About Pathways to Thriving

I have always been awed by the remarkable capacity of human beings to heal and grow, even in the most difficult circumstances. But my belief was shaken when chronic pain and a traumatic brain injury (TBI) disrupted every part of my life.

TBI fractured my identity and functioning. And it made it hard to manage the slew of chronic health conditions I’d already been living with for years. My endless search for medical solutions did little to “fix” what felt so broken, and pushing through just brought on more symptoms. Trapped in a mind and body that didn’t feel like mine, I was stuck in survival mode, overwhelmed by pain and helplessness. Then I encountered a powerful question that changed everything:  

                   Tell me, what do you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?

These words from Mary Oliver’s poem “The Summer Day,” jolted me into recognizing that my limitations didn’t have to define me – I could choose how I responded to my circumstances. I confess that I was a little freaked out at first -- I had no clue how to make my stripped-down life resemble anything close to “wild.” But I knew one thing: I was done treating my one precious life as a joyless struggle to merely cope. My family and I deserved to thrive. 

Instead of dwelling on loss, I began to explore what was possible for me now. In a therapeutic journaling workshop, I learned life-changing science: that writing with intention could harness my brain’s neuroplasticity-- its ability to change in response to my thoughts, emotions, and experiences.  I was thrilled to see that, over time, I could rewire my brain to support feeling and being more hopeful and purposeful. 

Here was my way forward. I set out to learn everything I could from neuroscience, psychology, mindfulness, and other fields about strategies for self-directed healing and growth. And I experienced the benefits of transformative practices like:

• Therapeutic Journaling & Expressive Writing helped me reframe my struggles as opportunities for growth, strengthen my voice, and shift my narrative about what was possible for me.
• Amherst Writers & Artists Workshops connected me to creativity, confidence, and community, reinforcing that my words, my experiences, and I mattered.
• Positive Neuroplasticity Training taught me to mine my daily life for positive experiences and turn fleeting moments of contentment and coping into lasting traits like resilience, hopefulness, and self-trust.
• Positive Psychology showed me that despite my cognitive and physical challenges, I also had personal strengths I could cultivate and use to manage my difficulties with more ease;  I was not broken but whole, vibrant, and capable of growth.
• iRest® Yoga Nidra Meditation provided tools to meet uncomfortable thoughts, emotions, and sensations with curiosity and acceptance, allowing me to cultivate inner peace and experience more compassion for my body and mind. 
• Pain Reprocessing Therapy gave me simple yet powerful somatic and cognitive strategies to calm my autonomic nervous system’s stress response, and retrain my brain to stop triggering my overprotective, misfiring neural pain circuits. 

As my own vitality grew, I became determined to help others understand that they, too, could influence their health and well-being far more than they’d ever imagined. Since then, I have vigorously pursued training and education to support my continued growth and equip me to help others take charge of their wellness. 

I share my “surviving to thriving” story to give you an idea of the commitment and experiences that inform my work as a health, wellness, and pain recovery coach, writing workshop facilitator, and meditation teacher. 

But your unique path to thriving is entirely yours. It would be an honor to walk beside you as you chart your course from where you are now to where you long to be, a privilege to be a compassionate partner and guide as you clarify your vision, connect with your innate wisdom and strengths, and take meaningful steps towards creating the life you want. 

Contact me to schedule a free discovery call. Come to a writing workshop. Share your story. Ask yourself: What do you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?

I’d love to hear your answer!