This would not be a true and authentic About description without some of the stories that kept me bound and I needed to overcome. You will see them peppered in here.

Check out my podcast here and learn more about these stories. 

Raised in Saugerties, a small town in upstate New York, nestled by the Catskill Mountains, I will always feel a special connection to nature. A love of travel became ignited when I became a nanny in Cork, Ireland, at the age of 17, to a family I am still very close to. When it came time to choose a degree, I debated between Psychology and Elementary Education up until my senior year of college.

I ended up getting a degree in Elementary Education from SUNY Oneonta with a minor in Educational Psychology and concentration in Psychology.

Story that bound me and I had to overcome: It is better to become a teacher and get the security, schedule and retirement than to follow your dream of being a counselor/psychologist. Thankfully, I corrected my course and went on to …

the University of Florida in Gainesville where I learned counseling skills from some of the greatest professors in the counseling field. UF and Gainesville will always be a chapter of my life that makes my heart smile.

I received a Masters of Education and a Specialist degree of Education in both Mental Health Counseling and School Counseling and Guidance.

The love of travel and expressive arts took me to Granada and Sevilla Spain where I took Spanish and Flamenco courses and eventually lived in Spain and taught English to Spanish children. Among many magnificent lessons of that chapter, I am most grateful of the first-hand experiences of living in a foreign country where their language is was not mine and I was humbled by being an immigrant in a foreign land.

Story that kept me bound while I was in Spain was the false belief that my Spanish isn’t good so speak more English than Spanish. I have a basic/survival/conversational level of Spanish, had I broken through this story, I would have advanced in my Spanish speaking abilities.

After my travels in Spain, I returned to the United States, first living in NYC for a hot second and eventually settling in the Boston area. When I first moved to Boston, I was working with the same language institute that I was working with in NYC. This continued my travels, taking me to Japan and Thailand. My career journey then transitioned to working at Bunker Hill Community College for an incredible organization that helps Internationally Educated Nurses become licensed nurses in Massachusetts.

Story that kept me bound during this time: I was so afraid of leaving the financial security of higher education despite the fact that I knew how much I wanted to be licensed in Psychotherapy. Insert lots of money stories here.

When my father passed away, I used it as a huge motivation to follow my dream of becoming licensed and I took the leap. I worked for a behavioral health agency and counseled people ages 3 to 60 at home, in schools and in the agency. I also ran Dialectical Behavioral Therapy groups in the agency. Mixed into all of these experiences, I learned the art of Reiki and became a certified Reiki Practitioner.

In 2016, one of my BIG DREAMS became realized. I began my private practice journey as a Psychotherapist which I am still doing today. I see individuals and couples and love what I do. My private practice is in South Hamilton, Massachusetts.

In 2021, I started my podcast to forge my dream mission of helping us all Illuminate the Stories that are Binding Us so we can step forward into our dreams and a life of joy, bliss and healthy relationships.

In January of 2024, I expanded my practice to include coaching and couples intensives where the knowledge from my book Illuminating the Stories that Bind Us, can be applied.

Another career dream fulfilled is hosting retreats and I have hosted a number of retreats including personal and corporate. I co-founded ic3 consulting with Dayna Wood of Integrative Counsel. Dayna and I have hosted corporate retreats that use Imagination, Mindfulness, Creativity and Brain Science to help organizations engage more employees through creative collaboration, emotional intelligence and heart centered practices. In 2016, Dayna and I collaborated and hosted an Imagination Retreat on Anna Maria Island. For that retreat, stressed out professionals were invited to de-stress and reconnect with their hearts through creative expression, healing arts and nature. In 2022, I held my first performing arts retreat-life festival in Rockport, MA, called The WOW STAGE (Weekend of Wonder Supporting Total Artistic Growth Expression) where participants were invited to use art, music, song writing, movement and voice to illuminate their stories and break through them. Yoga, music, dance and healthy food complimented the powerful event. I derive a tremendous amount of joy from writing, speaking, and other forms of creative expression. The only thing better than that is providing opportunities where others can do the same in a safe and non-judgmental environment. What Jimmy Fallon (also from Saugerties) does for celebrities on his show, I want to do for the "non-celebrities". I believe we all need the space and opportunity to connect with creativity and expressive arts. The second WOW Retreat is planned for September 2024.

I love to cook and I am happiest when I can share my homemade food with my beloved family and friends with music surrounding us. (I have been known to host a karaoke party or two). I adore my husband who is truly my soulmate.

There are too many stories that kept me bound when I was dating and before I met my husband to list here. Just know I had to overcome many. You will have to check out my book for those juicy details. Some of them are on my podcast too. For anyone out there with a dream to have a loving and healthy partnership: Don’t lose faith, it will happen.

I feel like I won the jackpot being surrounded by his family, including his two sons (my stepsons). His family is loving and kind and supportive and treat me like I am their own. They are smart and talented too! My family of origin, niece and grand-niece are a bit scattered between New York, the Mid-West and Florida. They are loving, sensitive, smart and funny! I'm on the mission to have a tradition of annual family reunions with them in different places. The last one was in the Outer Banks of North Carolina.

My husband and I have two fur babies Misty and Rosa. We are all pictured in the photo to the left. You can see them on my Instagram channel too.

I am grateful and feel blessed to live such a fully-expressed life. Thanks for reading this Bio and hope to learn more about your story too!