Here’s how I got my superpower.
I want to help you amplify yours.

I learned to listen with my whole being.

When I was six months old, I contracted spinal meningitis. I nearly died before the doctors accurately diagnosed me. Powerful antibiotics saved my life but left me deaf in one ear. Growing up I had to concentrate very hard to understand what was being said, and by doing so I developed the skill of reading what people communicated with their bodies and energy. 

Resiliency is the result of experience.

At age 26, I moved from Florida to Alaska–a whole new landscape. I learned how to hike and run in the backcountry. Soon, I was running through the winter, seeing my new home through icicles on my eyelashes. As a newly minted professor of education, I traveled to remote villages in the Alaskan bush to work with and learn from the students, teachers, elders, and culture keepers. I listened respectfully to the Native peoples of Alaska and learned some of their ways of knowing. My adventures in the wild–fording glacier-fed rivers, backing away from curious bears, and outsmarting hungry wolves–taught me that being complacent and comfortable is the opposite of being alive. 

I bring presence, resiliency, and many ways of knowing into my coaching sessions. 

Why LionsMane?

Lionsmane is more than a name; it's a declaration of the deep-rooted power of coaching.

COURAGE

A lion’s mane is a symbol of its courage. In my youth, I didn't know or experience much fear. Without considering the risks, I trekked on glaciers, traveled to and through Tibet, and swam in frigid mountain lakes. The innocence of my youth is a distant memory now.  I’ve lost people and pets I loved and witnessed and experienced tragedy. I’ve noticed that the voice of fear can get louder as one ages. Attempting to use the past as evidence, fear tells us the lie that life will get harder as we get older. I’ve learned to quiet that voice and bring courage forward instead of fear. 

LEADERSHIP

Born under the astrological sign of Leo in the Year of the Dragon, I celebrate the passion, intelligence, leadership, and warmth that are integral to my chart. Leos are ruled by the sun, and Dragons are born to fly and breathe fire (at least the ones I know ;). These archetypes teach us to be bold and to be the leaders of our own lives. These symbols can encourage us to be the ones we are waiting for. 

GROWTH

Finally, my coaching leans into the concepts of growth and connection, and the plant medicine embodied by the Lionsmane mushroom has much to teach us about these ideas. Lionsmane has neurogenerative properties that can stimulate the growth and repair of nerve cells in the brain and nervous system. Regeneration is living proof we CAN change our cells. We are not stuck with the trauma we experienced nor the trauma we inherited. Lionsmane is a microcosm of our shared journey to harmonious mental, emotional, spiritual, physical, and community health.