About Me
In 2016, my life changed dramatically when I was diagnosed with a chronic illness and experienced chronic pain, upending my long career in leadership development with LGBTQ communities. I struggled at work until I eventually left my job due to disability, and felt lost, hopeless, and alone.
The purpose, structure, and meaning I derived from my career and the fulfillment in my personal life as an able-bodied person was gone, and I was left with grief and uncertainty about all aspects of my life.
Over time, I developed social connections with people managing chronic illness, new hobbies and ways of having fun that enhanced my health, and strategies for a new kind of productivity. I also experienced a personal reckoning with chronic illness that helped me find tremendous peace and a tenacious drive to find meaning and joy even in these difficult circumstances.
I believe in the innate capacity of all people to build resilience, heal, and thrive, even amidst great suffering.
My Somatic Coaching practice is designed to guide you through a process of transformation and growth in connecting with your body, identifying what you most want for your life, transforming your automatic reactions to stress, and building embodied resilience.
My background in Social Work counseling, domestic and sexual violence counseling, leadership development, and anti-racist organizing provide a robust framework from which we can explore your career and life goals.
I integrate and utilize a number of approaches and schools of thought, including Somatic Coaching, Pain Reprocessing Therapy, Somatic Internal Family Systems (IFS), and Polyvagal Theory. I believe in tailoring my approach according to each client’s concerns, challenges, and unique cultural backgrounds and identities.
Credentials:
Certified Somatic Coach, Strozzi Institute for Somatics Certified Pain Reprocessing Therapist Certified in Integrative Somatic Parts Work Trained in Polyvagal Theory with Deb Dana Masters of Social Work and Master of Public Administration Degrees, University of Washington