The Joy Coach

My childhood and adolescence is speckled with what I have now come to know as ‘trauma.’From a young age I realized I had a choice, a choice to take responsibility for me, or to relive the legacy of my past.My journey into personal development and self-awareness started my sophomore year of college. I discovered books like, ‘The Alchemist’, and ‘Conversations with God’.

As I developed strategies to cope with my internal scars I hopped on board the ‘Positive Thinking’ train and elegantly used ‘positivity’ to repress and bury my shame, guilt, insecurity and self-loathing.

I felt good, I looked good, I won awards at work for, ‘Most positive employee of the year… and to some degree I did walk the walk. But somewhere deep inside I was still very sad, lonely and felt misunderstood and insecure. On the outside I was the life of the party, I was who you wanted to hang out with to have a good time, my positive attitude was infectious and exciting and as I was lighting the people up around me, but I was dying inside. I used drugs and alcohol to mask my insecurity, I used drugs and alcohol to facilitate the deep connections with peoples I so desired but was too ashamed to seek out sober. I was not a ‘miserable drunk,’ cross that idea out of your mind and think of something way cooler and more fun. I was a ‘party girl,’ a jet-setter,
I was ‘FREE’ but in reality I was a slave to my insecurity.

I maintained this identity until the birth of my eldest daughter. The story started unraveling a couple of years prior while working in the music and entertainment industry, but once she was born and my friends were all still partying and I was NOT, I questioned everything about myself. If I am not THAT, all that I had come to identify myself with for 15 years, then WHAT AM I? The question shook me to the core and lacking answers I fell deeper into what I now as an extended period of ‘clinical depression.’

So what changed? The trigger to get help was survival. I could not offer my two young children the love and support they needed (I truly wanted to give them) unless I got myself under control. Lack of sleep, post-partum hormones and depression lead me down a path of extreme volatility and rage, on good days I made it through the motions like a robot avoiding any and all social interaction with little to no awareness or care for my surroundings. On bad days my silence was interrupted only by outbursts of rage or tears.  I was a visitor, an onlooker on my own life. I went to a doctor and got started taking anti-depressants and anti-anxiety medication.

I felt that medicating my suffering away was not the solution for me, (though I pass absolutely ZERO judgment on those who do choose that).

MASTER PRACTITIONER OF

Neuro Linguistic Programming, Hypnosis and Mental Emotional Release®

(Trained and Certified by Dr. Matt James, The Empowerment Partnership Board Certified by the Association for Integrative Psychology)

Reiki Practioner 

(Certified by Mychal A. Bryan)

Non-Violent Communication Practitioner  

I come from a pedigree of therapists and social workers. For years I ran from my calling. But I’m HERE NOW. I’ve got some qualifications and Ill get more… but that’s not why you will want to work with me.

I’ve spent years practicing what I preach, learning from the ground up. I am a master in my field, not because of credentials but because of life-long passion and dedication to enrich and improve myself.