"The river delights to lift us free, if only we dare let go.
Our true work is this voyage, this adventure.." - Richard Bach, Illusions
Michelangelo said the sculpture already lived inside the marble. His work was simply to reveal it. So too it has been on my journey of life. Over time I've steadily and patiently chipped away at pieces of me that don't align with the truth of who I am.
I grew up in New Jersey — a small town girl with a big voice that I didn't quite know how to use yet. From early on I learned to read rooms, manage energy, and navigate discomfort. It made me perceptive beyond my years. It also taught me to make myself small and stifle my voice. Yet, something in me always knew there was more.
At twelve I discovered my first spiritual text. It was Deepak Chopra's The Seven Laws of Spiritual Success, and something cracked open. A seed was planted that no amount of chaos could kill. I started to sense deeply into a world that resides beyond our preconceived notions.
At seventeen I packed my trusty Jeep Wrangler and drove across the country to Boulder, Colorado toward the life I wanted to build. While attending CU, yoga found me. In my first class, I vividly remember the precise moment that I received an adjustment in Half Moon Pose, and the instantaneous decision that I was in for life. After graduation, I started a Master's program right away. I could feel in the depths of my soul that it wasn't the right path for me. Meanwhile, I was absolutely captivated by the magic happening in my yoga practice, both on and off the mat, so I walked into my first yoga teacher training instead. The dots have been connecting in miraculous ways ever since.
I've been blessed enough to live in many glorious places including Venice Beach, Australia, San Diego, Oahu, and Indonesia. I have always followed the whispers of my soul, even when I couldn't name where they led. Hawaii is where I accomplished my dream to teach yoga full time. It is also where I learned how to rebuild a shattered nervous system. I know what it's like to breathe, meditate, journal, practice, and pray your way back to solid ground. I have discovered, again and again, that the light is always available- especially when it is hardest to see. That is not a philosophy I read in a book. It is my story.
In 2022, I was called back to San Diego after 11 years on my beloved island. I dove deep into Somatic Trauma Training and Plant Medicine. I got crystal clear on who I am, and what I deserve. A little over a year later I met my husband — the manifestation of everything I had uncovered. I learned that in order to receive the love I'd been praying for my whole life, I had to offer it to myself first.
My genuine enthusiasm and appreciation for the awe of life, my relentless pursuit of joy and wonder, my willingness to confront darkness with courage and faith- these are some of my greatest attributes. I am a perfectly imperfect soul, just like you. Everything I teach is part of my personal practice. I am committed to being a life of learning. The path is never linear and the work is never done, but the spiral is ever-ascending so long as we keep looking up.
I know what it feels like to sense a deeper calling and not know how to answer it, to carry weight that was never yours and to feel trapped in a box you don't belong in. This work isn't always easy, but it is always worth it. It is one of my greatest honors to walk alongside those who trust in me to help them navigate the path. If you're still here, I trust it is for a reason. The VITL life awaits. I'm ready when you are.
In early 2025, I picked up my ukulele and wrote my first original song. It simply poured out of me. The walls dropped. The inner critic finally fell silent. By the end of the year I had written eleven songs — a full album. My voice, it turns out, had been waiting all along. I'll be sharing those in time on the VITL journey.
I have a Master's degree in Psychology, Somatic Trauma Training under renowned experts such as Peter Levine, and over fifteen years of teaching yoga, breathwork and meditation. My credentials are not what make me who I am.