How we became G&T
Gio and I met on Facebook Dating, and from the start, our connection was different. He had a rule—if someone didn’t write him back, he simply moved on. But with me, he reached out twice, something he never did. At the time, I was about to go on another scheduled date, so I waited before responding to him. Unfortunately, by the time I did, he was out of town for work in Indiana—one week on, one week off—so our journey began long distance.
From the very first conversation, we were hooked. That first night, we talked for four hours. The next night, six hours. The night after that, twelve. We built our love affair over the phone before we ever met in person, and with each passing day, I knew deep in my heart that I had found the one I had been searching for all these years. Still, I worried—what if our physical attraction didn’t match the incredible mental and emotional bond we had formed?
When we finally met in person, we had planned just to grab coffee, but I suggested sushi instead. That first date lasted nearly 24 hours. We had our coffee, and then I had to head out of town for work in Green Bay, but I already knew—I never wanted to be apart from him again.
The day after our first date, Gio received tough news. The lipoma in his spine had grown, and his doctor now recommended surgical removal. It could have been contributing to his chronic nerve pain. Without hesitation, I headed back to town so we could start making a plan and searching for the right neurosurgeon. Once I returned to Illinois, I never really left his side. By our third date, I had practically moved in, and his home became mine.
His surgery was a success, and I was there for him throughout his recovery. We committed to getting as healthy as possible beforehand so he would have the best outcome, and it paid off. After he was cleared by his surgeon, we celebrated with a big adventure. Early in our relationship, I had encouraged him to get his passport, and once he had it, we took it for a spin—traveling to South America and Chile. Easter Island had been my mother’s dream destination, but due to COVID restrictions, Gio couldn’t join me there. Still, he embraced every other stop on our magical journey together.
As my practice, TLC, continued to grow, Gio started helping me manage it. I was struggling to keep up, especially with answering calls while juggling virtual visits. Though he had built a million-dollar roofing business and sold his share to his partners, I didn’t want him returning to that physically demanding work after spinal surgery. I begged him to become my full-time partner—in business and in life.
After a few months of working together, I asked what he thought about moving to Green Bay permanently. The constant back-and-forth travel was exhausting, and our best friend was probably tired of us crashing at her place every week. We started looking for the perfect home and clinic space, and, as if by divine manifestation, the perfect property appeared while we were on a trip. It was everything on our wish list—a home with an attached second home, ideal for transforming into the first TLC healing center.
We reached out to the Town of Scott, and once we received approval to zone it commercially, we toured the property, fell in love, and made an offer. In March 2024, we moved in and began the journey of renovating our 1940s building to meet TLC’s standards. After months of hard work and dedication, we proudly opened our doors to the public in October 2024.
Throughout this journey, we’ve also continued our own healing. I am blessed to have a partner who not only understands my struggles with inflammation but shares similar health challenges. This has made him just as passionate about healing others as I am. He met my dream team—Rhonda, my office manager, and Tori, my number one CMA—and immediately saw why they were irreplaceable to me. Together, we are building something bigger than ourselves, dedicated to healing the world one person at a time.