A "little" about me

I made this website in 2018 while recovering from surgery. I put a lot of effort into it but was constantly faced with the overwhelming feeling that I didn't "know enough" to help people how I wanted to, so I deactivated it for a few years. The standards that I held myself to pushed me to advance my career from having a Bachelor of Science in Nutrition and Dietetics with an Integrative Health Coach cert to becoming a Registered Dietitian (RD), Master of Science in Clinical Nutrition (MSCN), and soon a board-certified Clinical Nutrition Specialist (CNS) with great hopes of advancing in functional medicine and continue my passion for education. 

Vollmond means "full moon" in Deutsch; with my German descent and being born on a full moon, it seemed fitting. Although I have studied Deutsch for several years, anyone well-versed would nod in embarrassment. Oh, well. However, I have found that I can take up some space with my writing. I am a rather private person, so what you read here is vulnerable, and I use this platform to be just that, knowing that healing is not just surface level. 

Here it goes, 

I started this journey in 2013 after I was told I had five years to live; it sounds a bit dramatic, I know. I was born with a rare congenital defect (I don't like the word disability) and was initially given only 20 years to live (per what the doctors told my parents). When I was 20, I found myself being a typical 20-year-old trying to heal from a loss my family and I experienced, so I coped in ways that would not be deemed safe, ate terrible food, rarely slept, and found ways of ill-health that made me realize nothing can change what happened. With the depression, lack of self-care, and increasing concern of self-harm, I found myself in the emergency room with a death note that my intestines were "failing" and I had over a foot of "rotted intestine" they could not remove due to the malrotation from my birth defect. So, the doctor handed me a list of "high-fiber foods" that I annoyingly crumbled up and threw away. With my deep-rooted anger and stubbornness, I used it to change my diet. When I truly started to LISTEN to my body and stop ignoring the fact that I felt like sh*t all the time, something in me changed. 

I "got a grip" on myself, cut out the processed foods, ingredients, and friends, and started eating WFPB and GF, which drastically made a difference. After my first abdominal reconstruction surgery in 2016, I started my search for a "nutrition job" that I could make a career. I had no idea that dietitians existed until I found a Bachelor's degree program near me and close to the hospital, so I applied, and that's where the journey of being a nutrition professional began. 

Within the same year of graduating, I lost both of my grandmothers, which sent me to a very dark place, and I ended up learning that for myself "passion comes from pain."  I booked a flight to Indonesia to teach nutrition education, and while I was there, I read the book "The Four Agreements"; it was exactly what I needed at that time in my life. Funny enough, I had the book for several years and never touched it. I learned the power of thoughts, inner strength, and healing when I was there, which also led me to find Tai Chi and Qi Gong, which I pursued when I returned to the States. After returning from Indonesia, I felt more alone than ever, turned off by the Western world, and could not relate to anyone, which led me to get even more connected with the "yucky" parts I stored away within me. 

Through the journey of self-healing and awareness, I significantly isolated myself, and the fiasco in 2020 did not help, as I was working in a hospital and completing my dietetic internship and did not want to risk exposing loved ones or losing hours. I struggled a lot with depression, feeling like everyone else knew their purpose except for me, without realizing that everything I was doing was my purpose. I found a deep curiosity for spiritual connection and mindfulness that led me to obsessively listen to recordings from Ram Dass, Don Miguel Ruiz, Michael A. Singer, and Alan Watts (I am more of a book listener than a book reader, so Audible is a good friend). I found a calling to go to Peru in 2022, which helped me connect with the patterns of behavior and inner healing I had been searching for through outside sources rather than my own source within. 

Okay, great story... but what does this have to do with nutrition, and how can I help you? 

We've all had the belief that going on a fad diet, a cleanse, eating more apples, or avoiding all the sweets we love would miraculously change our self-image, but in reality, nutrition and diet are just one part, although a powerful part, but just one part of the road to true healing. 

With my experience, I have found that an integrative and functional approach to long-term health and healing is the key. All the modalities of physical health, mental health, gut health, and spiritual health are what make the journey worth discovering. Even if you are an atheist, you must believe in yourself, or you would not be here, which still means you believe in something. Therefore, when I sit with someone who has uncontrolled diabetes or allergies to almost everything, they are often frustrated that the conventional approach of looking ONLY at their diagnosis and not the root cause is not helping. I applaud conventional medicine for its impact on acute complications and emergencies. As we say, do not go to a naturopathic doctor if your arm got chopped off or you were in a car wreck. (I am not a doctor of any kind, by the way, although it is a goal)

Instead, what I am focused on is the root cause approach. Is the reason you binge because you had no control over your trauma or circumstances growing up and found control by over-eating? Are you constantly hungry because you do not eat nutrient-dense meals, which leads you to crave sugar more often? Do you have issues with diarrhea because you have an overactive nervous system that has led to your diagnosis of IBS? Do you have a stressful or busy job/life that makes it hard to eat lunch daily or make dinner, leading you to skip meals and snack on processed foods out of convenience? These are just examples, and we all have a root cause. So, my goal is to make the difficulties of changing behaviors and habits less of a stressor that we avoid and something that we can work with and make more manageable in our daily lives. 

Through my health and mental battles, I have found a reason to be here, which stems from my main goal as a kid: to help others and educate them. I may not have all the answers, but I am passionate about continuing learning, growing, and healing, which only feeds my goal. 

I am not saying all this to make it sound like I found the key to happiness and eternal health, as I, too, sometimes think, "What the hell am I doing? What is the point?" when seeing how the world is and how much further I have to go in my journey.  Yet, I say this to help you see my reason, as I was not just handed the "lightbulb" moment of where I am now. Life is hard, and having the right people and professionals in your corner can make a difference. 

My areas of interest and growing expertise: 

• Continuing education 
• Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) 
• Licensed dietitian (LD) in Arkansas and Oklahoma 
• Master of Science in Clinical Nutrition with an emphasis on functional and root cause approaches to health 
• Outpatient dietitian with over 3 years experience and over 8 years experience in the nutrition field 
• Food allergies and gut health 
• Gut-Brain Axis 
• Diabetes 
• Nutrigenomics and genetics 
• Nutrition education and research 
• Early life and pre-pregnancy nutrition 
• Systemic health concerns ~ liver, thyroid, gut, brain
• Hormones and autoimmune diseases 
• Tai Chi and Qi Gong 
• Meditation with emphasis on neurodynamic breathing 
• Hypnotherapy and cognitive behavioral therapy 
• Writing blog posts with cited research 
• Making smoothies 
• Vollmond Kays founder est. 2015
• Drinking tea (if you haven't noticed from my pictures) 

Thanks for visiting and investing time and love into my site. I always try to improve it, but I do not have robots working for me, so it will take some time. My main goal may be education, but it is also to create a safe space where people can allow themselves to address the root cause of their issues and begin healing; no matter how difficult it can be, you have all the power within you, and I truly believe that, but it does not mean you have to do it alone. 

Kindly, 

Kayla 

I went on a 3+ year social media hiatus and have no regrets. 

I may activate my IG and get on TikTok in the future, but for now, you can find me at: 

FB: @vollmondkays 

Website: www.vollmondkays.com 

IG: @vollmondkays 

My books are closed for appointments, and I can only take on appointments through Cherokee Nation; if you have established care through CN, you can request a referral via the Muskogee Clinic, TRHC. Updates to follow. 

DISCLAIMER AGREEMENT: I understand that the information provided on or in conjunction with this website, including dietary recommendations and/or supplement advice, is not intended to substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment that can be provided by my physician, therapist, licensed dietitian or certified nutrition specialist, or any other licensed or registered health care professional.