Our Team

Tina Modi is the Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder for Sage Wellness and Health. Tina has a deep-rooted commitment to promoting health and well-being. Throughout her career, Tina has dedicated herself to driving growth, innovation, and transformation in the healthcare industry. 

She has led initiatives that prioritize the improvement of individuals’ health outcomes and overall wellbeing. With a customer-oriented approach, Tina goes beyond traditional healthcare models by actively partnering with individuals who want to take charge of her own health. She believes in empowering people to make informed decisions about their wellbeing and providing them with the necessary tools and resources to achieve their health goals. 

Tina holds a BS degree in Chemical Engineering from Washington University in St. Louis and a Masters in Business Administration from the University of Texas at Austin. In her spare time, Tina enjoys walking her large dog, Maximus, entertaining with friends, and spending time with her two teenagers.

Cayla leads the clinic at Sage Wellness and Health, and is a passionate advocate for wellness, with a special focus on mindfulness and nutrition. She firmly believes in the power of nurturing both the mind and body to achieve optimal health and wellbeing. With her expertise and dedication, Cayla is committed to creating a caring environment for her clients, ensuring they feel valued and at ease in the clinic.

As a mindfulness practitioner, Cayla incorporates mindfulness techniques into her practice to help her clients cultivate a sense of awareness and presence. She guides individuals in developing mindful eating habits, which involve paying attention to the sensory experience of food, practicing gratitude, and savoring each bite. By integrating mindfulness into her approach, Cayla helps her clients develop a healthier relationship with food and eating, fostering a deeper connection between mind and body.

Through her own personal health journey, Cayla understands the profound impact food and nutrition has on overall health. 

Cayla holds an ABA in Business Administration from the University of Phoenix. Outside of work, Cayla enjoys meditating, podcasts, and cherishing time with her five children.

Brad is the Co-Founder for Sage Wellness and Health and has spent his life dedicated to Health and Fitness. As a certified sports nutritionist, Brad understands and appreciates what is needed to fuel the body for optimum performance. 

Brad is a knowledgeable nutrition expert who is well-versed in the latest research and evidence-based practices in nutrition, allowing him to provide personalized guidance and support to his clients. He collaborates with them to develop tailored nutrition plans that consider their unique needs, preferences and goals. Brad believes in the power of food as medicine and educates his clients on the importance of nourishing their bodies with wholesome, nutrient-dense foods, with a special emphasis on protein.

Brad holds a BS degree in Management Information Systems and Business Administration from the University of Tennessee and an MBA from the University of Tennessee. In his spare time, Brad enjoys physical fitness, cooking, and spending time with his family.

Laura Nichols was born and raised in Colorado, where she attended Colorado Mesa University, with a Bachelor of Arts degree. She is committed to blending creativity and strategic thinking to drive growth opportunities for businesses. 

Laura channels her passion for helping others on a journey towards success. She approaches each interaction with a genuine desire to understand and support individuals in reaching their goals. Her creative solutions and insightful guidance not only pave the way for business growth but also empower individuals to navigate challenges.

Outside of work, you can find her enjoying quality time with her family on the football field or unwinding on the beach, always balancing her professional drive with personal joy.

Abby is from Indiana, where she was born and raised until recently moving to Nashville.

After attending Indiana University at Bloomington for her undergraduate degree, she moved to Nashville to complete her dietetic internship at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

Abby is passionate about nutrition and its power in disease management and prevention. She loves helping people realize their potential and reach their health goals by figuring out what works for each unique person.

In her free time, Abby enjoys cooking, taking yoga and barre classes, traveling, hiking, and spending time outdoors.

Her specialties include cardiac rehab, IBD, CKD, weight management, and sports nutrition. 

Heather is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and owner of HBC Nutrition living in fantastic Nashville, TN  with her husband and 3 children. 

Heather’s passion in life is helping others feel better about themselves and to feel empowered. 

When Heather isn’t working or playing tennis she stays active through Pilates, strength training, walking, and more.

On any given day you’ll find Heather experimenting with healthy and delicious foods while learning everything she can about nutrition and fitness, and sharing that knowledge with others.

​Heather graduated from The University of Mississippi with a Bachelor of Science in Food and Nutrition and completed the Dietetic Internship at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

Her specialties include Diabetes Education, Weight Loss, Management of high cholesterol and high blood pressure, and Sports Nutrition.

With over 20 years of experience and several thousand hours of one-on-one client education, Heather is looking forward to taking your health to the next level.

CEO of The New Beginnings Center, Tash holds the distinction of Master Strength Coach — the highest honor that can be achieved in the profession from the Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Association. She has held the position of strength & conditioning coach at Vanderbilt University, Purdue University, Kent State University and The University of Tennessee. Tash has personally coached thousands of clients across a range of sports, ages and abilities and guided them all towards their full potential. Tash is a dedicated advocate for women and their abilities to push beyond stereotypes, self-doubts and self-imposed limits. She knows that health and fitness can be the very foundation to new beginnings and life transformations.  

