I grew up in the Midwest, in the cornfields of Illinois.  I graduated from DePaul University in 1997 with a B.A. in Communications, and spent time in Chicago dabbling in photography, graphic design, and printing.

In 2004, I followed my dream to study human behavior and began a masters program in applied psychology at Regis University in Denver.  Unfortunately, one year into my graduate program I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, an auto-immune disease, and doctors began prescribing me regular daily doses of oxycodone pain medication.  My body quickly became addicted.

Within a year I dropped out of my program, unable to withstand the pain of the disease and the opiate addiction that ensued.  For the next 16 years, I existed on doctor prescribed opiate pain medication and worked as an IT Engineer.

In 2015, while living in Scottsdale, my pain management doctor lost his medical license for overprescribing. Without my doctor and pharmacist, I was just another addict. For the next two years, I tried to rid myself of this opiate addiction. I became homeless in 2017 and was arrested and incarcerated multiple times over the next 2 years, before I finally made it to treatment in 2019.

After four months of intense drug rehabilitation, I began EMDR therapy, along with a combination of other natural therapies to reset my brain chemistry and rebuild the mind-body connection that had been severed by years of addiction and the trauma that came before it.

In 2021, I returned to school and finally graduated with an M.A. in Applied Psychology, cum laude, and became a licensed therapist in Colorado and Arizona, specializing in complex trauma in teens & adults.  My passion is to share the life changing capabilities of EMDR with the world and help others see through their own eyes. ‘I feel like a magician that I get to do this work.’

With great pride this November 2026, I celebrate 7 years free of opiates, 5 years free of nicotine, and 4 years on a clean organic diet. I’m an avid runner, yogi, world traveler, community advocate, writer, and teacher.