I grew up outside Chicago, and I love the humid midwestern roots that are my foundation. I took my first yoga class during college in Ohio, and I am grateful for the way it changed the direction of my life.

After graduation, I moved to Chicago and began practicing at a yoga studio 1/2 block from my apartment. I was soon working a weekly front-dest shift at Moksha Yoga Center and signed up for the 200-hour yoga teacher training. After finishing the training, I accepted a full-time position as the Associate Director of Moksha Yoga Center in 2006. My perks included free classes, workshops, and teacher training, and I took so many! I also taught a few weekly classes from 2005-2008.

I left Chicago in 2008 and traveled throughout the west, west-coast, and southwest on a quest to find a smaller community to call home. When in Santa Cruz, I was swept away by the farmer’s markets, ocean, and mountains and called this beautiful patch of earth and water my home for 12 years.

I started teaching at Pacific Edge Climbing Gym within a few months of moving to Santa Cruz (March 2009). I gradually added classes to my teaching schedule, and I am grateful for the many yoga communities that welcomed me to their teaching faculty.

From 2011-2018 I managed the Hidden Peak Teahouse. This community teahouse offers Santa Cruz a digital-free space to relax alone or with friends over a cup of tea. The simple ritual of pouring tea is a mindful and complementary practice to yoga and continues to be a source of The Pause in my life.

I joined the teaching faculty at Luma Yoga in 2017 and I am amazed at how much I grew as a teacher because of the amazing community and collaboration that flourished under those beautiful ceilings. I am particularly grateful to Valerie Moselle and Robin Penney as we worked together to build a vision that honored teachers wanting to grow their craft in a Teacher Mentorship Program. Valerie and the studio staff also supported me and the 200-Hour Embodied Insight Yoga Teacher Training that I co-hosted at Luma Yoga.

I like to do things and create, which sometimes makes it difficult for me to slow down. I’m unlearning the story that being productive makes me worthy, and I’m pushing back against learned ideas of what success is and looks like. I have been a bookworm since I was a young child, and this early love of stories has stayed with me as an adult. When introduced to the world of podcasts, I quickly added listening to my weekly reading ritual.

The colors, textures, and seasons of Santa Cruz became an integral part of my life, and I experienced their fullness in my twice-weekly trips to the local farmers market. I enjoy talking with the farmers and selecting the freshest offerings that day, and Santa Cruz offered unique abundance year-round! I enjoy creating and eating simple meals based on this local bounty and flavor.

2020 brought many unprecedented changes to our world and the microcosm of my life changed in dramatic ways. In November 2020, I moved from Santa Cruz to the Southeast for graduate school. My heart aches for the Pacific Coast with its unique micro-climates and rich communities. I graduated in August 2023 from a Master’s program in Marriage and Family Therapy at Converse University in Greenville, South Carolina. Greenville is located in the Piedmont of the Blue Ridge Mountains. I’m adapting to the hot, humid climate while diving into further studies that help me support people in holistic ways.

After graduation, I was able to study for the licensure exam while spending a few months in Santa Cruz. Revisiting the farmer’s markets, ocean, and micro-climates was a nourishing experience after the rigorous of graduate school. After learning I passed the Marriage and Family Therapy National Licensure Exam, I began building a therapy practice as part of a co-op in Greenville and am excited about this next chapter.

I love to explore how my relationships with movement, stillness, breath, nature, and community shape my life and experiences. Spending time in nature and by water (ocean or creek) and trees nurtures me, and I make it a priority to hike regularly in the deciduous forests of the southeast.