I first began my career in social work and the helping professions at the age of 16, working as a nurses’ aide in an assisted living facility. From there I took a winding road through the study of music education and trumpet performance, along with psychology, with an emphasis on developmental psychology, to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music and Psychology. My study of music and psychology led me to an interest in working with people in a holistic way that includes self-expression through music, art, storytelling, movement, and nature. I went on to earn a Master’s degree in Social Work while working full-time in special education and elder services, followed by full-time work in in-home and outpatient community mental health.

Alongside my professional journey, I was also exploring my own relationship with movement and yoga. After almost ten years of engaging in a personal yoga practice as a way to reclaim my body, heal from purity culture and religious trauma, and manage chronic illness, I took my first yoga teacher training. My experience with yoga and movement as a healing tool led me to explore the research behind movement and embodiment as a modality for healing trauma, through which I discovered the Center for Trauma and Embodiment and Trauma Center Trauma Sensitive Yoga.

I am also a firm believer in the power of the natural world and the importance of our connection to nature and animals. I am the proud mom of a rescue dog named Janie (you can learn more about her here); and when I am not meeting with clients or practicing yoga, I enjoy hiking with Janie, hanging out in my backyard, exploring the beaches of coastal New England, traveling, reading, and taking care of my houseplants. I am eager to bring my love of the natural world into my work with clients in new and exciting ways through my current training in Ecotherapy with Southwestern College’s New Earth Institute, based in Santa Fe, New Mexico.