ABOUT ME:
Weaver. Guide. Storyteller. Disrupter. Caregiver
and I will be
YOUR BIGGEST FAN!
My Areas of Expertise Are:
Disability and Self-Advocacy
Continuing Education
Grassroots Nonprofits/ Philanthropy
Solopreneurs
Introverts/Neurodiversity
Neuroplasticity
Re-Entry/Gang affiliation/Sex Trafficking Survivors
WHY I BELIEVE IN THE POWER OF RESILIENCE
I believe in the power of all people to TRANSFORM their lives. I know this to be true, because I have done it myself, and have helped many do the same. After growing up with untreated ADD, I experienced my first major depressive episode at 16. I developed an eating disorder in an attempt to self medicate my nervous system. After a sexual assault, I dropped out of college. I quickly found solace in street life, feeling it provided the outlet for my anger and disillusionment with society. This followed with many years of destructive relationships, drug use, and gang affiliation. My life changed the day I was given a second chance by a forgiving judge who thought the best punishment would be probation until I finished a college degree and 2000 hours of community service and fines. I realized then and there my experience within the justice system was a far cry from my peers. Not only were sentencing laws different, the implicit bias informed every decision from policing to judicial process.
With self-work and support from unlikely places, I spent over twenty years in grassroots and national nonprofits working with victim advocacy, prevention programming, disability self-advocacy and antiracism activism. I co-authored Diversity Action Policies in organizations from the Girl Scouts of the USA, to the University of Oregon’s PPPM school. My Undergraduate Thesis was titled: “ Lesbian Battering, Breaking the Silence”, and Master’s Thesis: “Donor Motivations of Women Philanthropists.” With a passion for social justice, and gender-specific organizations; I used my skills in research, networking, grant-writing, major donor cultivation, and diversity and advocacy training to obtain over $350,000 in grants for local nonprofit agencies, and my first major donor ask resulted in a $750,000 endowment for empowering people with and without disabilities in South America with Dance.
After a marriage and two sons, my life took another turn. I had a string of challenging events. A divorce, poverty, disability, I thought my life was over and in fact it was. My reality would never be the same./ I wouldn’t be able to hold a desk job or move the way I used to. I would have to figure out a way to raise my family, care for my mental health and earn a living. Once again I took a risk and asked for help. This time I was able to look at the facts, accept them and redesign my life, yet again. It worked.
Instead of staying in suffering, I used my PAIN to motivate me to engage with my community and take another leap of faith.
In 2010, I co-founded a cloud based parent support network for families living with disabilities. Around the same time, I was recruited for an elected position with the County, winning the contested race by over 60%. Currently, I am focusing on a partnership called Transformation Ink with Suzen Tattoozen to provide cover up tattoos for women leaving sex-trafficking. By changing my approach to leadership, I was able to use my strengths as an introvert to partner with like minded men and women with complemtary strengths to make a difference.
With my combination of diverse life experiences as well as education, I believe we can work together to enrich the skills you have to live your most authentic life possible. As a certified Neuroscience Coach specializing in Leadership and Spirituality, I will work with you from the inside-out!
WHAT I BELIEVE ABOUT ALL PEOPLE
- We are more alike than different.
- We want to learn and grow.
- We want to contribute.
- We all do better when we are connected.
- We all are able to make choices.
- We all have dreams.