My Story

   The classes, tools, and services I provide were created because I know shame and I know insanity. I also know healing, happiness and serenity. I was raised in an extremely religious family.  I experienced physical and mental abuse at the hands of those who were supposed to love and care for me. At the age of 14, I turned to drugs for comfort and quickly became addicted. I did not find my way to recovery until I was almost 30 years old. At the time of this writing, I have marked a milestone of 17 years clean from all mind-and mood-altering substances. I share this part of my story because I know that I am not alone. Many of you have a similar story.  I share this because I believe that we can recover, that we can heal, and that we can be happy.  

   I didn’t just arrive at happiness, though. It didn’t simply happen just because I wanted it to. Even when I found serenity and balance, the journey wasn’t over. I had to work for it. I had to stay committed to discipline. I had to remain dedicated and determined. When I did heal and find happiness, I had to maintain it. 

   Healing asks us for presence and commitment. I have learned to embrace the process that comes before growth. We cannot just wish to feel better and then feel better. If we could, we would not need to be here together, right? If we do not nurture and cultivate balance and healing, we will not be able to maintain it. We could achieve the most peaceful state of being today and experience something intense and painful again tomorrow. We have to be sure that the foundation we build will hold us as life happens to us and all around us because enlightenment and growth do not stop the world from spinning. 

   This path that we walk in recovery is not always an easy one. We face our beliefs, our hurts, and our wounds; the most painful parts of our story. We also learn to accept those parts. We learn that embracing what we thought were the darkest parts of ourselves shows us the brightness of the light that we can shine. We learn about courage and not giving up, no matter what. We learn about willingness and trust. We get to experience a gratitude and joy we never thought we would know. 

   My healing process became about daily acts of care. The small actions, routines, and rituals that consistently lay the groundwork for the path forward. These practices build resilience, safety, and stability over time. They create the foundation that can hold us when life gets hard.

   We cannot heal without each other. My own experience has shown me that we heal when we feel safe and connected with others. Recovery gave me support and stability. It showed me that we are not alone, that we heal together.