Certifications

CSCS (Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist, NSCA)

MSCC (Master Strength & Conditioning Coach, CSCCa)

SFL (Strong First Barbell Instructor)

SFB (Strong First Body Weight Instructor)

OS (Original Strength Instructor)

FMS Level 2 (Functional Movement Systems)

PN (Precision Nutrition)

I was born and raised on the Jersey shore, about an hour south of New York City, the youngest of four daughters. My childhood was a cultural melding of my mother’s Colombian heritage and my father’s Italian-American upbringing. Their “old world” values of faith, family, and hard work were the pillars of our home. We laughed hard and loud, but when we fought, we fought hard and loud too. Traditions, stories, recipes, and trauma were passed down from one generation to the next. The problem wasn’t a lack of love; it was a lack of emotional depth. We didn’t talk about our emotions, so we didn’t learn how to manage them. We coped suppression, denial, acting out through explosions and drama, and/or  escaping emotional pain through alcohol, drugs, romantic relationships, the fantasy of an ideal life, and religion. I did what all children do: I accepted the family legacy= and took it with me to New York University to study theater. Professional success came quickly. The world perceived a promising, young talent, and I accepted the “role.” My life was a performance of “The Exuberant Young Woman Who Wrangles Life by the Horns.” I had everyone convinced.Everyone except me.The reward of success and the drug of praise weren’t enough to quell the pain I felt inside. While professional victories mounted, personal failures accrued. I knew how to play a role, on stage and off, but I didn’t know how to have healthy relationships. I was functioning with open wounds, passed down to me by loving but unhealed parents, and I was creating more. Coping mechanisms, developed to survive dysfunction and trauma, were now habits. People-pleasing, lying, burning the candle at both ends, ignoring the voice of my heart, silencing my gut’s intuition, conflict avoidance, and trying desperately to appear tougher than I truly was were my life skills. I was rarely authentic, and when I was, I was scared to death. Vulnerability and integrity were noble ideas I read about, not values I upheld. These habits were creating painful patterns in my life and relationships, and I didn’t know how to stop any of it. A split had occurred sometime during my childhood. There was the “me” that garnered the attention and approval of my parents and community – the strong, talented, impressive, secure me – and the “me” that I pushed down deep inside – hurt, afraid, confused, angry, and ashamed. My True Self and my False Self were two different people inhabiting one body. The pain was deep, dull, and unrelenting. It was the alarm that kept me awake at night and eventually led to an awakening.At twenty-three, I sought help. A desperate call to a therapist in midtown Manhattan was returned within minutes, and with that first meeting, a new path emerged before me. The work of my life changed from the pursuit of success to the pursuit of wholeness. I began exercising regularly. I changed my eating habits. Therapy, which had started as emotional triage, became a powerful tool of healing. I recall one session so well…“Nothing about me feels real. I feel like a Hollywood set: painted to look like something on the outside, but I’m really just flimsy plywood held up by 2x4s.”“Does anything feel real, Vanessa?”A long moment, then tears…“The pain,” I whispered. “Then that’s where you start.” This was the beginning of my work. I learned that my tears worked like cleansing water, washing away the mud and debris that covered who I truly was. I learned that there was a child inside me that had never changed. She was still pure, creative, playful, authentic, and brave. As we pulled back the layers of my life, I discovered a human being underneath I had somehow always known: me. Talking about the events of my past and how they created and contributed to my present changed my relationship with pain. Before, I ran from pain. I numbed it with constant activity, relationships, alcohol, and the pursuit of perfection. I didn’t realize that by running from my own pain, I was effectively running from myself. I had to learn to listen to my pain and value the human being feeling it (me), though I didn’t enjoy it. I learned how to mine it, and remarkably, ironically… I discovered diamonds. My relationship with myself changed. Instead of holding myself to impossibly high standards, I began the sacred and world-changing journey of unconditional self-love. Self-condemnation was replaced with self-compassion. Unrelenting pressure gave way to gentle self-understanding. My mistakes were no longer viewed through a perfectionistic lens of shame; rather, they were earnest but unsuccessful attempts at happiness. I was trying. I needed healthy tools for living. As the chains of dysfunction were breaking apart, freeing me to become myself, a professional shift took place. The adage says that we go from hurting to healing to helping. My passion for inner healing became my profession in 2013. For me, this has never been a strictly clinical or “professional” venture. Although I’m professionally licensed, psychotherapy is much, much more than a job. It is sharing in the process of becoming whole, and it’s ongoing.