About Me

I have my own set of lived experiences, but primarily, I’m a fellow traveler on this human journey.

I’ve been shaped by profound relationships, including partnership and motherhood, church-based/religious experiences, my personal spiritual journey, and by years of holding space for people who are healing their minds and tending to their hearts.

I completed my graduate degree in counseling in 2013 and went on to work in a range of mental health treatment settings, including residential treatment and outpatient clinics. Eventually, I opened my private therapy practice, where I worked with clients navigating anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic symptoms.

Prior to graduate school, driven by a need for relief and space to make sense of the pain I was in, I had begun my own therapy journey. I was struck immediately by how helpful and generative my weekly sessions were, and I wondered about the mechanics of the process — how exactly this time I was spending with a kind, smart stranger was helping me… because it clearly was. The genuine, skillful support of another human helped me find courage to face what was noisy inside me, and I began to integrate my painful experiences and find new perspectives. I discovered new ways of relating to myself, others, and life itself. Openings. Slowly, I felt more free, less pressured, more myself and more present in life.

That inner journey continues for me, and I continue to be deeply curious about and enlivened by the ‘how’ of our inner lives… what supports humans feeling well and whole, experiencing congruent, authentic lives — and in particular, the role of helping relationships in nurturing that inner wholeness, congruence and authenticity. I’m so thankful to have found wise and loving support along the way, both personally and professionally.

I grew up in Iowa and attended an evangelical church throughout my childhood. I went on to Bible college for the first two years of my bachelor’s degree, after which I married and transferred to another Christian college, where I completed my liberal arts degree with emphases in Bible and philosophy. I had my two sons in my early twenties and was lucky to be able to be home with with them for much of their early lives. I then worked in education and bopped around trying to figure out what I wanted to do professionally, which included completing a year of law school at Arizona State. A divorce and some deeply painful experiences around that time were catalysts for starting therapy in my early thirties. I had been diving into literature from the Jungian/depth psychology tradition on my own for years, but I was astounded by how transformative the experience of intentional relational support actually was, especially from a depth-oriented perspective. I was grateful and inspired by how much it had helped me, and it motivated me to pursue my masters degree in counseling.

I also discovered yoga around this time, and found it to be another great support for me. It helped me quiet my mind and connect with my body. I later completed yoga teacher training. I continue to practice yoga regularly.

I’m fascinated by the science and spirituality of connection, and the real power of the human heart as the home of connection. I’m moved by the inherent sacredness of genuine relational presence. We continue to discover just how interconnected all of life truly is, and I’m excited for us to keep learning.

One of my gifts is a drive to take life — and the big questions — seriously. And so, of course, one of my areas of growth is learning the opposite… discerning how and when I don’t have to take it all so seriously! I’m very thankful for all the humor in my life today, day in and day out. Yes, please — tell me the joke, send me the meme!!

One of my gifts is a drive to take life — and the big questions — seriously. And so, naturally, one of my areas of growth has been learning the opposite… discerning how and when I don’t have to take it all so seriously! I’m deeply grateful for all the humor in my life these days — day in and day out. Yes, please — tell me the joke, send me the meme 😁

My focus on providing support for spiritual leaders is an integration of many important threads in my life, many of them lifelong. I’m grateful to be here and excited about the work I do.

Thank you for reading about my journey. Here’s to our shared humanity, and the journey we’re all on together!