About Me
My Story
For a long time, I knew something in my marriage wasn’t right. I called it “unhealthy,” minimized it, and kept going—until I didn’t.
I left my marriage after 6 years, when my children were 3 and 5 years old. I was warned—by society and by my former spouse—that leaving would lead to judgment, financial instability, regret, and emotional damage to my children. I chose to leave anyway. What followed were berating messages, accusations, and attempts to destabilize me. I never regretted leaving—but I was surprised by what came next.
About a year later, I wasn’t “better” in the way I thought I should be. I felt anxious for the first time in my life. I found myself yelling at my kids for the first time. And I was deeply confused—because I had left. Everything was supposed to be better now.
Around that time, I stumbled upon a free masterclass on co-parenting with a narcissist. I didn’t really know what the word meant, but I had been called one —so my initial thought was, Perfect. I’ll watch this and send it to him. Since I’m the narcissist, maybe this will help him.
What I didn’t expect was for my world to shift.
Every behavior I couldn’t quite put into words. Every moment of self-doubt. Every confusing interaction—it was all being explained clearly and without judgment. For the first time, I felt seen. I wasn’t broken. I wasn’t failing. I had been in an abusive relationship and didn’t know it—because I had been taught to accept that kind of behavior.
That realization set me on a path I’m still on today.
What I later learned was that my anxiety and reactivity weren’t signs that I was falling apart—they were signs that my nervous system finally felt safe enough to come out of a long-standing freeze response. After years of survival, my system was learning how to feel again.
As I began healing, I often heard, “Heal yourself and your kids will heal too.” Part of me resisted it. I was angry that my children still had a parent who dysregulated them. I worried constantly about their emotional wellbeing. And yet, as I continued my own work, I couldn’t ignore the changes I saw—in them and in myself.
The messages from my former spouse no longer hijack my nervous system. I stopped questioning my reality. I learned to trust myself again.
Through parts-based and trauma-informed work, I also came to understand that this didn’t begin in my marriage. I believed I had a “good” childhood—and in many ways, I did. But I began to see the patterns: how love felt conditional, how my needs were minimized, how I learned early not to trust my internal signals.
I always knew I was worthy. I just didn’t feel it.
Understanding why allowed shame to loosen its grip. Compassion replaced self-criticism. I became the steady, attuned caregiver to myself that I had always needed—and that worthiness became something I could finally feel in my body.
My Work & Philosophy
I don’t believe people are broken. I believe their nervous systems adapted intelligently to survive.
My work is somatic, trauma-informed, and grounded in neuroscience. We focus on nervous system regulation, parts awareness, and building safety in the body—not forcing insight, catharsis, or change before any part of you is ready.
My approach is slow, collaborative, and consent-based. Autonomy, pacing, and choice matter here. This work is not about fixing you, reliving your story, or pushing outcomes. It’s about helping you understand your internal patterns, loosen what no longer serves you, and reconnect with yourself in a way that feels grounded and real.
My work is also informed by lived experiences of complex grief, ambiguous loss, and attachment without reciprocity—experiences that don’t always come with clear endings or social permission to grieve.
I bring both lived experience and ongoing professional training into my work. I am continually studying, learning, and expanding my toolbox because human nervous systems—and human lives—are complex.
Areas of study and ongoing interest include:
Trauma and attachment
Nervous system regulation & polyvagal theory
Narcissistic abuse, coercive control, and domestic abuse dynamics
Parts-based / IFS-informed approaches (not trained by the IFS Institute)
Hypnosis & Brainspotting
Neurodivergent clients
Grief and loss
Pregnancy, birth, postpartum, and gestational surrogacy
Youth mental health & crisis prevention
Positive parenting, trauma-informed parenting, and inclusive education
Special needs support & play-based approaches
If any part of this resonates, you don’t need clarity, confidence, or hope to begin. Curiosity is enough.