About
Welcome to my laboratory.
Life is a living lab - a place where we can observe and experience every moment with curiosity. When we remove negativity bias and harsh judgment - of ourselves and others - we have an opportunity to deeply connect with more meaningful life experiences. We find our aperture widens, and more options become apparent. When we're living defensively, we become stressed, constrained, constricted, and unable to flex with the demands of life.
I feel this when I ride. On great days I move freely with the horse, our spines aligned and recycling energy back and forth between us. It is easy to engage and synch up. On days when the environment or just how life is going cause me to be tense, the horse also moves with tension.
Do you want to experience freedom and fulfillment in your life? It starts with awareness of what is causing us tension. We can then respond consciously vs reflexively. Often, it comes down to unspoken fears - of being mediocre, of being a failure, of being different, or not enough.
Perhaps you are a high-achiever and your performance orientation has served you well, but now you're feeling overwhelmed, burned out, and trapped. It is possible to change your experience of life even if you don't change your job.
One of my first clients put it so beautifully when I checked in with her a year after our coaching engagement concluded:
"This year has taught me that transformation doesn’t come from working harder—it comes from working more consciously, with greater clarity, compassion, and intention. It comes from recognizing that sustainable growth is possible, but it needs to come from a place of feeling empowered to make conscious choices and being a powerful, dynamic communicator. Someone who can offer clarity without judgment, and in so doing empower others to make good choices.
The work I invested in myself is having ripple effects in ways I could not have foreseen.
I feel more centered, more empowered, and more in touch with the creator in me—the part that can transform any situation into something positive, productive, and fulfilling. And that is the experience I want to share with others.
A career in tech does not have to feel like being trapped, with no way out. It can feel like possibility and reclaiming myself.
And that is the journey I’m inviting others into." ~ Product manager, Seattle
Whether you have a clinical study or quality improvement project you'd like to design, a challenging family situation you would like to work through, an unexpected career transition to navigate, or you'd like to shift gears in some other way, I would love to hear what's on your mind. The disciplines of science and high-performance coaching are both integral to how I live my life. The common denominators are asking questions and constant training. I have always been that person who questions and is always growing. Vitality is a core value. I'm thankful it is all making sense now, lol! Reach out. I am looking forward to meeting you.
My C.V. is linked here in case you are curious. And here's my speaker bio.
About
What does it mean to be a Catholic coach?
My Coaching Philosophy of Practice
As an International Coaching Federation (ICF)-certified coach, I believe clients are the experts on their own lives and work, resourceful, and whole. Standing on that foundation, my responsibility as a coach is to discover, clarify, and align with what the client wants to achieve; encourage client self-discovery; elicit client-generated solutions and strategies; and hold the client responsible and accountable. My philosophy of practice is built on the ICF core competencies and ethics, the Scriptures and informed by the writings of St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Augustine, Plato, Aristotle, Immanuel Kant, the doctors of the Church, and Pope John Paul II. I will expand upon the three ICF pillars of expertise, resourcefulness, and wholeness in describing my philosophy of practice.
Clients as Experts
The ICF believes that clients are experts on their own lives and have unique perspectives shaped by their own culture(s), identities, experiences, environments, and world views. Expanding upon this, as a Catholic coach, I believe that we are rational beings with a mind, body, and soul, capable of discerning what is good, true, and beautiful through our intellect and free will. We are Divinely created to be creators, and we are each uniquely and exquisitely made.
As an International Coaching Federation (ICF)-certified coach, I believe clients are the experts on their own lives and work, resourceful, and whole. Standing on that foundation, my responsibility as a coach is to discover, clarify, and align with what the client wants to achieve; encourage client self-discovery; elicit client-generated solutions and strategies; and hold the client responsible and accountable. My philosophy of practice is built on the ICF core competencies and ethics, the Scriptures and informed by the writings of St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Augustine, Plato, Aristotle, Immanuel Kant, the doctors of the Church, and Pope John Paul II. I will expand upon the three ICF pillars of expertise, resourcefulness, and wholeness in describing my philosophy of practice.
Clients as Experts
The ICF believes that clients are experts on their own lives and have unique perspectives shaped by their own culture(s), identities, experiences, environments, and world views. Expanding upon this, as a Catholic coach, I believe that we are rational beings with a mind, body, and soul, capable of discerning what is good, true, and beautiful through our intellect and free will. We are Divinely created to be creators, and we are each uniquely and exquisitely made.
The Catholic view of human formation is a progression through three stages: a responsibility to develop self-awareness (the ability to see ourselves objectively) leading to self-possession (the capacity to choose our beliefs and actions) with the goal of offering ourselves as a gift in service to humanity (self-gift).
All human beings carry a gift that seeks to be expressed through their work (vocation) and in the community through relationships with other human beings. We thrive when focused on others and how we can serve the larger good. We are animated by purpose and movement toward that goal. Our nervous system is wired this way! As such, work is good, and engaging in creative work is fulfilling for our souls. I help clients shape their current work and personal environments to more fully engage and express their creative impulses.
