I am

I'm also a Certified Chopra Total Well-Being Coach, Certified Clarity Catalyst Coach, Positive Intelligence Coach, Chopra Meditation and Health Instructor, Art of Feminine and Masculine Presence Teacher, salsa dancer, nature lover, amateur photographer, world traveler, and proud single mom of two thriving young adults. 

But I haven't always been this put-together. I haven't always been this joyful. 

I've prospered and failed, loved and lost, and learned how to get back up again. And again. And again. 

Despite being outwardly "successful," I used to feel like a failure and silently suffered from shame and self-doubt, stuck in a life I thought I wanted but didn't enjoy. I also felt guilty for wanting more because I seemed to have it all.

I couldn’t figure out where I went wrong, even though I thought I’d done everything “right.”

In my 20s, I had life by the horns. I reached every goal I set for myself. After graduating with honors from college, I worked in Washington, DC, as an international trade and Latin American economic integration specialist. A small-town girl from Oregon, I figured out how to make it in the big city all by myself.

Yearning to be a business leader, I earned an MBA in finance from The Wharton School and an MA in international studies from The Lauder Institute, both at U Penn, then landed a coveted position in McKinsey's London office. (I'm also a recovering hyper-achiever. Can you tell?)

Just when I thought I'd finally succeeded, my life fell apart.

Soon after moving to London, my marriage started showing signs of stress. Eight months later, my son was born, followed by my daughter two years after. Wanting to be home with my babies, I walked away from McKinsey and tried desperately to save my marriage. But I couldn’t admit to anyone, much less myself, that I was unhappy.

At 32, I woke up one morning and barely recognized the person staring back at me in the mirror: I had a failing marriage, an aborted career, student loan debt, and two toddlers, while living 5,000 miles from home. I felt alone, defeated, like a fraud.

On my daughter’s 11-month birthday, ashamed and feeling like a failure, I summoned the strength and courage to finally listen to my quiet inner voice and made the life-altering, heart-breaking decision to leave my marriage. 

I'd worked so hard to achieve success, only to watch it all fall apart.

After my divorce, I focused my energy on getting my life back on track and started checking off all the boxes we're told will bring us happiness: I made my kids a priority and took them to school/dance/soccer/music lessons, attended every game/teacher conference/recital, made a gazillion healthy meals, and did a billion loads of laundry. I dedicated myself to my career, grew my family’s business, bought a 4-bedroom house, and traded my boring minivan for a sexy BMW. I also taught Zumba three times a week and even helped start a non-profit.

But inside, I still felt empty.

Being a positive person by nature, I had no idea why I was so down. After all, I had my life back, right? By external standards, I was thriving. 

So why wasn't I happy? 

Determined not to feel sorry for myself, I dove into studying personal development, read dozens of self-help books, and got therapy. I made marginal progress but still felt stuck.

Finally, I invested in doing group work with transformation leaders who taught me how to get unstuck and shift my self-sabotaging habits and mindsets.

I learned that I'd been asking myself the wrong questions and chasing the wrong dream.

Witnessing other high achievers on a journey of transforming and up-leveling their lives inspired me. Working with experienced coaches held me accountable for taking action toward identifying and living my purpose, my personal desires. Thanks to investing in myself and doing the work to get out of my own way, I finally stepped into being of service in a much larger way.

Instead of waking up heavy and tired, I now get out of bed with a calm mind, excited to start the day and full of energy. I have doubled my family’s business, tripled my yearly income, successfully launched my kids into the careers of their dreams, and mended relationships fraught with tension for years.

If I can Make Shift Happen, so can you.

Don't do life alone.

Let's get this party started!