My Story...

Growing up, I was the undiagnosed AuDHD eldest daughter of a dysfunctional and abusive family. I would have been a trauma bingo champion!

I knew that if I didn't want to end up like them I would have to actively learn a different way of being. 

In my early adult years I became more intentional about understanding how humans work and how to create a reality that was different from what had been modelled for me. I slipped in and out of burnout for years.

I tried therapy (you can read about that less than stellar experience here), read books, took classes, and found my own path towards wellness and healing. 

So many of the things I learned didn't seem to apply to or work for me. So I started to adapt mainstream recommendations to fit. It was a lot of trial and error but I learned so much that I eventually started coaching.

First wellness coaching, then creativity, then life and performance coaching. Bit by bit, with bullheaded stubbornness and my love of learning, I worked hard and built a life so much better than I ever could have hoped for as a kid. 

And then it all came crashing down...

I spent my 31st birthday in bed, overwhelmed and exhausted. I was in burnout again, but this time felt different. I didn’t know it yet but I would spend most of the next 16 months in that bed. 

A hug from my 5-year-old son felt physically painful, and the noise of him playing was unbearable. I could barely eat, shower, or even watch tv. I couldn't wear makeup, jewelry, or 90% of my clothes.

My eyes burned with tears of shame as I shuffled the ten feet to the bathroom and was left gasping for air. I had to sit down on the bathroom floor so I wouldn’t black out. What had happened to me?

A year earlier, my life seemed perfect. I was healthy and active. I had a successful coaching business, a happy family, and we had just bought a house. One of my favorite parts of the day was walking my son to preschool and back and getting excited about plants, bugs and rocks together. 

Then, one night, during a familiar argument with my husband, I had a realization: I needed to end my marriage. 

I felt the truth of it in my bones. I sobbed with frustration and grief. I thought about how it would destroy the life I had created and how it might affect our son. 

Trying to imagine that future felt overwhelming and impossible. Even after all the healing work I had done, I didn’t feel safe enough in my body to take that big leap into so much unknown. 

So I ignored it. I doubled down on the path I was already on and told myself if I just put my head down and worked harder, everything would be fine.

The amount of energy it takes to live a life that isn’t right for you is soul sucking. 

By my 31st birthday, everything fell apart. My business collapsed. My health and energy disappeared. I disconnected from my goals, relationships, and identity. Every day was a fight just to survive.

I felt like a failure and a phony. I couldn't recognize myself anymore.

And in the depths of that exhaustion and illness, I discovered I am AuDHD and chronically ill. And everything finally made sense. 

I threw myself into learning everything I could about neurodiversity and the nervous system. Which was surprisingly difficult since most info about autism and ADHD at that time was about kids! 

And there was almost nothing about my chronic illness except that there was a 50% chance I would never be able to work again and less than a 5% chance of full recovery.

My stubborn side wouldn’t let me feel hopeless and frustrated for long. I spent the next two years regaining my health by becoming my own guinea pig.

When I was 33, I started coaching again, focusing on neurodivergent clients. My approach became more holistic, as I realized many of their struggles (including executive dysfunction) were linked to the nervous system. 

That year I walked more than 1100 miles. 

I learned a new way to create and achieve by trusting my natural rhythms and instincts instead of pushing, anxiety, and stress. 

I shifted my whole life to fit who I really am and what my soul was calling me to, instead of playing small or fitting a mold.

I beat the odds! I created a life of health, connection, and impact by embracing my own neurodivergent magic. And I’ve helped hundreds of clients do the same.