AJ is a former elementary school teacher of more than 30 years. She made an unplanned early exit from teaching when the joy of helping kids learn in a relaxed, fun atmosphere was replaced with a stressful environment and endless testing. Always a lover of children's picture books, she turned to Dr. Seuss's HOORAY FOR DIFFENDOOFER DAY! for a fun way to relieve her students' test stress. Remembering a phone call from her best friend over 15 years ago, where her friend shared that she & her husband had just opened their home to a sweet, young foster girl dreaming of finding her forever family and were looking for help getting her to eat vegetables, AJ decided this was just the inspiration she needed to try writing her own children's picture book. Realizing she had come across quite a few veggie hating students over the years, the entertaining story she had planned evolved into a mission to bring that same LESS STRESS - MORE FUN philosophy to help families enjoy more nutrient-dense foods and get on a path to better health. With SAMANTHA JEAN'S RAINBOW DREAM and the PLAYBOOK from Samantha Jean's YUCK-to-YUM Club, she's put together FUN, FAMILY FRIENDLY strategies to help easily add more plant-based foods to their diets and more healthy years to their lives so they can live the lives they've envisioned - WITHOUT deprivation or the need for willpower. Also included in the PLAYBOOK are links to the best practices of health experts and pediatric dietitians & nutritionists - ALL IN ONE PLACE! When AJ is not helping families get on a path to better health - ONE FRUIT & VEGGIE AT A TIME, she's loving: time with her family (which includes her sweet pit bull, Cali), morning nature walks with friends, her husband's mouthwatering cooking, music, laughter, travel, the great outdoors, learning & creating new things, eating colorful fruits & veggies, as well as ice cream, AND discovering the simplest ways to get the best results - ONE BABY STEP AT A TIME.
