Alex struggled with weight, belonging, and challenges both physical and mental throughout childhood.
At the root: a deep struggle with belonging, weight, and emotional challenges that affected him both physically and mentally.
Read Alex's Story
Raised in an immigrant household where food was both love and discomfort, Drasko turned to sugary foods to soothe emotions he had no other way to handle.
At the root: emotional eating, a distorted body image, and using food to comfort feelings he was never taught to process.
Read Drasko's Story
Food was Michaela's first addiction before she was old enough for anything else.
At the root: undiagnosed ADHD, family instability, and a mother whose obsession with thinness shaped how she saw herself.
Read Michaela's Story
After immigrating from Costa Rica, Oscar faced bullying and isolation while food became his only reliable comfort.
At the root: ADHD, emotional distress, and the loneliness of being unable to communicate in a new country.
Read Oscar's Story
A middle child in an impoverished household, Ali soothed his pain with food while carrying the weight of shame and bullying.
At the root: poverty, undiagnosed ADHD, and a deep sense that his worth was tied to his physical form.
Read Ali's Story
Alice never ate out of hunger. She ate to fill the emptiness left by an emotionally distant mother in a home where food was tightly controlled.
At the root: a controlling food environment, emotional distance from her mother, and no safe place to express her feelings.
Read Alice's Story
A mom who just finished the program said: Thank you for helping us get our lives back on track and for helping me rediscover hope and turn it into action. That process has changed our lives forever. The depth you took us to was truly life-changing. I believe the impact will carry into future generations.
Another win I wanted to share, I have a 12 year old girl in the program who went on a beach vacation with her family and they had to go buy her a tighter swimsuit because her old one was simply too big. Her mom said 'and the best part is, she doesn't even know we're doing anything'. We found out she's lost ten pounds since January, without her being aware 
A dad who just finished the program shared the new values defining his family. Crazy to watch a parent's entire mindset rewire over 16 weeks: "We focus on how food makes us feel, not easy snacks." "Sugary snacks aren't what we want, it's the dopamine, and we can find it another way." "Setbacks are okay. They'll get shorter and less frequent." "Physical activity isn't about looking good, it's about feeling good."
A family I work with just hit their 2-month mark. Mom down 24 lbs, dad down 15, their son down 17. But here's the thing: we never tracked a calorie or stepped on a scale with the kid. The weight dropped as a side effect of the parents shifting the entire household's mentality and lifestyle. Change the home, and the rest takes care of itself.
Had a breakthrough session with a family today. I built enough trust and safety that the mom really opened up for the first time about her health, her lack of motivation, her fear of dying young. I guided her until she arrived at it herself: "I need to figure out the emotional block that's leading to my lack of motivation around taking care of myself." 
#LightBulbMomentInitiated
A child I work with used to throw tantrums whenever she was denied sweets. Now she can be easily redirected to other fun activities that give her that dopamine hit, like riding her bike. She doesn't look for that comfort in sweets anymore. Instead, she goes to hug her mom more often.
Huge update from a mom I'm working with: her daughter has lost 26 pounds and her a1c is down to 5.3, officially out of the diabetic range. Now instead of going to food when she's bored or anxious, she draws or plays with her siblings. The mom is so happy to see her kids finally get along. "I wasn't expecting that to be an outcome from this program at all."
A dad I'm working with sent me this after just a few weeks in the program: "Ali, I have a tear running down my cheek thinking about how awesome you and this whole program have been. You're a great encourager and advocate for me, even when I'm in my own way. You've already got me changing my lifestyle for the better in ways I didn't think were possible. My tears now are those of happiness and pride, not of helplessness and sadness." And we still have 10 weeks to go.
A mom wrote to me today: her son had a string of 'random' tantrums all afternoon. Over having a coke instead of water, over having pizza instead of a healthy option, over having ice cream. She realized each one was actually about food, and said to her husband "it's like Oscar told us… he's an addict looking for a fix." They redirected him with talk of Disney rides and his mood flipped instantly. Got home without any junk food, ended the night with a huge hug. 
A client said: "It is amazing that after 21 years, our lives can continue to change and grow. Not only has Step Together helped us strengthen our bodies and minds, but our relationship is stronger as well. I encourage all parents on this journey to open yourself up to the impacts this program can have in your lives and bring those changes into the lives of your whole family. It really is contagious. After the first few weeks, with a bit of a broken heart for the world and the state of health, I am rejoicing and feeling so good about the changes we have made (not all easy!!) There really is no perfect, just people really trying!"
