Julia graduated with a B.S. degree in Nursing from the University of Tennessee Knoxville, and in 1997, she graduated magna cum laude with an M.S. degree in Nursing - Family Nurse Practitioner. She went on to work in emergency care, urgent care, geriatrics, psychiatry, hospice, long-term care, family practice, and in several high-level corporate leadership roles. ​A native of Tennessee, Julia grew up in Oak Ridge, one of the original Manhattan Project towns, in what is now known as the Technology Corridor. Her own wellness journey began while she was working at a rural Kentucky clinic as a new NP. There she cared for her first Lyme patient and realized that traditional medicine, despite many advantages, doesn't always offer the best answers. More and more, she observed a disconnect between what clients needed and what research revealed would help—and the standard treatment for chronic and complex conditions. Curious to go farther, Julia completed training at the Institute for Functional Medicine and developed her expertise in functional mental health care, circadian (sunlight) health, and healing. It wasn't long before these pursuits prompted Julia to launch Skylight Wellness South. As chief clinician, she  embraces integrative and decentralized healthcare in order to provide lasting help and healing for men and women with complex, chronic problems, mood conditions, and addictions—including those without clear causes or solutions. Her daily work involves developing ways to apply the natural healing processes of body and mind, drawing upon the most current and effective methods available to modern medicine.