What qualifications do you have?

  • Certified Life Coach (Health Coach Institute)

  • Certified Health Coach (Health Coach Institute)

  • Mindfulness and Meditation Instructor

  • B.S. Engineering, UW-Madison

How long have you been doing this work and how did you become a Life Coach?

My adventure of personal growth began with my experiences living abroad - first as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Tanzania, then as an English at a Buddhist monastery in Burma, where I was first introduced to meditation. I recognized meditation to be a powerful tool for my mental and emotional wellbeing, so my next step was to commit myself to full-time immersion in philosophy, psychology, and spiritual practice by living for two years in meditation centers in Thailand, Cambodia, and India.

Life then introduced a formidable challenge for me – chronic pain. It affected my whole body, and forced me to return to the US, where pursuing medical care became the center of my life for the next 15 years. Despite working with 70 doctors, 30 rounds of physical therapy, and dozens of treatments, my condition only worsened. My internal strength, emotional balance, and deep resilience was forged by these long, hard years. I learned to live with and accept extreme limitations on my capacity to physically function and participate in life. I learned to focus on and be grateful for what I did have, and that that was enough.

After over a decade of failed treatments, I connected with a group of medical professionals who were able to accurately diagnose and effectively treat my condition. That four-year journey of recovery had its own set of extreme challenges. I underwent further deep shifts in my mindset, added new powerful tools for mental and emotional well-being, and arrived on the other side of recovery as a new person, with a profound enjoyment of the simple pleasures of being alive in a functioning body.

During my years of chronic pain, people often said to me, “You should be a Life Coach!” When my recovery was far enough along, new doors of career exploration were open to me, so I decided to pursue a Life Coaching certification. Given my own journey of personal growth, and my background in meditation and mindfulness, it seemed like a natural fit for me.

My training in Life Coaching offered me yet another surprise. I approached it as being my own first client, and it fueled a further transformation in me. I began to step confidently into my own beauty and presence, and recognized the deeply transformative power of my coaching program.

I’m excited to help you feel supported, inspired, and fulfilled. I’m eager to share my passion with you and ignite your own transformation.