What I Believe
Living well and living with a health condition aren’t mutually exclusive.
Wellness is incredibly personal and encompasses the physical, mental, emotional, social, and spiritual. It is about so much more than just managing symptoms. Living a whole life while facing health challenges is possible and you get to define what that looks like. My role is to help you envision and nurture your own wellness – and to hold hope with you that you can still grow, dream, and flourish even in the face of a new diagnosis or long-term health challenges.
You are already so very resilient.
Think about all the challenges you have faced, the hard times you have come through. You discovered ways to cope, adapt, and even integrate those experiences into your story. Resilience - just like worth - is inherent. No one can take it from you. Sometimes it’s like a small pilot light that’s there all the time, but might be hard to see. Together we can cultivate attention to your own resilience and then fan its flames, bolstering your creativity and incredible flexibility while rooting into your deepest values and self-compassionate persistence.
We thrive when we connect intentionally with others and ourselves.
We are not made to go it alone. The journey is much more manageable (and even joyful!) when we have others to encourage us and celebrate the wins with, no matter how big or small. Thriving also means finding ways to connect to our own selves -- body, mind, and soul.
Mindful and expressive movement are powerful paths to healing.
Through it we can ease physical pain and stress; strengthen and reinvigorate the body; and discover new ideas, approaches, and ways of moving through our days (literally and metaphorically). Movement of body and breath is a sacred space in which we find, reimagine, connect, and commune with our authentic selves.
Every person’s journey is unique, winding, and uncharted.
There is no one right way forward. (Let’s acknowledge that this might feel like a relief, infuriating, or a mixture of both!) Life with a chronic health condition has an extra layer of unpredictability. While I can’t promise you those ups and downs will go away, I can help you find ways to navigate the twists and turns along the way with more ease, confidence, and self-compassion. I am a guide and collaborator with my clients, so our work together is never prescriptive and always responsive to the specifics of your life.
Rest is an act of resistance and radical self-care.
Truly restful activities are those that refresh, restore, allow us to relax and feel supported. We frequently consider them "treats" and many of us have been taught that rest must be earned or indicates weakness. These myths harm us all, especially people at the intersection of oppressive systems, such as racism, sexism, and ableism. Rest is a human right (not a privilege) and foundational to whole-self health.
You are allowed to be right where you are.
If you are exhausted or grieving the loss of your “old self,” that’s OK. If you are not making progress in objective ways (as defined by yourself, providers, or others in your life), that’s OK. Together, we can nurture hope and joy while also holding space for big feelings (I know those well!) and the hard stuff. This is one of the main reasons I shifted my practice and approach away from rehabilitation toward resilience. I believe you can connect deeply with yourself and to meaning and purpose, right there in the midst of the mess. And you are not defined by your productivity. Even on the days when nothing gets checked off the list, you are still worthy of love and rest.