My path to becoming a trauma-informed wellness coach has not been a straight line. It has been shaped by both my personal healing journey and my professional experience supporting others through life's most challenging moments.
As a survivor of childhood abuse and domestic violence, someone living with Complex PTSD (CPTSD), and someone navigating chronic illness, I understand firsthand how trauma can affect every aspect of a person's life. I've also learned that healing isn't about returning to who you were before; it's about discovering who you are now, cultivating resilience and self-awareness, and creating a life that genuinely supports your wellbeing.
While traditional therapy provided me with valuable insight, support, and a deeper understanding of my experiences, coaching was what helped me transform that understanding into meaningful, lasting change. It offered the practical tools, accountability, and encouragement I needed to rebuild my life in a way that felt authentic and sustainable. More importantly, coaching created space for me to explore my healing through intuition, spirituality, and connection with nature—elements that became essential to my own recovery. That experience transformed not only the way I healed but also the way I support others. Having experienced firsthand that there is no universal path to healing, I don't believe in offering a one-size-fits-all roadmap. Instead, I work collaboratively with each client, drawing from trauma-informed coaching, wellness practices, nervous system regulation, mindset work, and other evidence-informed approaches to create a coaching experience tailored to their unique goals, experiences, and needs. Healing is deeply personal, and your coaching journey should be too.
Today, my approach is grounded in both lived experience and professional practice. Over the years, I have worked across education, advocacy, counseling, and social services, supporting individuals through crisis, legal systems, recovery, and significant life transitions. My work includes extensive experience alongside survivors of gender-based violence and individuals working within the adult industry and this body of experiences have deepened my understanding of resilience, autonomy, and the importance of creating spaces where people feel safe, respected, and free from judgment, shame, and stigma.
🍃 Ph.D. in Sociology, The University of Edinburgh
🍃MSc Social Research, The University of Edinburgh
🍃 BA in Sociology & BA in Women’s Studies, The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
🍃 Decades of research on sex work, gender-based violence, stigma, and trauma
🍃 Author of peer-reviewed publications and scholarly book chapters
🍃 Principal investigator on funded research examining sex work and public policy
🍃 Extensive training and experiencing with coaching, counseling, advocacy, crisis management, and victim support.
About Me
For survivors and adult industry workers
What makes my coaching different is the foundation behind it…
Too often, survivors find themselves questioned, shamed, misunderstood, or even blamed for their experiences and relationships. Likewise, people in the adult industries have to navigate providers and institutions that carry moral biases, misconceptions, and judgment about their work and lives. This can lead to discrimination, isolation, and profound barriers to seeking support. These realities can make reaching out for help feel exhausting; and sometimes even unsafe.
You deserve compassionate, affirming, and nonjudgmental spaces where healing and growth are possible. You deserve professionals who listen with respect, honor your autonomy and choices, and recognize the complexity of your experiences. Support should feel empowering, grounded in dignity, and centered on your unique journey, because you are always worthy of that care.
I hold a Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Edinburgh and have spent decades researching sex work, trafficking, gender-based violence, exploitation, and stigma. My work includes peer-reviewed publications, book chapters, and funded research that has contributed to international conversations on violence, policy, and the lived experiences of marginalized communities.
In addition to my academic work, I have years of experience in social services supporting individuals and communities facing significant adversity, including survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, human trafficking, childhood abuse, and people living with HIV/AIDS, as well as individuals experiencing homelessness. My work has also included opportunities to work with violent offenders, sex offenders, and traffickers, providing me with a broader understanding of abusive relationships, coercive control, and the dynamics of interpersonal violence.
This combination of academic scholarship, professional experience, and lived understanding allows me to provide coaching that is both evidence-informed and deeply compassionate. Every session is grounded in respect, curiosity, and the recognition that healing is personal while also shaped by the broader social and cultural contexts in which we live.
As a sociologist, researcher, trauma-informed wellness coach, survivor of childhood abuse and domestic violence, and someone with lived experience in the adult industry, I bring perspectives that are deeply personal and professionally informed. My lived experience, combined with decades of research and professional practice, allows me to understand the realities of adult industry work without judgment. I recognize the practical challenges, the impact of stigma, and the resilience required to navigate this work, and I bring that understanding into every coaching relationship.
Nothing is more meaningful to me than witnessing someone reconnect with their strength, rediscover and reclaim their sense of self, and realize that they are far more resilient than they ever believed possible. Supporting people as they heal, grow, and move toward a life that feels authentic and fulfilling is both my greatest privilege and the reason I do this work.
When I’m not coaching…
I currently live in Asia with my two young children, husband, and a menagerie of animals. I work in secondary education and counseling. I have been a global nomad since my early twenties and have been blessed to live around the world: the USA, Mexico, Scotland, England, Hungary, Spain, South Korea, and China. In my down time I paint, garden, read, and volunteer for animal rescue organizations.
