Who I am... 

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I am a child of God and woman of faith, an athlete and super fan, “RBI” the rescue German Shepherd’s human, a woman with a plant problem, an amateur photographer, creator of the “Uncomfortable Club,” a “There’s always room for one more friend I haven’t met yet” host, a founding member of the All-Day Brunch Club, and avid seeker of joy and simple adventures.

 

My curiosity and enthusiasm for discovering joy in unexpected places keeps me learning, creating, traveling, singing, joining teams, exploring nature, blowing bubbles, and coloring whenever and wherever I can. 

 

I am originally from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. I have over twenty years of coaching and program development experience. I first started coaching youth team sports in high school at the invitation of one of my favorite coaches in the early nineties. Over the years, my work expanded to include working with individuals, groups, and teams across a wide array of sectors and settings from athletics, health and wellness, finance, faith-based groups, nonprofits, restaurant services and more. A highlight of this work was my service as Administrator of the Lutheran Mobile Clinic for three years in Malawi, Africa.

 

I earned my B.S. in Health Promotion and Wellness with an emphasis in Outdoor and Experiential Education from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. I moved to Houston in 2018 and earned my Master of Social Work from the University of Houston, where I focused much of my work on local, national, and global issues of food insecurity, youth leadership, civic engagement, and cultivating strong authentic community culture that embraces the strength generated from diversity.

 

I love cultivating joy and community wherever I am by connecting people and accompanying them on their discovery of their individual and collective strengths while awakening their agency in familiar and unexpected ways. I am passionate about creating safe spaces to engage with the uncomfortable and unexpected and developing an appreciation for them as the fertile soil where good things grow and bear fruit. It is my deepest desire and prayer that I am able to utilize all that I have and all that I am to encourage and inspire people to realize the power they have to light up the world.

 

“Remember if you want to make progress on the path and ascend to places you have longed for, the important thing is not to think much but to love much and so to do whatever best awakens you to love.” - Teresa de Avila