I bring a colorful and eclectic collection of experience and expertise to my coaching practice. I grew up as a theater kid in Southern California and studied film, the performing arts, and sociology at Sarah Lawrence College in New York. After college I returned to Los Angeles, where I worked in the film and fashion industries before moving to Seattle for graduate school. I received my MA and PhD in Communication with a focus in Critical Cultural Studies and Media Theory from the University of Washington. For nearly two decades, I was a scholar and professor specializing in interdisciplinary approaches to communication and cultural analysis. 

Then I hit that point so many others have hit before – the point of being fed up with my own nonsense. Call it “the dark night of the soul.” Call it “spiritual awakening”. Call it “a nervous breakdown.” Whatever you call it, I knew I could not continue repeating the same destructive patterns and call it a life.

I had been in therapy for many years, but nothing had penetrated beyond the analytic layer of my mind or inspired real change. I began exploring depth psychology, somatic therapy, and psychospirituality more deeply in an attempt to find the “right” path for me.  And that’s when I discovered the Enneagram. Everything changed. I studied and used the system to do my own work for many years before becoming certified as a coach and teacher by Empathy Architects.   

Now I bring my background as a teacher and mentor, as well as a love for helping others grow through increased awareness and empathy, to my coaching practice. I’m also currently working on a certification in  psychosynthesis, a holistic transpersonal psychology method which promotes deep psychospiritual and somatic work for mind, body, and spirit integration. In addition, as someone with ADHD and extensive experience working with traumatized populations in crisis centers and assault survivor spaces, I am uniquely qualified to work with neurodivergent folks and those with a history of trauma. With all of these tools, I hope to provide strong guidance for my clients as they explore their inner world, leading them through the dark forest of their psyche and into a brighter future.