“Our deepest epiphanies start with raw feelings we don’t yet understand.”
— Tig Notaro
I coach because adult development is just as important as every other developmental stage.
A decade ago I was dealing with anxiety and mild depression (even though that’s not what I would’ve called it). I knew that I was overworked, and had a really hard time setting boundaries, especially at work.
Once I first learned how to work with my emotions, I was amazed. The insights were so profound. The spaciousness and freedom was so tangible.
Why had I not been taught this sooner?! How is it that was in my late 20s without the slightest inkling of how to navigate my own internal world?
After years of trying to make myself to do things differently, I was now setting boundaries, ending relationships that weren’t right , and genuinely expressing myself. All without endlessly agonizing over it.
I realized how much growth can happen long long after we’ve left formal schooling. And how it benefits everyone around us. I dove in, learning as much as I could and setting up my coaching practice.
I would love to share this experience with you. We are all continually growing, we just need the right support.
How is this different from therapy?
Great question! I use a lot of therapeutic approaches in my work. And working with some therapists (e.g. those who practice using somatic experiencing or IFS) might feel a lot like working with me.
And I have worked with clients who immediately see more shifts working with me than they did in years of talk therapy. This is because I only use approaches that I have seen reliably get to the heart of what is going on and actually repair it.
I also will not be analyzing you. If you report having anxiety, for example, in a particular situation, we will work with it, but I won’t be diagnosing you.
My approach
I work with approaches that support your ability to be clear on what you need. I’m not here to tell you what’s best for you, but to help you unwind from all the noise around whatever it is you’re working on.
I trust that connecting to truth (not what we think the truth should be) is healing and can untangle a lot of things in life. I also know that connecting to truth can be confronting and requires a lot of safety. Once we are safe enough to explore, the clarity can be very settling. My goal is to provide a space that is both safe and honest.
We would be a good fit if…
You tend to be a high achiever.
You put a lot of heart into your work. You’re an idealist, and you care about doing good work and supporting those around you.
You have an intuitive sense for what people around you are needing, but don’t always know what you need
Background & Resources
Coaching education
After my New Ventures West coaching certification, I refined my coaching practice by incorporating approaches that connect people back to their own sense of knowing (vs. analyzing them from the outside and giving likely misaligned advice).
These approaches support the integration of physical, emotional and spiritual aspects of the person’s life.
Aletheia Coaching
2019-2020
Completed levels 1 and 2. Aletheia brings a blend of Internal Family Systems, Somatic Experiencing, Focusing, Breathwork, among other practices into one coherent framework. This approach is deeply transformative and weaves together the latest of neuroscience with ancient spiritual and philosophical practices.
New Ventures West
2016-2017
Complteded the year-long Integral Coach program. This approach to human development blends evolving knowledge fields and established wisdom traditions to cultivate depth and aliveness.
Professional Background
I know what it’s like to work in high pressure environments.
I also have a deep background in behavioral science and analysis. In many ways my coaching practice has evolved beyond these tools, but they were my first entry into adult development.
2011-2022
People Analyst/Program Manager, evaluating the efficacy of various internal programs, including hiring, perf, promotion, and exits. Deep dives on employee survey data as well as preparing external data releases. Presenting findings and advising senior leadership/executives on ways to structure and improve people programs.
New Zealand Ministry of Education
2009-2011
Central Forecasting and Modeling Unit, forecasting student numbers and budgets for the Ministry.
Inspiration & Teachers
My practice is on-going and evolving. These are some of the amazing people I’ve learned from and who inform my work. Many of them I only know through their writing and content.
I share this as an acknowledgement of those who have laid the foundation for my work. I would not be who I am today without their influence.
I currently reside on unceded Nisenan land. I acknowledge this in an effort to resist the erasure of Indigenous presence today and to resist the avoidance of the on-going genocide and land theft by white American settlers. I offer gratitude for those who cared for and continue to care for this land.
The unpacking of my identify as a white cis-woman has paralleled my education as a coach. Just as I acknowledge the original caretakers the land I reside on, I also acknowledge the intellectual and spiritual predecessors of color that have shaped who I am today, many of whom are Black women. It is through the teachings of the following folks that I have come to understand my identity and what that means in this world. I acknowledge this with deep gratitude.
Thank you to bell hooks, Audre Lorde, Angela Davis, Lama Rod Owens, Paulo Freire, Arundhati Roy, Robin Wall Kimmerer, Laticia Nieto, Assata Shakur, Joy Harjo, Malidoma Patrice Somé, and so many others.
I also am grateful for the work of the following folks who I regularly draw inspiration from Steve March, Gabor Maté, David Bedrick, Ashleigh Warner, and others.
Resources
Some mine, some from others!