"Acceptance is an act of rebellion."

- Jordan Devine 

It's hard to know where to even start…

If you want the background basics, here it is: I grew up in a small town in Southern California, got my bachelor's degree in Psychology from San Diego State University, moved to Iowa (we'll call this one a "detour"), then moved to Colorado, got married, bought a house, became a certified life coach, and started my coaching business. Boring…

The thing I dislike the most about resumes and "About Me" stories is that they tend to leave out all the juicy details. All you get are the surface level "qualifications" and not the messy bits of a person's lived experiences.

Now sadly, there isn't enough time or space on this webpage for all my messy details, but I'll do my best to share a few…

I should have been born a mermaid. It's really quite tragic that I wasn't. I grew up near the ocean, got into competitive swimming as a teenager, and attended San Diego State University to join the women's Division 1 swim team. I'm an ocean girl at heart—I like to jump into the Pacific Ocean head first whenever I get the chance, no matter how cold.

My first "big girl job" out of college was at a real estate development company where I was introduced to the corporate world. I lasted about two years before deciding I needed a career change (developing signage for apartment buildings wasn't exactly inspiring). After that, I attempted to pursue a Master's Degree in social work while moving in with my grandmother, but her Alzheimer's had progressed further than originally thought. (Fun fact: I now volunteer as a caregiver support group facilitator for the Alzheimer's Association.)

It was around this time I met my now husband, Nathan. After about a year together, a trip to Burning Man, and a two-week vacation in Thailand, he accepted a job offer in Iowa and asked if I would join him. I naively said yes, but on the condition that we live separately because I wasn't ready to live together (as I understand it, this was a relief to Nathan as well).

The Midwest was tough—a huge culture shock that got even harder when the Covid-19 pandemic started six months after we moved. So after about a year and a half, I told Nathan I wasn't going to stay in Iowa, and we found a way to move to Denver, Colorado.

… Okay, I'm realizing that it's really difficult to keep this story short.

My life has truly been a wild ride up to this point, professionally and personally.

Professionally, I've worked in a high-end restaurant in downtown San Diego, in gyms, as a temporary contract employee all over Beverly Hills, in corporate America, and in social service industries and non-profits—working with families on the brink of eviction, low-income older adults, folks with substance use and mental health disorders, individuals with disabilities seeking legal advice. I can do any sort of administrative work with my eyes closed, and spreadsheets are a love language. But I'm pretty jaded with email (don't get me started). I've also got a wide range of leadership stories… the good, the bad, and the ugly.

Personally, I've been through identity loss, ended an abusive relationship with a narcissist, navigated major moves, said YES to all kinds of travel and crazy adventures, held my grandmother's hand as she passed away, worked with my own life coach for six years, struggled with whether marriage was the right choice for me, and ventured off into the unknown to become an entrepreneur.

(It really is SO hard to keep the "About Me" short.)

But through all the chaos, adventures, ups, downs, and everything in between, I've been challenged to discover who I am without anyone else's input—to write my own rules based on what feels good and what makes me excited. I've always resisted conventional "norms" and the "status quo."

This process of self-discovery has been one of the greatest, most uncomfortable, and rewarding gifts I've ever received.