I had difficulty focusing and was experiencing depression, persistent sadness, emotional eating, and substance abuse. I was stuck in this loop of feeling like I wasn’t good enough. What I achieved didn’t matter; I constantly compared myself to others and came up short. I guess you could say I became my own worst critic, holding myself back in many ways because I did not know who I was outside of my pain.

During a gap year after high school, my perspective started to shift slowly. I stumbled into the world of recreational psychedelics, and those experiences opened my eyes in ways I never imagined. It wasn’t just about the grief anymore but about understanding my interconnectedness with the world and within me. I was developing awareness of my beliefs, patterns, and fears and starting to see a way through them.

I chased this newfound clarity into college, where I dove into Health Science and Marketing, thinking I could make an impact by working in preventative healthcare. But the reality of the corporate world, especially in pharmaceuticals, hit me hard–the industry is more concerned about treating symptoms, than addressing root causes, and that didn’t sit right with me.

I spent over a decade in various marketing roles, searching for a purposeful opportunity where I could pour my energy into something I could believe in. Instead, my experience showed me the stark reality of our work culture.

I saw wounded leaders who were completely disconnected from themselves, buried under stress and anxiety, disengaged from their teams, and perpetuating cycles of burnout–which I happened to experience on multiple occasions. It was a wake-up call for me—I knew there had to be a better way, not just for me but for everyone trapped in a state of fear and survival.

After experiencing my third round of burnout, I dove deep with the intentional use of Ayahuasca, seeking answers and healing. And it was the most transformative experience of my life. It helped me process 26 years of suppressed grief, understand my relationship with myself and those around me, and, most importantly, put me on the path to my true calling.

In 2022, I left the corporate world and received my ICF-accredited coaching certification, specializing in life transitions and performance. I then joined Dr. Michelle Weiner’s clinical practice, helping ketamine patients prepare for and integrate their psychedelic experiences.

Since then, I’ve focused on helping leaders like us find well-being and profound engagement with life and work. My integrative approach combines everything I’ve learned from psychedelics, health science, trauma-informed parts-based psychodynamic models, somatic psychology, transformational coaching, and design thinking.

Creating The Self Expansion Method has been my way of bringing this all together. It’s about getting to the root of chronic stress and anxiety, tapping into our inner healing intelligence, and working through it to find a place of strength, purpose, and fulfillment. This process is about reclaiming and restoring an embodied whole-human experience, personal mastery, and self-leadership.

My life now is a testament to this journey—from feeling chronically stressed, anxious, and unworthy to healing my wounding, embodying my full potential, and finding my purpose to help leaders do the same while living true to myself and my values.

When I say I understand the challenges leaders face in the corporate and entrepreneurial world, I mean it. But I know there’s a way through it, and I’m here to guide anyone ready to take that step.

Be well and lead well, my friends.