I grew up just outside of New York City in a Jewish-American home.  Growing up, my mom would host art classes for the neighborhood kids in the dining room of our Bronx apartment, and my dad would sing songs he wrote with his guitar.  

 

My mom was (still is) an incredible artist and cook - and while I grew up with ::chef’s-kiss:: globally inspired meals, my home was heavy in emotional, psychological, and financial volatility.  

 

Leaning into creative leadership, even in my earliest years, became a lifeline.

 

As a toddler I would wear multi-colored tights on my head to promote the illusion of having really cool long hair; in elementary school I won my fifth grade short story writing competition; in middle school I served as a peer mentor; in high school I was repeatedly class president and student government representative; in senior year I was elected most school spirited and field hockey captain; in college I served in various creative chairs in campus organizations at my undergraduate business school while pursuing a degree in Media and Culture, graduating Magna Cum Laude.

 

Still, I was not (or ever) “well.”

 

In spite of my leadership positions and bubbly, humorous personality, I was wildly depressed.  I struggled with anxiety, dissociated with binge eating, and coped with self-harm.

 

The lowest point of my life was when I graduated college.  

 

I had gone to business school because I wanted to start a business to make a positive impact in the world…and the experience (and general patriarchal, capitalist, classist business culture) left my passion completely gutted.

 

Not to mention…I was tens of thousands of dollars in debt.

 

I quickly took a sales job that “seemed like the right thing to do” - and absolutely hated it.  I was living out of the trunk of my car and sleeping on friends' couches.  My parents were finally divorcing and I was adamant that I could not move back home.  I was in unhealthy and unstable friendships and romantic partnerships.  I had no clue of who I was, where I was going, or what value I could bring to the world.

 

I’ll save you the break-up dramas, the inevitable return to New York, and the dance to pay off debt with three-jobs-at-once, and jump you right to the Teaching Assistant gig I was lucky to get at my alma mater high school.

 

This position was a return "home" in more ways than one.

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It propelled me to pursue a Master’s Degree at a highly selective alternative program, where the people I met inspired my soul and gave me a sliver of what college coula-shoulda-woulda been for me. 

 

Being with adults who were passionate about supporting the greater good of the world reminded me of who I was.

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Supporting young people helped me understand where I came from.

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Teaching taught me about trauma.

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And with that - spiritually and literally - teaching saved my life.

 

Learning about trauma - and how to support people who had experienced it - helped me understand the places I hadn’t healed within myself, the patterns of my life, and the “why” of the suffering I had co-created in response to it.

 

My kids became my motivation and my inspiration - 

 

To heal

To grow

To learn

And change

 

It was like, the more I loved them, the more I loved myself.

 

I started to practice my preach:

 

“You can change your life.  

You can be anyone you want to be. 

You can do anything you set your mind to. 

You are here for a reason.  

You are loved.  

You are valued.  

You are needed.

You are worth it.”  

 

Over time…

 

My creative juices were flowing.

 

My professional and personal leadership began to bloom.

 

My relationship with my body, my home, the land, my spirit, my mindset, my habits, and my commitment to myself began to change.

 

I traveled across the world on my own, for months at a time.

I built healthy, vulnerable, and meaningful relationships.

I experimented in various fields of interest - from yoga to permaculture farming to art.

I educated myself while building new skillsets and earning certifications.  

I faced my traumas, changed my mindset, took massive risks, and became an entrepreneur.

 

I led the creation of a more liberated, aligned, and abundant life.

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And I am here to tell you - 

 

beyond a shadow of a doubt...

 

no matter where you are in your journey -

no matter how hard things feel right now -

no matter how confused, overwhelmed, frustrated or stuck you might be -

no matter how many things you've tried in the past

or how many people you've worked with before -

no matter your age, experience, history, or financial situation - 

 

I promise...

you are closer than you think,

and - 

 

You Can Create Your Dream.

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