I was born 2 ½ months premature and went down to 2 pounds 4 ounces. I had to have a full blood transfusion and be in an incubator for a few weeks. This part of my history is significant because statistically, premature babies are more likely to experience developmental, learning and sensory processing challenges;  all of which were part of my experience growing up.   I was nervous, scared, didn’t like loud noises, startled easily, had difficulty sleeping if it wasn’t absolutely dark or quiet.  (My parents called me the princess and the pea).  In school, I did well, but was definitely challenged.  It took me so much longer than my friends to understand and complete assignments.  I always had to read things more times to “get it.”   I had to plug my ears with my hands when reading an assignment so that I could quietly hear my own voice when reading, which helped me process and comprehend more easily.  When taking a test, I needed to cover my ears so I couldn’t hear the scratching of pencils on the table, which distracted me.  In sports, I was fairly uncoordinated and tended to avoid them.  To get by academically,  I figured out many compensatory skills to help me.  I even did really well in school, graduating college Magna Cum Laude.

I didn’t know at the time, but these experiences would play a powerful role in the work I now do with children. They gave me a first hand understanding of what it is like to have sensory and learning challenges and have allowed me to have the compassion and empathy needed to work with individuals. 

As humans, we are amazing.  We can come up with ways to compensate and make it through life, however, it is tiring, and what I learned later in my trainings, not necessary to put ourselves through that.

I find it fascinating that we can be drawn to the work that can offer us the therapy we need.  I found myself on this therapeutic path starting my Junior year in high school.  At the age of 16, I was an exchange student in Germany. I did an internship during my 11th grade year at a Camphill community.  Camphill is an international movement of intentional communities designed to meet the needs of children, youth and adults with developmental disabilities through a combination of community life, the arts and work on the land. It was here that I discovered my passion of serving populations with special needs and where my personal path to fully integrating myself began.  This one internship lead me to an undergrad degree in special education, a Master’s degree in Waldorf education (an artistic, movement, hands-on based education that focuses on the education of the whole child-mind, body, soul) and elementary education, and a three year Waldorf Remedial training program.  Going through the Waldorf Remedial training was when and where I gained an understanding of my challenges growing up and it helped me further understand how I could help and support children that were having similar experiences.  That training continued to open up a whole new approach to supporting children and lead me to searching for and finding specific therapies to incorporate into my program to help children address the foundational issues causing their challenges.

Since then, I have continued on this path of working with children to help make their learning experiences positive and fun.  I have taught in both public and private schools for over 2 decades as a special educator, classroom teacher and remedial teacher.  I have taught in Waldorf/Steiner schools throughout the United States and have taught internationally at the Green School in Bali. 

Most recently I have extended my services out to adults.  I am a mama of two amazing boys, one of which has learning and attention challenges.   Knowing first hand the amount of time and energy it takes to raise a child with special needs, I know the importance of self care.   To help serve the children I work with on a deeper level, I also support the parents in coming back into a centered, regulated and calm state through listening therapy, meditation and journaling workshops, and health and wellness coaching.