About Me

I want to walk with you on your journey to the peak.

How all this “empowerment” stuff got started:

I spent the summer after graduating from the University of Michigan saving up for a one-month mountaineering course in the Wind River Range of Wyoming.  It started in August so I had three months to get ready for the trip of a lifetime.  So, I trained my ass off:  I ran stairs, I wore a 70-pound pack all around campus, I read up on technical mountaineering… I did all of it.

And, nothing could have prepared me for the utter wildness, the spectacular beauty, the sheer, grandiosity of the nighttime skies at 11,000 feet… And the major growth spurt I went through as every single one of my self-imposed limitations got shattered to smithereens.  Suffice it to say that 30 days later, I was a new and more empowered version of my original self and it felt freaking awesome!

After that, I dedicated my life to outdoor leadership and education, empowerment and pushing past one’s puny perceptions of self.  Ten years as a mountaineering instructor in Colorado, California and South Africa shaped me into who I am today and no doubt, helps me to work more effectively, more creatively and more experientially with my clients.

I am a different breed.

When I was 25, I moved to South Africa to work as an Outward Bound instructor at the South Africa Outward Bound School.  What I thought was going to be a year contract turned into nearly two years of living abroad in a country and culture that I knew very little about.  I could go into a gazillion tales of adventure, intrigue, romance and mystery, but I won’t.  I won’t because the juiciest bits of my time in South Africa involved the amazing gift of mentorship the Universe graciously delivered to me in the form of a powerful, little, old lady, my next door neighbor at the time, called ”D”.

What is a MENTOR?  By definition, a mentor is a trusted friend, (Spiritual) advisor, teacher, healer and guide.

As a trusted friend, she was the solace in the storms of my self-evolution.  She was whom I could turn to and rely on to hold space for all that confused or overwhelmed me.  She cared for me in mind, body and spirit and taught me the importance of learning to do this for myself.

Our friendship became one that began to heal long held wounds from my past; wounds that I knew existed but that I precociously thought didn’t affect me.  Her endless curiosity and heart-centered questions helped carved a path into the authentic me.

And through her lovingly intentioned questions and warm curiosity, D. began to teach the most amazing and foreign subject to me at that time- myself!  She managed to get past my critical mind and overblown ego to enlighten and compel insights into my relationship with self and my relationship with others.

Another area where D. lit my path was with Spirituality.  As a hard-core skeptic and cynic, and “recovering Catholic” I had little to no room for religious morality, codes of conduct and a relationship with one I couldn’t see.  I remember laughing, actually scoffing at the notion that a Higher Power even existed.  And yet, she was like the dripping water that eventually carves stone.  She became an advisor and guide starting me on a path towards a greater connection with Source where I began to understand the larger workings of the Universe at play.

I share this information with you because the mentoring that D. provided me with, forever changed the course of my life and opened me to much more than I ever dreamed existed.

I am a different breed in the world of personal transformation and self-evolution.  Trained as a therapist, I know how to deep sea dive into the very recesses of your past and help you to find the pearls.  I’m a brain geek who speaks “neural pathway processing” so you get how your brain can be both a help and a hindrance.  I’m also studied in psychological theory, “best practice” approaches and cutting edge treatments for things like eating disorders, depression, trauma and anxiety…

As an EmpowerMentor, I take all that juicy, awesome training, use it as a rock solid foundation and then combine it with my own alchemy of intuition, Spirituality, mindful presence and much more to help you transform your life for the better. 

I am an adventurous spirit.

I view life as an adventure.  The definition of adventure?   “An undertaking usually involving danger and unknown risks; the encountering of risks; an exciting or remarkable experience.”  These days, my adventures don’t take me to the mountains or wild places as much as I would like.  However, adventures of the mind, spirit, body and soul keep me plenty busy and enormously engaged.

Every day I step deeper into my own sense of empowerment and have been on this path consciously for nearly 20 years.  As a mother, wife, entrepreneur and service provider, it is crucial that I continue empowering myself with love, compassion and mindfulness.

Looking back on where I am and where I was, my journey towards empowerment and self-acceptance motivates me to support others in doing the same. Using my voice, defining myself on my own terms, and accepting all of who I am requires commitment and dedication. The way that I am in love with my life is why I do what I do as an EmpowerMentor:  I want you to love your life and embrace the journey into the unknown while standing rooted in your personal power.

The Empowerment Experience awaits you.