About Me

I'm a "chill vibes" perfectionist. The kind that works hard to make it look like I’m not trying or not taking things too seriously, but I am absolutely trying and I do take things seriously. Unfortunately, I have experienced pretty serious burn out trying to keep everything smooth, calm, and effortless in my personal and professional realms. There have been periods in my life where I was consumed with internal conflict and felt deeply stuck but didn't get the support I needed because, among other reasons, that would expose imperfections in my life that I wasn't prepared to face fully. When I was younger I powered through these periods and developed some grit along the way that has certainly served me but ultimately I moved out of those periods lacking the skills and awareness necessary to prevent them from recurring and they did, in fact, recur. As I got older, the recurrences became harder to power through. I was adding wonderful yet complex components to my life, career aspirations, a committed relationship, home ownership, babies, etc., but sheer will and grit couldn't keep up anymore and I started feel stuck in the recurrences until they weren't recurrences they were the norm. Ultimately I found myself in a place where the stars of timing and desperation aligned and I submitted to the vulnerable truth that striving for effortless perfection was not actually yielding perfection, it was yielding exhaustion, anger, shame, and disconnection. I needed help and I was ready to accept it. Through coaching and therapy I learned that I was operating on some questionable beliefs. A big one for me is, I need to be perfect but I need to make it look like I don't need to be perfect, even though I do, in fact, need to be perfect (YIKES!). I started reshaping my beliefs, and over time, something shifted. I get it now, I truly believe that I don't need to be perfect. Old habits die hard so there will always be plenty of work to be done around this belief and others that do not serve me any longer, but I am far more aware when my old beliefs start informing my actions and clear on how to help myself from falling into those beliefs. 

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I say all of this to clearly state that I've been stuck and I know what that feels like. Despite having the experience and education to help others, helping myself was a challenge I needed to face with the support of other professionals. The work I have done for myself was guided by people outside of my orbit that helped me see things from different angles and develop more effective strategies for progress and growth. I offer the same for my clients and take a relational approach to working with clients that is informed by therapeutic modalities, coaching frameworks, organizational psychology, and my professional and personal experiences. 

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The majority of my career has focused on people-centered work. Prior to pursuing my MSW and landing in the world of coaching and therapy I held a variety of professional roles. I graduated law school but never pursued becoming a lawyer, I took an alternative route and took a role as a fundraiser and then as a case manager for a homeless shelter. A few years later I transitioned into HR and finance for a mid-sized family owned company and in 2014 my husband and I along with our business partner purchased a franchised moving company in the DC metro area where I focused on HR and marketing. At times, we employed over 100 people and through the highs and lows of this experience I developed more clarity around how I wanted to work with people moving forward. I also learned that I am an entrepreneur at heart and I love that I now have a career path that feeds that part of me while also feeding the part of me that is passionate about helping people grow and develop.

When I am not working I enjoy a good brisk walk and travelling when I can, I read books from a wide range of genres, and I am not above reality TV - especially Survivor, it's a delight and fun to watch with my kids. My friendships are very important to me and I some of my most relaxed moments are sitting around with my closest friends laughing, mostly at our own expenses. My husband and I have been married 15 years and he is the ying to my yang. Together we have 3 boys ages 14, 11, and 9. The relationships I have with my husband and children are the most educational experiences of my life. I have learned hard lessons about myself through them, I have learned to embrace our differences, and  I am currently learning a lot about what I imagine it feels like to live in a frat house. I hope the learning never ends and I know the learning is getting easier which makes space for me to be more present and grateful for what I have. My life isn't perfect, but it's pretty damn good. A lot of that is about the luck of the draw, but I can give myself and the people in my life some of the credit too. ​

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Education

Indiana University, MSW

University of Iowa, JD

Indiana University, BA - Political Science