“Dance like no one is watching. Sing like no one is listening. Love like you’ve never been hurt and live like it’s Heaven on Earth” ~ Mark Twain.

About My Work

My Story

Unique Approach

I am passionate about life and living it to its fullest, and about helping others do the same.
My eclectic background has provided me with a broad scope through which to offer a unique, holistic approach that crosses many lines of thought and focus. Previous to coaching, as a Licensed Professional Counselor I worked with clients primarily from a Cognitive-Behavioral perspective, helping them become aware of limiting thoughts then learning to make shifts that ultimately created changes in behavior and increased success in daily living and relationships.

After counseling for over 13 years, I learned therapeutic massage and energy work and enjoyed helping others achieve physical and energetic balance. My training and experience allow me to help clients with postural, sleep and functional adjustments for specific physical complaints, and energy healing helps as well. Many years post-counseling, I began to miss working with clients to create emotional changes, and began my coaching direction.

My coaching is focused toward helping clients decrease stress, anxiety and overwhelm, develop healthy coping strategies and identify and reframe limiting beliefs. This incorporates developing self-compassion and self-love.

Walking My Talk

In addition to continuing education courses, I have attended numerous classes and workshops focused on mindfulness, energetic balance, stress management, reframing and thought shifting, as well as personal growth courses and retreats to help me become a better helper and guide and to enjoy my own life more fully. I have a daily meditation practice that keeps me centered and my nervous system calm and has been most helpful to mitigate my own HSP sensitivities.

When I am not helping others achieve their goals I am generally exploring the outdoors by foot or kayak, cross country skis or snowshoes; dancing; reading; or traveling, all activities for which I have great passion and partake in whenever possible. I love life and try not to take any part of it for granted and make each moment count. I try to maintain a balanced life and lead by example.

My Journey

For as long as I can remember, I’ve been a helper, a healer and a teacher. Those haven’t all been primary in my life at all times, but I’m thrilled to have them all come together now.

As a young child I was always aware of others and curious about what they were thinking and feeling, and why they acted as they did. I wondered the same about myself. I learned early on some ways of going through life that were NOT helpful. I took it upon myself for various reasons to put others’ needs and feelings before mine and to aim for perfection in everything. I was the ultimate over-achiever, overly conscientious, overly concerned with what others thought of me.

Not only was I often the physical caretaker of my sister, who was four years younger and definitely not thrilled with the arrangement, but I also tried to take care of both parents emotionally. I recall having debilitating nausea at age 12 or 13 when I went to visit my dad, my parents having divorced when I was 10. Fortunately my mom was a good communicator and we discovered that I was distraught because I thought my dad was extremely unhappy. I had my first migraine at age 15, apparently stress-related, and had others occasionally throughout high school.

The Lightbulb Goes On

During my senior year I had a melt down. I signed myself up for every advanced placement class available, as I always had, and was working and playing racquetball whenever possible (thank goodness for that outlet). After the first day I was such a mess my mom encouraged me to talk about it and I said that I was overwhelmed and just wanted to enjoy my last year of school. In the perfect mom moment, she just said, “So what’s stopping you?” I was so sure that everyone (my family) would be disappointed in me if I didn’t do every little bit that I was capable of. I changed some of my classes, dropped one that wasn’t necessary, and I had a relaxed, enjoyable senior year.

By college, however, I hadn’t learned my lesson fully and found myself experiencing migraines again and taking Tylenol 3 with codeine so I could function in school. I finally went to a counseling session…just one was all it took for me to really see what I was doing to myself by creating so many expectations for my performance. I had my first real “Aha!” moment and from that day on never needed another Tylenol 3.

That counseling session was extremely helpful, and I had taken an intro to Psychology class, and then another. I soon changed my art major to psychology and felt right at home in that program. I loved learning why we do what we do and how to make changes in our thoughts and behavior toward the better. I earned my BA in Psychology and immediately enrolled in a Masters program and earned my MA in Counseling Psychology.

As a counselor I loved helping people come to understand the reasons behind situations and behaviors and creating change toward a better life. I loved seeing others’ own “Aha!” moments and watching them progress toward resolution and healthier choices. I acted as coach much of the time with my counseling clients, focusing on letting go of the past, identifying and changing thoughts and creating plans for making changes. I also helped many clients with relaxation training and mindfulness exercises and creating less stressful lifestyles. I developed a drive toward wellness, and helping others realize it. Wellness is a bit of a catch-phrase these days, but it truly is such an important goal, and state of being.

Full Circle

Now as a coach and energy practitioner, I help clients identify blockages and unhelpful thoughts and beliefs and access their higher selves. Helping people achieve their own “Aha!” moments and recognizing what’s possible is so rewarding. I also love that I always end up learning something from my clients; I truly believe that we should always be learning and moving forward.

After a couple of years of coaching I realized that I was attracting primarily Highly Sensitive clients and recognized that there was a real need for helping HSPs to navigate their sensitivities in our chaotic world. As a Highly Sensing (Sensitive) person myself, I love helping others to awaken to their full potential, including HSPs who are learning that their sensitivities can be moderated and even become their Super Powers.

Live, Love, Laugh, Learn.

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