Amy Cox, CHC, AADP | Founder

A 15 year career in the cardiology medical device field made Amy keenly aware of the need for sustainable wellness solutions to address preventable disease. This awareness became heightened in 1999, after Amy was diagnosed with an autoimmune thyroid disease and was told there was no cure. The irony of being at the height of a successful career in the medical field with no medical advice given other than to take a pill and bear it left Amy feeling unfulfilled. She believed there had to be another way.

Steadfast in that belief, Amy took a leap of faith and quit her job. She immersed herself in studying the basic aspects of wellness and suddenly her path found her. Surrounded by mentors such as James Beard award winning chefs & authors, national title winning professional sport team nutritionists, internationally renowned experts in organic gardening and holistic heath, Amy’s knowledge of sustainable farming, gardening, cooking, fitness, lifestyle and nutrition blossomed.

On the personal wellness front, Amy’s decision to forge her new path paid huge dividends. Blood work performed at the University of Chicago proves she no longer has autoimmune thyroid disease and no longer requires medication.

Wanting to empower others to feel their best, Amy sought professional training from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, where she has been trained in more than one hundred dietary theories and has studied a variety of practical lifestyle coaching methods. Passionate about using this knowledge to create an organization where wellness information can be shared, Amy created omstead. Since its inception, omstead has provided innovative wellness programming to thousands of people worldwide.

Amy has served as the President of Slow Food Chicago and was honored as a United States Delegate for the 2010 International Terra Madre Conference. In the states, she has collaborated with many not for profit organizations (such as The Edible Schoolyard Project, Chicago’s Green City Market, World Bicycle Relief, NAMI, Common Hope, Common Threads, Wellness House Hinsdale, and HCS Family Services), lifestyle brands (Johnny Was, Splendid Spoon) and countless corporate clients. She has a gift for creating wellness experiences that are approachable to all an inclusive, often finding creative ways to bridge the gap between economically divergent communities.

Amy’s spare time is spent informing what she brings to work. Vibrant relationships with family, clients & friends, warm home environments, bountiful gardens, beautiful fresh food and vivid travel experiences top her priority list. Her yoga practice reminds her to stay grounded and present in the moment. Amy has been blessed with two thriving adult daughters and a life-giving marriage quickly approaching 30 years.

Connect With Amy

“Amy took a simple idea and elevated it to a luxury selling platform. The platform included a simple implementation process, premium presentation tools, training and a turnkey execution plan. Her passion and creativity for the project and everything she does makes working with her a pleasure.”

- Rachel Moorhead | Former Marketing Director, Moet Hennessy

“I am thrilled to have had the opportunity to work with Amy on an omstead yoga retreat. She chose an AMAZING venue, and we had loads of fun brainstorming ideas and special details for a relaxing, healing, and beautifully thoughtful getaway. As the retreat yoga instructor, she made my job simple and effortless. All I had to do in the end was show up and hold space for the participants. The ambiance she created inspired my teaching, so, although I was technically working, the whole event felt to me more like a delicious, relaxing state of flow. I’d love to work with her again in the future!”

- Beverly Jane Peatross | Sattva Village Yoga, https://www.sattvavillageyoga.com/

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“Amy and the omstead community have been wonderfully generous partners to HCS Family Services and our local hunger relief work. Their creative fresh produce boxes and “Get Growing” Organic Gardening Luncheon have both helped us expand access to healthy, nutritious foods for our food pantry clients. Amy’s work is having genuine impact in our local community.”

- Stan Cooke | Executive Director, HCS Family Services, http://www.hcsfamilyservices.org/http://www.hcsfamilyservices.org/

“For the past couple of years, Amy has provided an Organic Gardening series, which our attendees have really appreciated. The workshops teach organic gardening in a very accessible way – something that people can apply whether they have a container garden in an apartment, or a have a large yard. Amy provides education and enthusiasm, and points people in the direction of living in greater harmony with our environment and the food we grow and eat.”

- Dawn Williams | Formerly of the Wellness House, https://wellnesshouse.org/

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“Amy has taught me so much in such a fun, community building way. Now I know how to plan a meal for my family or for a dinner party using quality ingredients without needing a recipe. I channel Amy when I decorate a table or invent a cocktail to add to the evening. I no longer stress over a dinner party, but rather enjoy it myself. Thank you, Amy and omstead!”

- Vicky Bush-Joseph | omstead Client

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“Whether you’re looking to improve your health and well-being, learn how to grow, prepare and preserve fresh, nourishing food or find balance in your life, Amy is a gifted coach. Working with Amy Cox is like a spring breeze after a long, cold winter.”

- Sharon Cloghessy | omstead Client

“In the three years that I have worked with Amy I have learned that in order to be at my best and to keep my best sustainable, I need to be thoughtful and considerate of my nutrition every single day. Amy has taught me that a holistic approach to nutrition is tied to my overall well being.

I have learned to make improvements in the way I was taking care of myself. The most significant overall change I have noticed is in my own self-awareness. I have more self-confidence, I feel healthier spiritually and physically. I am getting better about self-nurturing. Amy’s knowledge of the connection between holistic nutrition and over all health has had an amazing impact on me. There is fulfillment in participating in the organic nutrition programs which endures in the results I have achieved.”

- Mary Lukach | omstead Client

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“I have a recurring dream in which Amy and I are driving along when we spot a turtle on the road. I immediately pull over, because I realize Amy was destined to save the turtle. In a sense, we are all turtles… sometimes on the wrong path, sometimes in need of rescue and sometimes just looking for more meaning in life. That is the promise of Amy Cox. When you first meet Amy, you will immediately recognize her deep humanity and remarkable ability to bring out the best in you. She is at once engaging and intuitive, with a contagious zest for life. A thoughtful listener, a social powerhouse and dare I mention, a selfless friend are just a few of Amy’s attributes. If you’re looking for someone with the expertise to enrich your life, consider Amy.”

- Richard Belding | Prior Fruit & Vegetable Horticulturist, Chicago Botanic Garden