WHO I AM

I'm a mother to two amazing, determined, caring girls who give me the chance to practice respectful, positive caregiving every day. I'm also a partner to a kind, loving, intelligent, hilarious man who has helped me learn to accept myself just as I am.

I feel most like "myself" when I'm helping others live easier, more peaceful, connected lives. I'm a firm believer in aiming for balance in all things, and being ok with falling short of that goal. 

My Story

I received my PhD in Human Development and Family Studies (HDFS) with an emphasis in Couple and Family Therapy from Michigan State University in 2014. While pursuing my doctorate I worked as a Couple and Family Therapist in the state of Michigan helping families navigate difficult times. My research focused on how marital and family relationships influence parenting and child development. I continued this research at the University of Wisconsin-Madison as an Assistant Professor of HDFS and UW-Extension as a Early Childhood and Parenting Specialist.

While I loved my work as a new professor, I found that I missed working directly with families. However, I also felt nervous to leave a path that I had been planning and working toward for so long. And then, while pregnant with my second daughter I was in a life-changing car accident and I started to ask myself new questions: 

Who are you as a parent? Who are you as a partner? Who are you as a person?

What do you want from this life?

I didn't know the answers, but I did know that I wouldn't find them in academia. And so I left. I took time to heal and re-discover my passion in life. And then I started connecting with parents online and in my community. I invite you to explore these questions too; on your own, with a loved one, or possibly with me.

What I Do

I help individuals, partners, and co-parents become the parents they are longing to be. I help parents reconnect with themselves, each other, and their children. I help parents bring ease, calm and JOY back into their hectic and chaotic lives. I help parents stop yelling and start feeling confident in themselves. I do this through my unique approach to parenting that is grounded in research and driven by the overarching goal of restoring balance to families.

Becoming a parent changes us and often leaves us lonely and lost. I help parents find their way and, in the process, find themselves and each other.