I’m a licensed mental health professional with more than 20 years of clinical experience. I’m also a wife, a mom of three, and an avid reader who once overheard her kids explaining why her butt jiggles.
One of my kids said to the other: “Do you know why mommy’s butt jiggles so much when she walks?” The other one answered: “It keeps moving side to side so she doesn’t fall over as she gets older.”
That’s the thing about being a therapist. You can know every technique in the book and still feel the sting when your own kids take you down a peg. I know all the counter-arguments. I know exactly what a therapist would tell someone in that moment. And still — damnnn, kids. It stings.
That’s what this blog is about.
I believe that when things happen to you, you’re allowed to have the ouches. The bruises. The moments where you laugh so you don’t cry. It’s how we recover, rally back, and keep showing up that counts.
The Work
I’ve spent over 20 years working in clinical mental health care and seven years teaching psychology and sociology at local colleges. I’ve written several books and workbooks — including a self-care workbook, a Women’s Guide to Living Your Life Out Loud, and a guide to coping tools for managing your mood and thinking more positively. All are available in the shop.
The Podcast
I produce and co-host the Nearly Normal Podcast with my amazing co-host Kate — a weekly show where we have honest, unfiltered conversations about mental health, relationships, parenting, and the messy middle of life. Two licensed therapists. No filter. New episodes every week.
The Mission
The blog, the shop, the podcast — it all comes from the same place. I want to keep the conversation about mental health and wellness open, honest, and real. And I want to put the tools that actually help in your hands.
When I’m not doing any of this, I’m probably reading. Or keeping three kids alive. Sometimes both at once.