My Story

My name is Tonya and this is my journey into wellness this did not begin in a classroom or through a certification program. It began through life experience, caregiving, motherhood, loss, observation, and years of learning to truly listen to the body.

I became a young mother in 1990 at just 15 years old, beginning a path of caring for others long before I realized how deeply it would shape my future. By 1997, I had four children and had already spent years learning what it meant to nurture, support, and carry responsibility for the well-being of others.

As my family grew, so did my experience in caregiving and healthcare. I worked as a CNA, caring for individuals in nursing homes, adult foster care settings, group homes, and hospital environments. I cared for the elderly, individuals with disabilities, and people who simply needed help navigating daily life. During this time, I also gained experience assisting within respiratory therapy care and saw firsthand how deeply the body, stress, illness, and emotional well-being are connected.

One of the most profound seasons of my life came while I was pregnant with my youngest child. At seven months pregnant, I was also helping care for my mother as she was dying from cancer. That experience changed me deeply. It taught me about compassion, exhaustion, resilience, grief, and the importance of human connection during life’s most difficult moments.

Over the years, my work expanded into the pharmacy setting, where I saw healthcare from an entirely different perspective. I witnessed the sheer volume of medications flowing into communities every single day. While medications certainly have their place, I often found myself asking deeper questions.

Why were so many people only being treated at the surface?

Why were symptoms constantly managed while the root causes were rarely explored?

Why were stress, lifestyle, emotional overwhelm, nervous system dysregulation, nutrition, inflammation, gut health, and environmental factors so often overlooked?

Those questions stayed with me.

My frustration grew as I watched people become trapped in cycles of medications without truly understanding what was happening within their bodies. I personally witnessed the devastating consequences of dangerous medication combinations, including the loss of a woman I once delivered medications to, as well as a cousin of my own.

Those experiences pushed me further into my own journey of learning.

I began researching the interconnectedness of the body — exploring the nervous system, the vagus nerve, gut health, stress, inflammation, grounding practices, lifestyle rhythms, herbal support, and the ways emotional and physical health influence one another. I became deeply fascinated by how the body communicates when we learn to slow down and listen.

What I discovered is that wellness is rarely about one single thing.

The body functions as an interconnected system, and often the root of imbalance runs deeper than simply treating symptoms alone.

This realization became the foundation for Stepping Stones Wellness.

I created this space to help others reconnect with themselves through grounded wellness education, nervous system support, body awareness, and simple restorative practices that feel approachable rather than overwhelming.

I believe healing and growth happen one step at a time.

One stone at a time.

This is not a place of judgment, shame, fear, or perfection.

It is a place for learning, reflection, restoration, and remembering that small intentional steps can create meaningful change over time.

Because here…

“We don’t throw stones here… we build with them.” 🌿🪨