My story…

Childhood sexual abuse and bullying (by kids and teachers) didn’t just shape parts of my life—they shaped all of it. Every choice I made, every belief I held about myself, and every direction I took was influenced by those early experiences.

I spent years feeling like I didn’t deserve anything, even though deep down, I was always trying to prove that I did. But no matter what I achieved, nothing ever felt like it truly belonged to me. I was running from myself, chasing something that could feel like the real me but never quite finding it.

Even as I found success in work and as a parent, I still felt disconnected from my own identity and purpose. I was trapped in the roles of victim and survivor, unsure how to move beyond them. When therapy and traditional approaches didn’t bring the change I needed, I took matters into my own hands. I earned a B.S. in Psychology and an M.S. in Mental Health Counseling, specializing in Trauma and Crisis Counseling, hoping I could finally find the healing I was desperately searching for.

At 49, after a failed marriage, I found my first true love. For the first time, I felt whole. But just five years later, I became a widow. The grief hit harder than anything I had ever experienced—it was my emotional rock bottom.

And yet, that heartbreak fueled my determination to find true healing—not just from the traumas of my childhood, but from the pain of losing the love I had finally found. That fire led me to dig deeper. I refused to give up.