The word “trauma” comes from the greek word wound. Dr. Gabor Mate says that “Trauma is not what happens to you; it’s what happens inside of you, as a result of what happens to you.” Trauma is an experience that overwhelms us and our capacity to emotionally digest it. Trauma isn’t the big, bad story that happens to us, it’s an invisible wound one carries when overwhelmed and left alone in it. When unattended, we unknowingly carry these wounds into our lives and they end up bleeding out into all our relationships.

trauma affects all of us in some capacity

While not everyone is or considers themselves traumatized, we all have experienced trauma in some form. We’ve all had some life experience— whether it’s a single event or continual within a complex relationship or in recurring circumstances— in which we’ve been overwhelmed. We were served or force-fed too much; more than we could properly digest.

We feel the effects of this stress long-after; oftentimes feeling alone and not knowing what really happened or what to do next. We feel the stress in our bodies and we feel it in our busy minds. We especially feel it in our stressed relationships. It can take some time, but with intention, the right information and with informed support, we can begin to metabolize stress better and recover from too much. We begin to name those invisible wounds and properly tend to them. We can start to cultivate more calm in our minds and ease in our bodies. This inside-out approach is the cornerstone of our coaching work together.

i’m your trauma-informed advocate & guide

I know what it’s like to live in a body imprinted with trauma— and one transformed with curiosity and compassion. What I’ve come to know and understand about trauma has informed every aspect of my life!

I struggled for decades carrying invisible wounds I had no idea were there. I carried them into my life and they bled out into all of my most precious relationships. I lived stuck in cycles of fear and shame with no answers, because there was no “evidence” to point to. At one of the lowest points of my life (that many would consider perhaps “the joyfullest”), hope came to meet me with a beautiful invitation, through the steady presence of an attuned heart: “What does freedom look like for you, Andy?”

My sadness would begin to hold hands with hope and I would be led on a journey that would bring me to an invisible Love that would shift it all and offer me valuable resources through powerful insight and compassionate witness that would help rebuild the missing scaffolding caused by trauma.

As a trauma-informed advocate and guide, I now help others identify their invisible wounds from stress, trauma, complex relationships, and adversity. I empower my clients to learn how to compassionately be with all the thoughts and emotions that come with complex experiences.

I’m passionate about equipping others with the powerful science-based information to understand the very predictable human ways we all experience our bodies, minds and lives when stressed. I'm here to support you to unmask the ways overwhelm currently manifests in your life, so you can live with more confidence and ease. 

My work is guided by the fields of interpersonal neurobiology, neuroscience, Polyvagal theory, attachment science and the physiology of trauma and resilience. My unique coaching approach is a blend of Internal Family Systems (IFS) and somatic and brain-based coaching that’s incredibly effective at getting to the heart of your needs. As a trained and certified life coach, I provide the most valuable coaching tools and processes to move you towards your goals. And for people of faith, I use these same approaches integrated with contemplative spiritual practices to support you in guiding your own life from a Spirit-Led place.

my holistic approach attunes to you

As humans, each of us has a fundamental need to be truly seen, to be known and feel safe. My goal is to learn you. I coach with you in mind, according to your unique wiring, your personal experiences and your heart of perspectives. I share your vision and support you in intentionally moving forward, so you become the me you want to be.

Let’s see how you can step into possibility and begin our sacred work together!