About me

A little background

I’ve been lucky.

From a young age, my parents taught me how to be self-disciplined and organized. These skills quickly set me apart from many of my peers. I was often called “smart” in school, but I knew that a lot of my success was due, in large part, to a high level of self-organization and focus.

After graduating as valedictorian of my class, I used these tools to build creative strategies, habits and routines to meet the challenges that came in adulthood. These, along with hard work, helped me to accomplish some non-traditional but very fulfilling paths.

Some achievements I'm proud of

Teaching English in post-war Kosovo at 18 years old
Acceptance to a highly prestigious art school
Creating, showing and selling my own art
Earning my master’s degree while working
Publishing a comic essay in an academic journal
Starting a coaching practice that has helped people with learning and language differences to succeed in college and beyond

When I dreamt of these things, I did not have the resources to attain them. But the skills I learned from childhood helped me to find creative solutions, and, eventually, the resources followed.

Some challenges I have faced

These tools have also helped me to successfully manage some very difficult challenges. Here are a few.

I've had to maintain focus and discipline to find the right treatment for 10 years of chronic pain due to an injury. This injury changed the course of my career several times.
As a military spouse, I've had to manage a household, more than one job, and a long distance marriage during sometimes sudden deployments.
Changing careers, which required me to work more than one job while going to school, and balance personal, academic, and professional commitments.

What I've learned

What I’ve realized as I’ve lived and worked through these different experiences is that many people were not taught the disciplines that I was. These include:

organizing daily routines and personal space
thinking long term
setting clear goals
maintaining focus and self-discipline
building practices for creativity
making space to love learning

I have been lucky, yes, but much of my luck has been based on practical, learnable, skills gained at a young age and practiced over a lifetime.

What I'm passionate about

My passion is sharing the tools and strategies I have built through my own experiences and education with anyone feeling stuck on their own journey. I've done this through my art, my teaching and my coaching.

My core motivation is a love of learning more about people and the world. I truly enjoy discovering methods and strategies alongside people that help them to grow and build their own pathway to success as I build my own pathway.