I knew at a very young age that stress impacts the body. I watched it manifest and unfold in so many family members. I saw what it looked like when people didn’t figure it out. Like most children, I thought I would never be that dumb.

By eighteen, I knew I wanted to be as far away as physically possible, so I left with nothing but a suitcase full of shoes and my first month’s rent paid. Those first few years fell into place nicely, almost like a reward for surviving, fueled by a mindset of I can do anything.

What I know now is that 'can' and 'should' are very different things.

Over time, the fear of knowing how truly terrible the world could be eventually caught up with me. The fearless, capable young woman slowly turned into a terrified mom, making decisions driven by everything she had already lived through.

I spent years avoiding the things I knew I needed to face until I eventually ran out of options. Then I spent years talking about what I needed to heal, until there was nothing left to say. And then, honestly, I was just angry.

Yes, hormones were a factor. I was in my mid-thirties at this point. But deep down, I knew I already had many of the answers. I just didn’t know how to piece them together.

For a while, I wandered, searching for the right label, the right explanation, the thing that would finally make everything click. Eventually, though, I stopped chasing transformation and started focusing on small steps and realistic goals. Slowly, the anger subsided, and what felt like brand-new skin emerged.

For the first time in decades, I gave myself permission to actually feel.

That was the beginning of my return to a career in health and wellness. Ironically, it was where my career had started years earlier, working in health and wellness software, but this time the work felt personal. Human. Grounded in lived experience instead of performance.

I spent nineteen years in financial technology, typically with companies of fewer than twenty employees, focusing on product development and customer service, most notably at MINDBODY, though there were several incredible, lesser-known companies too. I loved the challenge of improving the small-business owner experience and finding ways to make their interactions with the company feel truly world-class.

Two months shy of twenty years, I knew it was time to walk away.

I pursued my MS in Health and Wellness through American College of Healthcare Sciences and am currently a candidate for both the NBHWC credential and a PhD in Integrative Health (Class of 2031). During my master’s program, I used nearly every writing opportunity I had to explore mental health, burnout, hormones, gut health, and the many ways stress reshapes the body and mind.

It was through that writing that I realized I was meant to help guide others.

You can usually find me volunteering around McKinney Independent School District, on the StairMaster or strength training, meeting friends for coffee, or reading a book.

I’ve proudly called McKinney home since 2014 and have immersed myself in everything this community has to offer.

This year, I will self-publish The In-Between, a guided therapy journal inspired by something I searched for during my own healing journey but could never quite find, so I decided to create it for others.