My own very difficult healing journey has led me to the path of self-discovery and learning gentle, caring practices that help me find my balance, cultivate calm and ease inside my mind and body and show me that warm, soft love is always right here inside my heart underneath the pain, confusion, heartbreak and loss. My healing journey has involved recovery from addiction, an eating disorder, traumas, and an episode of psychosis. I have struggled through anxiety, depression, obsessive-compulsive behaviors, overwhelm and disassociation. Mental health, emotional well-being, self-expression and understanding my physical body and the needs I have as a very sensitive person are the foundation of my wellness practice now.

I love to support people on their own healing journeys to help them feel cared for and aware of their own beautiful inner wisdom. I believe when we are honest with ourselves and then share our vulnerable stories of loss, pain and struggle in loving, compassionate, gentle community, we heal. Our hearts open and release pain. Our minds can stop racing for solutions and safety. Dark thoughts begin to turn into the light of loving, inner awareness and we can feel so much better. We can make more loving choices. We can see more clearly through a heart of kindness, compassion and calm.

And when my body receives healing touch that feels safe, gentle and caring with a mindfulness component that gives my mind somewhere positive to focus, incredibly restorative and hopeful things happen inside me. I feel like the heaviness gets lighter. I find new insights arrive without me trying to force them. The frantic fears go quieter and I notice beauty and joy inside my heart. My body feels better. I smile and take a deep sigh of relief. Healing touch for me is using tactile art making practices, touching nature, receiving and giving Reiki, somatic movement and receiving and giving mindful massages.

Cultivating tactile art making practices like slow stitching with lovely, soft fabrics, painting with rich, beautiful colors that bring out my emotions, making collages with symbolic imagery that help me process memories, journaling and writing poems that help me learn to put my feelings into words and making altars that feel like visual anchors of beauty for me to hold on to are so powerfully healing and inspiring for me.

My approach to art making, Reiki, somatic movement and mindful massage is that it is all bodywork and all bodywork, for me, is heart work and mind work. They weave together holistically because that’s who we are has humans. We are amazing beings. All of us. We each have a brilliant mind, heart and body that want to be in harmony with each other. When we tend to our whole selves with intention and kindness, we can discover our capacity for relief, for joy, for compassion and for love that can be so healing and transformative.

My Education, Training, Teaching Experience and Background:

My journey has led me to explore a variety of creative mediums, healing modalities and philosophies, all inspired by my deep curiosity and need to learn and heal. Here are a few highlights:

• I am a Licensed Massage Therapist in Wisconsin and completed an intensive 10 month certification program through Everyday Bliss in Waukesha, Wisconsin in 2023.

• I have a Bachelor’s Degree in Philosophy, Studio Art and Visual Culture from Alverno College in Milwaukee, Wisconsin where I graduated in 2004.

• I am certified in Levels 1, 2 and Master Level 3 in Usui Reiki. I am also certified as a Reiki Master Teacher.

• I have completed courses in spiritual counseling through The American Institute of Health Care Professionals.

• I have studied and trained in shamanic journey work with Sandra Ingerman through The Shift Network and Michael Harner’s teachings through the Foundation for Shamanic Studies. I have also done extensive self-study of shamanic techniques.

• I have worked in the arts and arts education for over 20 years in a variety of ways and love the arts so much. My childhood included a wonderful elementary school art teacher named Mrs. Kuehn and a fun and charismatic choir teacher named Mr. Boyer who both encouraged me to create and express myself. My mom put me and my siblings in theatre and dance at a young age and allowed me to take voice lessons as a teenager. When I was in high school in the 1990’s, I was in musical theatre, choir, and got obsessed with black and white film photography. From there, I went on to study Studio Art in college, worked as a professional photographer in Minneapolis, Minnesota and in New York City. My art career blossomed and included jobs as a Studio Manager for two amazing photographers when I was in my 20’s (I’m now almost 44). I also worked as for a photography non-profit and at the International Center for Photography in Manhattan, New York. I created a little shop called Polka Dot in Saint Paul, Minnesota in 2018 that was a place of color, joy, art making and community building. There are many more beautiful and meaningful stories from all of my art related experiences!

• My teaching career has been so fulfilling and rewarding. I LOVE teaching! I began teaching in 2004 when I traveled to Shanghai, China and taught 3rd grade at an international school for 8 months. I went on to grow into becoming a freelance teaching artist in 2015. I have taught art classes to amazing, fun, vibrant children ages 4-18 and adults of all ages through partnerships with art museums, art centers, libraries, community education programs, community centers, after school programs, art non-profits and through my own company for over 11 years.