I love supporting people in their relationships with others and their relationship to themselves.  In my own journey from a people-pleasing perfectionist to an authentic and confident woman, I have learned the value of showing up for people as I truly am and having compassion for myself along the way.  

 

As a child, I was known for being lively, joyful, and a natural leader, and I loved connecting with people.  However, early family trauma led me to rely on perfectionism and people-pleasing as my coping strategies.  For many years up through my early career and romantic life, although I appeared successful on the outside, I felt insecure and afraid on the inside.  I changed and hid myself to fit what I thought other people wanted me to be, especially in romantic relationships.  

 

Through coaching, therapy, and self discovery I found a career that allowed me to be my authentic self.  After studying psychology and art at Bates College  I found my passion for teaching art and pursued a Masters degree in Art Education at Columbia University.  I went on to teach children, teens and adults in public and private schools and even created my own school where I was able to help students bring their ideas to life through art.  Many of the skills I learned in my 10+ years of teaching art I use today in supporting my clients create the relationships, careers and lives they want.  

 

As I became more authentic in my career, I also learned to be myself in relationships.  I found friends that I could be myself with and experienced how much more connected and genuine those relationships could feel and I realized I wouldn’t want to be married or in a serious relationship with a person if it meant not being my true self.  This new way of being led me to meet my husband, whom I have been married to now for 10 years.  Together, we have grown, experienced career changes, death, disappointments, highs, lows, and overcome challenges, learning how to communicate effectively, enjoying each other and staying connected along the way.  

 

My life changed again in a huge way when I gave birth to my son.  Taking care of my son gives me so much joy and purpose and I am experiencing a bigger love than I knew was possible.  This new role made everything in my life and work more meaningful.  It is also very challenging and with that I could feel my people pleasing and perfectionist tendencies come back up and I have used the skills that I gained over the years to notice and come back to myself to be the parent and person I want to be.  

​

Having a child also shifted my priorities around time and my career.  While home on maternity leave with Ezra I was able to do some soul-searching and contemplation and I decided to embark on a new chapter in my life.  I made the shift from teaching art to pursuing my passion as a relationship and personal development coach.  The seed of this idea began before my son was born when I started to realize that what I love most about art teaching is helping people create things they didn’t know they could and to make their ideas a reality.   I began to think that the way I can be most impactful in people’s lives was to shift my focus from helping people create art to supporting people in creating more fulfilling relationships, careers and life experiences.  After overcoming some of my own struggles in relationships and with finding my new identity as a parent, I feel a passion to help others along their journey.  I had begun coaching before my son was born alongside teaching art and coming back from maternity leave I felt ready to make this my main focus.  

 

 I began the path to become a Certified Life Coach with ICF accredited Lumia life coach training and gained more tools for helping people create the life they want.  I love being a coach and connecting with people authentically and establishing a safe and supportive space for my clients to explore their thoughts and feelings. Whether my clients are struggling with relationship issues, career transitions, or personal development goals, I am able to create a space where they feel heard, understood, and empowered to take action.