About

I decided to become a therapist because I was so disappointed in the care I had received. Throughout my childhood and young adult years, I was taken to various specialists—individuals highly regarded (even to this day) in their fields—and would leave feeling worse than when I walked in. I felt misunderstood, unheard, and as if I was failing at therapy (and at life). The stress and fear of trying to fix what the experts couldn’t caused my body to break down. I went to The Mayo Clinic and did the “Tour de Mayo,” otherwise known as the Executive Physical, where I was diagnosed with a constellation of health issues that better explained the symptoms I had experienced growing up. The more I started talking about how much therapy hurt, the more I learned that my experience was not remotely unique. Regardless of race, class, gender, or issue, I started to realize that finding a therapist who fits you is a profoundly difficult task (on top of whatever prompted you to seek therapy in the first place). From there, I had one goal: I didn’t want to be the best therapist that ever lived. Even if I wasn’t the right fit, I would at least be able to help them find someone who is. Professionally, this was a major pivot, and it wasn’t the first time I had to get mentally flexible about work. Historically, I always thought I would be a Restauranteur. I started working in restaurants when I was thirteen and had worked my way up into professional kitchens before it was “technically” legal. Cooking was like my meditation, but by 18, it was clear my body couldn’t sustain it, and I had to go to “Plan B." It wasn’t a huge leap from restaurants to Food Media. I was lucky enough to score an internship with Andrew Zimmern (Bizarre Foods), which continued for several years.