I help you be the best version of yourself and show up fully— without perfectionism or self-criticism.

There’s a tradeoff we unconsciously make— we sacrifice our authenticity for what we think is belonging. We either feel like we’re not enough, or like we’re too much.

Well into my 20s, I would have gladly sanded off all my rough, angsty, frustrated, weirdo edges, just to feel “normal.” The saddest part of this bargain is that it resulted in making myself very quiet. 

Perhaps you can relate?

So many of us make ourselves energetically small, quiet, “good,” and play whatever role we are given as perfectly as possible. We believe it’s safer on the sidelines, because no one can hurt us if we don’t try anything we aren’t already good at. We try really hard to minimize what we need or want from others, believing if we can quiet the inner voice of discontent, we can maintain our relationships — no matter how dysfunctional— which feels preferable to being alone.

When I started seeing a therapist for the first time in my late 20s, she introduced me to the Enneagram.

Around the same time, I got involved in advocacy work that involved door-to-door canvassing, where I heard story after story about how people’s suffering interfered with their capacity to be active in our community. I started thinking about how I could help on a larger scale, and decided to pursue counseling as a vocation. 

We all need help becoming our truest, best, most enlivened selves. I’ve had to dive into my own therapeutic growth work to become an effective counselor, and I’ve had many excellent teachers along the way. 

Everything I learn, I use. I’m constantly adding tools to help myself, and you. 

One of the most powerful tools I’ve uncovered is my own inner compass.

The best path to transformation has to include finding what is deeply and authentically yours. As similar as we might be, we’re also incredibly unique. What works for me might not work for you. 

Years ago, I read a couple of advice columns that have always stuck with me, and recently, at 43 years old, I got my first tattoo inspired by them. It’s a sharp knife, surrounded by mountain laurels (the flowers I’m named for). It reminds me to bring my whole self along… the sharp edges, the blossoms, the tension of being both tender and fierce. It helps me remember the power of authenticity, and that it takes time, effort, and support to find the most genuine version of ourselves.

You don’t have to get a tattoo to work with me. But in my office, I won’t let you be anything but your whole, messy, wonderfully complicated self.

(You can read more about my tattoo here if you’re curious.)

MY VALUES

  • INTEGRITY

    Living with integrity, to me, means being in alignment with Self (as the individual portion of the energy that suffuses all life); feeling, thinking, and acting as the most whole version of ourselves.

  • COMPASSION

    Deep understanding of our humanness; having love and care for all things and all beings; acting with profound respect for Self and others.

  • GROWTH

    I believe we tend toward growth as a natural process of removing inner and outer barriers to change; furthering our understanding of ourselves and each other; and practicing humility and learning.

  • JOY

    Cultivating and celebrating good feelings and experiences. Joy is an inherent part of the human experience in various forms: laughter, glee, delight, happiness, contentment, bliss, comfort, connection, belonging, dancing, singing, and more.

  • COMMUNITY

    I believe in the idea of Beloved Community—there is no outside, no “away,” nowhere that we do not belong to each other. It’s therefore our responsibility to cultivate knowledge of each other, the environment, and all beings; to practice care and tending of each other, and to be in right relationship.

a little more about me

  • I’m almost always rotating through a sparkly water, half-caf coffee (or a decaf vanilla latte), and my regular water. I also love a good cup of tea before bed—favorites are Bedtime, Steep & Mellow, or Breathe Deep.

  • Current: check out my Goodreads account

    Favorites:

    My Grandmother’s Hands by Resmaa Menakem

    The Complete Enneagram by Beatrice Chestnut

    Hard Laughter by Anne Lamott

    The Wisdom of Your Body by Hillary McBride

    The Wild Edge of Sorrow by Francis Weller

HERE’S HOW WE CAN WORK TOGETHER