Clients as Resourceful
Building on our responsibility to develop self-awareness, I view beliefs as vectors, forces with both a magnitude and direction. In coaching, clients learn to examine their belief systems and consciously choose to modify or discard those which are no longer serving them. The habit of self-examination enhances awareness, opens the door to resourcefulness, and facilitates client growth. We are never alone in our lives. For those baptized in the Holy Spirit, an added spiritual connection offers insight and discernment during our formation process about God's will and desires for our lives, and consolation and hope during suffering. Through our faith and the counsel of the Holy Spirit, we develop as human beings to more closely conform to the perfect example of humanity in Jesus Christ.
As participants in God's creation, we interact with the spiritual realm both intentionally and involuntarily. Catholics recognize the potential for demonic influence on our subconscious, causing division, doubt, despair, and a disordered attention. This is not a realm I explore unless the client directs that exploration as a way of gaining insight and supernatural help. While I am a Catholic coach, clients need not profess any particular spiritual affiliation, and we will only explore the influence of the spiritual realm at the client's direction.
Clients as Whole
Where the ICF sees clients as whole, I also believe in a non-pathologizing view of our struggles and sufferings, and through training in the virtues we can find God's purpose for our lives. I believe that pain and suffering offers the chance to appreciate, in some miniscule way, Christ's suffering for us on the cross. While I recognize and appreciate the comfort that labels and diagnoses offer (such as anxiety, depression, ADHD, autism, OCD, ODD, etc.), I tend to avoid dwelling on any categorization of the human being that promotes a disordered or fragmented conceptualization of the human experience. To be clear, I do not diagnose or treat clinical conditions, and when a client may be better served by therapy or another professional, I suggest a referral.
Where the ICF sees clients as whole, I also believe in a non-pathologizing view of our struggles and sufferings, and through training in the virtues we can find God's purpose for our lives. I believe that pain and suffering offers the chance to appreciate, in some miniscule way, Christ's suffering for us on the cross. While I recognize and appreciate the comfort that labels and diagnoses offer (such as anxiety, depression, ADHD, autism, OCD, ODD, etc.), I tend to avoid dwelling on any categorization of the human being that promotes a disordered or fragmented conceptualization of the human experience. To be clear, I do not diagnose or treat clinical conditions, and when a client may be better served by therapy or another professional, I suggest a referral.
Modifying our behaviors and being selective about the external and internal environments we cultivate helps us promote human flourishing. We create the right kind of environment for flourishing by being attentive to our body's needs through grounding in basic physiological processes: sleep, nutrition, movement, nature, breath, and light. I help clients by offering greater awareness about how they can train physically, mentally, and spiritually to answer the call each day, whatever that is!
Coaching, in my practice, is a thought-provoking partnership on the client’s agenda that supports awareness, free choice, and the client’s own next steps. Coaching is not consulting, therapy, diagnosis, spiritual direction, confession, or deliverance. My Catholic lens is the philosophy that guides how I understand the person and how I show up; it is not a curriculum the client must accept.
My Responsibility to You
As a coach, my responsibility is to the process. That is, to create a safe, nonjudgmental space where clients can experience God's love directly, allowing them to see themselves as God sees them: as a beautiful soul worthy of experiencing love. I hold that as my belief about what a loving space can make possible; I do not guarantee or interpret that experience for the client. Through this unconditionally loving space, clients have the opportunity to explore how the forces inherent in their beliefs, whether conscious or unconscious, are affecting their lives.
Coaching, in my practice, is a thought-provoking partnership on the client’s agenda that supports awareness, free choice, and the client’s own next steps. Coaching is not consulting, therapy, diagnosis, spiritual direction, confession, or deliverance. My Catholic lens is the philosophy that guides how I understand the person and how I show up; it is not a curriculum the client must accept.
ABOUT
Science + Soul
The creators, combiners, and disruptors who find me are often overwhelmed, disheartened, and disillusioned. There is an emotional toll from deeply sensing your own untapped potential and often an ache of loneliness from not being fully seen and understood. I have spent the last two decades immersed in the world of complex, highly intelligent, creative souls as a parent and advocate for highly gifted and twice exceptional students. I truly love helping parents thrive as they create order out of chaos and impart some structure while still inviting the playfulness and improvisation that gives meaning to life.
As an intuitive scientist (epidemiologist), I have created a multidisciplinary method that appeals to complex, intense people. As a lifelong horse lover, I am quite sensitive to the energy we show up with, and this allows me to connect quickly and intuitively with clients around the world. Perhaps most importantly, I am a wife and mother, military spouse of more than 20 years, an athlete and artist, and a practicing Catholic.
„You are an inspiration and every time I get off a coaching call with you I leave with my light shining bright. Thank you for your kindness, wisdom, and love. You are a delightful human❣️”
— SMS, Executive Coach, San Francisco