I get big ol' waterey eye balls alot with my clients, especially as we go deeper. How do you NOT cry when someone says "You've fixed our marriage" or "She's lost 10lbs and doesn't even know she's doing anything"
A mom who just finished the program said: Thank you for helping us get our lives back on track and for helping me rediscover hope and turn it into action. That process has changed our lives forever. The depth you took us to was truly life-changing. I believe the impact will carry into future generations.
Another win I wanted to share, I have a 12 year old girl in the program who went on a beach vacation with her family and they had to go buy her a tighter swimsuit because her old one was simply too big. Her mom said 'and the best part is, she doesn't even know we're doing anything'. We found out she's lost ten pounds since January, without her being aware
A dad who just finished the program shared the new values defining his family. Crazy to watch a parent's entire mindset rewire over 16 weeks: "We focus on how food makes us feel, not easy snacks." "Sugary snacks aren't what we want, it's the dopamine, and we can find it another way." "Setbacks are okay. They'll get shorter and less frequent." "Physical activity isn't about looking good, it's about feeling good."
A family I work with just hit their 2-month mark. Mom down 24 lbs, dad down 15, their son down 17. But here's the thing: we never tracked a calorie or stepped on a scale with the kid. The weight dropped as a side effect of the parents shifting the entire household's mentality and lifestyle. Change the home, and the rest takes care of itself.
Had a breakthrough session with a family today. I built enough trust and safety that the mom really opened up for the first time about her health, her lack of motivation, her fear of dying young. I guided her until she arrived at it herself: "I need to figure out the emotional block that's leading to my lack of motivation around taking care of myself." #LightBulbMomentInitiated
A child I work with used to throw tantrums whenever she was denied sweets. Now she can be easily redirected to other fun activities that give her that dopamine hit, like riding her bike. She doesn't look for that comfort in sweets anymore. Instead, she goes to hug her mom more often.
Huge update from a mom I'm working with: her daughter has lost 26 pounds and her a1c is down to 5.3, officially out of the diabetic range. Now instead of going to food when she's bored or anxious, she draws or plays with her siblings. The mom is so happy to see her kids finally get along. "I wasn't expecting that to be an outcome from this program at all."
A dad I'm working with sent me this after just a few weeks in the program: "Ali, I have a tear running down my cheek thinking about how awesome you and this whole program have been. You're a great encourager and advocate for me, even when I'm in my own way. You've already got me changing my lifestyle for the better in ways I didn't think were possible. My tears now are those of happiness and pride, not of helplessness and sadness." And we still have 10 weeks to go.
A mom wrote to me today: her son had a string of 'random' tantrums all afternoon. Over having a coke instead of water, over having pizza instead of a healthy option, over having ice cream. She realized each one was actually about food, and said to her husband "it's like Oscar told us… he's an addict looking for a fix." They redirected him with talk of Disney rides and his mood flipped instantly. Got home without any junk food, ended the night with a huge hug.
A client said: "It is amazing that after 21 years, our lives can continue to change and grow. Not only has Step Together helped us strengthen our bodies and minds, but our relationship is stronger as well. I encourage all parents on this journey to open yourself up to the impacts this program can have in your lives and bring those changes into the lives of your whole family. It really is contagious. After the first few weeks, with a bit of a broken heart for the world and the state of health, I am rejoicing and feeling so good about the changes we have made (not all easy!!) There really is no perfect, just people really trying!"
I get big ol' waterey eye balls alot with my clients, especially as we go deeper. How do you NOT cry when someone says "You've fixed our marriage" or "She's lost 10lbs and doesn't even know she's doing anything"
A mom who just finished the program said: Thank you for helping us get our lives back on track and for helping me rediscover hope and turn it into action. That process has changed our lives forever. The depth you took us to was truly life-changing. I believe the impact will carry into future generations.
Another win I wanted to share, I have a 12 year old girl in the program who went on a beach vacation with her family and they had to go buy her a tighter swimsuit because her old one was simply too big. Her mom said 'and the best part is, she doesn't even know we're doing anything'. We found out she's lost ten pounds since January, without her being aware
A dad who just finished the program shared the new values defining his family. Crazy to watch a parent's entire mindset rewire over 16 weeks: "We focus on how food makes us feel, not easy snacks." "Sugary snacks aren't what we want, it's the dopamine, and we can find it another way." "Setbacks are okay. They'll get shorter and less frequent." "Physical activity isn't about looking good, it's about feeling good."
