My Story

I was 25 years old, kneeling on the edge of adulthood, wishing my life would miraculously shift and I would no longer feel the deep pain I was in. I had been in the grips of addiction for the past 10 years at that point. I was at a crossroads - one way I turned, I was staring at the face of a young man who had built an impenetrable internal fortress. An identity that had shielded me from reckoning with my internal demons. The other way, I saw a wounded, vulnerable child who was in need of attention and love.

Sitting that day with the excruciating existential dread that most addicts I’ve encountered go through, a flash of clarity pierced through the dark webbing of my consciousness. The veil of illusion was being lifted and in this rare moment of lucidity, I saw that the life I was living was no longer serving me or anyone around me. This was a turning point in my life where I finally committed to the challenging road of recovery ahead.

I know now that a certain Grace brought forth a new vision of purpose in that moment over 13 years ago. I had gone through the cycles of addiction to understand the reasons behind human suffering. I had been taught through my experience the emotional, psychological and spiritual mechanisms of pain and trauma, so that I can gain the ability, vision and willingness to help others escape the painful cycle themselves.

I am extremely grateful for my past experiences, as they have shaped my perspective and provided a spaciousness to relate and empathize with the human experience more intimately.

Since my journey out of addiction in 2012, I have invested an extensive amount of energy into the study of my mind and body, leading my life with curiosity about myself, the world and others. It has been an honor helping others along the way as well. My experiences have taught me patience, to lead with presence and compassion, and has given me the capacity to listen and create space for someone to share their own stories.

One of the greatest gifts we can offer someone is presence. 

Our attention is our greatest currency, but

Often the pain feels too great that we squander it to the Almighty Distraction. 

What would we have to face if we put down the things that keep us from seeing, 

From feeling everything that we are made of. 

What would we have to face if we turned toward each other.

Maybe the biggest misstep society has taken is the miseducation of how to remain still. 

To open to our experience of being alive. 

To see the the love we have inside. 

The longing we have inside. 

The despair we have inside. 

The loneliness we have inside.

The funny thing is,

We forget all of this in the daily grind

Isn’t it wild that we forget.

Maybe life is just many moments of forgetting, then remembering. 

But once we remember…

Education and Training

M.A. in Psychology

Columbia University

Spirituality Mind Body Institute

                                                                                              

IFS Level 3

IFS Institute

Trained and Guided under: Richard Schwartz, Mary Kruger, Robert Falconer, Chris Burris, Ann Sinko, and Mariel Pastor

IFS Group Therapy

Healing Circles Training 2024
Trained under Chris Burris 
                                                                                              

IFS Couples Therapy

*IFIO Training in September 2025*