A family I work with just hit their 2-month mark. Mom down 24 lbs, dad down 15, their son down 17. But here's the thing: we never tracked a calorie or stepped on a scale with the kid. The weight dropped as a side effect of the parents shifting the entire household's mentality and lifestyle. Change the home, and the rest takes care of itself.
Had a breakthrough session with a family today. I built enough trust and safety that the mom really opened up for the first time about her health, her lack of motivation, her fear of dying young. I guided her until she arrived at it herself: "I need to figure out the emotional block that's leading to my lack of motivation around taking care of myself." #LightBulbMomentInitiated
A child I work with used to throw tantrums whenever she was denied sweets. Now she can be easily redirected to other fun activities that give her that dopamine hit, like riding her bike. She doesn't look for that comfort in sweets anymore. Instead, she goes to hug her mom more often.
Huge update from a mom I'm working with: her daughter has lost 26 pounds and her a1c is down to 5.3, officially out of the diabetic range. Now instead of going to food when she's bored or anxious, she draws or plays with her siblings. The mom is so happy to see her kids finally get along. "I wasn't expecting that to be an outcome from this program at all."
A dad I'm working with sent me this after just a few weeks in the program: "Ali, I have a tear running down my cheek thinking about how awesome you and this whole program have been. You're a great encourager and advocate for me, even when I'm in my own way. You've already got me changing my lifestyle for the better in ways I didn't think were possible. My tears now are those of happiness and pride, not of helplessness and sadness." And we still have 10 weeks to go.
A mom wrote to me today: her son had a string of 'random' tantrums all afternoon. Over having a coke instead of water, over having pizza instead of a healthy option, over having ice cream. She realized each one was actually about food, and said to her husband "it's like Oscar told us… he's an addict looking for a fix." They redirected him with talk of Disney rides and his mood flipped instantly. Got home without any junk food, ended the night with a huge hug.
A client said: "It is amazing that after 21 years, our lives can continue to change and grow. Not only has Step Together helped us strengthen our bodies and minds, but our relationship is stronger as well. I encourage all parents on this journey to open yourself up to the impacts this program can have in your lives and bring those changes into the lives of your whole family. It really is contagious. After the first few weeks, with a bit of a broken heart for the world and the state of health, I am rejoicing and feeling so good about the changes we have made (not all easy!!) There really is no perfect, just people really trying!"
I get big ol' waterey eye balls alot with my clients, especially as we go deeper. How do you NOT cry when someone says "You've fixed our marriage" or "She's lost 10lbs and doesn't even know she's doing anything"
A mom who just finished the program said: Thank you for helping us get our lives back on track and for helping me rediscover hope and turn it into action. That process has changed our lives forever. The depth you took us to was truly life-changing. I believe the impact will carry into future generations.
Another win I wanted to share, I have a 12 year old girl in the program who went on a beach vacation with her family and they had to go buy her a tighter swimsuit because her old one was simply too big. Her mom said 'and the best part is, she doesn't even know we're doing anything'. We found out she's lost ten pounds since January, without her being aware
A dad who just finished the program shared the new values defining his family. Crazy to watch a parent's entire mindset rewire over 16 weeks: "We focus on how food makes us feel, not easy snacks." "Sugary snacks aren't what we want, it's the dopamine, and we can find it another way." "Setbacks are okay. They'll get shorter and less frequent." "Physical activity isn't about looking good, it's about feeling good."
A family I work with just hit their 2-month mark. Mom down 24 lbs, dad down 15, their son down 17. But here's the thing: we never tracked a calorie or stepped on a scale with the kid. The weight dropped as a side effect of the parents shifting the entire household's mentality and lifestyle. Change the home, and the rest takes care of itself.
Had a breakthrough session with a family today. I built enough trust and safety that the mom really opened up for the first time about her health, her lack of motivation, her fear of dying young. I guided her until she arrived at it herself: "I need to figure out the emotional block that's leading to my lack of motivation around taking care of myself." #LightBulbMomentInitiated
A child I work with used to throw tantrums whenever she was denied sweets. Now she can be easily redirected to other fun activities that give her that dopamine hit, like riding her bike. She doesn't look for that comfort in sweets anymore. Instead, she goes to hug her mom more often.
Huge update from a mom I'm working with: her daughter has lost 26 pounds and her a1c is down to 5.3, officially out of the diabetic range. Now instead of going to food when she's bored or anxious, she draws or plays with her siblings. The mom is so happy to see her kids finally get along. "I wasn't expecting that to be an outcome from this program at all."
A dad I'm working with sent me this after just a few weeks in the program: "Ali, I have a tear running down my cheek thinking about how awesome you and this whole program have been. You're a great encourager and advocate for me, even when I'm in my own way. You've already got me changing my lifestyle for the better in ways I didn't think were possible. My tears now are those of happiness and pride, not of helplessness and sadness." And we still have 10 weeks to go.
A mom wrote to me today: her son had a string of 'random' tantrums all afternoon. Over having a coke instead of water, over having pizza instead of a healthy option, over having ice cream. She realized each one was actually about food, and said to her husband "it's like Oscar told us… he's an addict looking for a fix." They redirected him with talk of Disney rides and his mood flipped instantly. Got home without any junk food, ended the night with a huge hug.
A client said: "It is amazing that after 21 years, our lives can continue to change and grow. Not only has Step Together helped us strengthen our bodies and minds, but our relationship is stronger as well. I encourage all parents on this journey to open yourself up to the impacts this program can have in your lives and bring those changes into the lives of your whole family. It really is contagious. After the first few weeks, with a bit of a broken heart for the world and the state of health, I am rejoicing and feeling so good about the changes we have made (not all easy!!) There really is no perfect, just people really trying!"
I get big ol' waterey eye balls alot with my clients, especially as we go deeper. How do you NOT cry when someone says "You've fixed our marriage" or "She's lost 10lbs and doesn't even know she's doing anything"
A mom who just finished the program said: Thank you for helping us get our lives back on track and for helping me rediscover hope and turn it into action. That process has changed our lives forever. The depth you took us to was truly life-changing. I believe the impact will carry into future generations.
Another win I wanted to share, I have a 12 year old girl in the program who went on a beach vacation with her family and they had to go buy her a tighter swimsuit because her old one was simply too big. Her mom said 'and the best part is, she doesn't even know we're doing anything'. We found out she's lost ten pounds since January, without her being aware
A dad who just finished the program shared the new values defining his family. Crazy to watch a parent's entire mindset rewire over 16 weeks: "We focus on how food makes us feel, not easy snacks." "Sugary snacks aren't what we want, it's the dopamine, and we can find it another way." "Setbacks are okay. They'll get shorter and less frequent." "Physical activity isn't about looking good, it's about feeling good."
A family I work with just hit their 2-month mark. Mom down 24 lbs, dad down 15, their son down 17. But here's the thing: we never tracked a calorie or stepped on a scale with the kid. The weight dropped as a side effect of the parents shifting the entire household's mentality and lifestyle. Change the home, and the rest takes care of itself.
Had a breakthrough session with a family today. I built enough trust and safety that the mom really opened up for the first time about her health, her lack of motivation, her fear of dying young. I guided her until she arrived at it herself: "I need to figure out the emotional block that's leading to my lack of motivation around taking care of myself." #LightBulbMomentInitiated
A child I work with used to throw tantrums whenever she was denied sweets. Now she can be easily redirected to other fun activities that give her that dopamine hit, like riding her bike. She doesn't look for that comfort in sweets anymore. Instead, she goes to hug her mom more often.
Huge update from a mom I'm working with: her daughter has lost 26 pounds and her a1c is down to 5.3, officially out of the diabetic range. Now instead of going to food when she's bored or anxious, she draws or plays with her siblings. The mom is so happy to see her kids finally get along. "I wasn't expecting that to be an outcome from this program at all."
A dad I'm working with sent me this after just a few weeks in the program: "Ali, I have a tear running down my cheek thinking about how awesome you and this whole program have been. You're a great encourager and advocate for me, even when I'm in my own way. You've already got me changing my lifestyle for the better in ways I didn't think were possible. My tears now are those of happiness and pride, not of helplessness and sadness." And we still have 10 weeks to go.
A mom wrote to me today: her son had a string of 'random' tantrums all afternoon. Over having a coke instead of water, over having pizza instead of a healthy option, over having ice cream. She realized each one was actually about food, and said to her husband "it's like Oscar told us… he's an addict looking for a fix." They redirected him with talk of Disney rides and his mood flipped instantly. Got home without any junk food, ended the night with a huge hug.
A client said: "It is amazing that after 21 years, our lives can continue to change and grow. Not only has Step Together helped us strengthen our bodies and minds, but our relationship is stronger as well. I encourage all parents on this journey to open yourself up to the impacts this program can have in your lives and bring those changes into the lives of your whole family. It really is contagious. After the first few weeks, with a bit of a broken heart for the world and the state of health, I am rejoicing and feeling so good about the changes we have made (not all easy!!) There really is no perfect, just people really trying!"
I get big ol' waterey eye balls alot with my clients, especially as we go deeper. How do you NOT cry when someone says "You've fixed our marriage" or "She's lost 10lbs and doesn't even know she's doing anything"
A mom who just finished the program said: Thank you for helping us get our lives back on track and for helping me rediscover hope and turn it into action. That process has changed our lives forever. The depth you took us to was truly life-changing. I believe the impact will carry into future generations.
Another win I wanted to share, I have a 12 year old girl in the program who went on a beach vacation with her family and they had to go buy her a tighter swimsuit because her old one was simply too big. Her mom said 'and the best part is, she doesn't even know we're doing anything'. We found out she's lost ten pounds since January, without her being aware
A dad who just finished the program shared the new values defining his family. Crazy to watch a parent's entire mindset rewire over 16 weeks: "We focus on how food makes us feel, not easy snacks." "Sugary snacks aren't what we want, it's the dopamine, and we can find it another way." "Setbacks are okay. They'll get shorter and less frequent." "Physical activity isn't about looking good, it's about feeling good."
A family I work with just hit their 2-month mark. Mom down 24 lbs, dad down 15, their son down 17. But here's the thing: we never tracked a calorie or stepped on a scale with the kid. The weight dropped as a side effect of the parents shifting the entire household's mentality and lifestyle. Change the home, and the rest takes care of itself.
Had a breakthrough session with a family today. I built enough trust and safety that the mom really opened up for the first time about her health, her lack of motivation, her fear of dying young. I guided her until she arrived at it herself: "I need to figure out the emotional block that's leading to my lack of motivation around taking care of myself." #LightBulbMomentInitiated
A child I work with used to throw tantrums whenever she was denied sweets. Now she can be easily redirected to other fun activities that give her that dopamine hit, like riding her bike. She doesn't look for that comfort in sweets anymore. Instead, she goes to hug her mom more often.
Huge update from a mom I'm working with: her daughter has lost 26 pounds and her a1c is down to 5.3, officially out of the diabetic range. Now instead of going to food when she's bored or anxious, she draws or plays with her siblings. The mom is so happy to see her kids finally get along. "I wasn't expecting that to be an outcome from this program at all."
A dad I'm working with sent me this after just a few weeks in the program: "Ali, I have a tear running down my cheek thinking about how awesome you and this whole program have been. You're a great encourager and advocate for me, even when I'm in my own way. You've already got me changing my lifestyle for the better in ways I didn't think were possible. My tears now are those of happiness and pride, not of helplessness and sadness." And we still have 10 weeks to go.
A mom wrote to me today: her son had a string of 'random' tantrums all afternoon. Over having a coke instead of water, over having pizza instead of a healthy option, over having ice cream. She realized each one was actually about food, and said to her husband "it's like Oscar told us… he's an addict looking for a fix." They redirected him with talk of Disney rides and his mood flipped instantly. Got home without any junk food, ended the night with a huge hug.
A client said: "It is amazing that after 21 years, our lives can continue to change and grow. Not only has Step Together helped us strengthen our bodies and minds, but our relationship is stronger as well. I encourage all parents on this journey to open yourself up to the impacts this program can have in your lives and bring those changes into the lives of your whole family. It really is contagious. After the first few weeks, with a bit of a broken heart for the world and the state of health, I am rejoicing and feeling so good about the changes we have made (not all easy!!) There really is no perfect, just people really trying!"
I get big ol' waterey eye balls alot with my clients, especially as we go deeper. How do you NOT cry when someone says "You've fixed our marriage" or "She's lost 10lbs and doesn't even know she's doing anything"
Two ways, depending on how much you’d like to know about us first.
