My Story
"When you heal, you are not only healing yourself, you are healing the generations who came before you and those ahead."-Nancy DUhamel
Generational cycle breaker inspiring the people around me to break free from the cycles that no longer serve them and discover the inner peace they are designed for.
My journey to where I am now was anything but a straight line. In fact, it was filled with unexpected twists and turns...
In high school, I dreamt of being an actress or a hairstylist. Being pregnant at 19 and a single mom by 21, I became a hairstylist and went on to co-own an award-winning salon that inspired holistic and sustainable beauty.
Unfortunately, my dreams came to an end as I developed allergies to the salon chemicals and made the decision to change careers for my health.
In 2021, I began part-time studies toward a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and am in the process of completing my degree.
I am a 2x domestic partner abuse survivor and had been living in fight or flight most of my adult life. In 2022, it finally caught up to me, and I had a mental health break that was later diagnosed as delayed onset PTSD.
I couldn't work, failed my school semester and suffered from PTSD nightmares, insomnia, daily ongoing panic attacks, hypervigilance, self-harm ideation and many other serious side effects.
"I was living in chronic body pain, and my doctor told me it was the onset of fibromyalgia"
That's when I discovered Somatics. To help me overcome my PTSD, I started various therapies, including Somatic Experiencing therapy.
I signed up to become a Somatic Stress Release Practitioner and a breathwork instructor, learning how to release stress energy from my body.
After 3 years of healing work, I found that I was in a much better place; however, I was still living with a lot of pain from patterned muscle tension.
- Achy legs
- Hip tension
- Jaw pain from clenching
- Sore hands from clenching
- Headaches
- Muscle cramps
- Persistent eye twitch
- Troubles sleeping (2-3 am wake-ups)
- Excruciating Menstrual Cramps
I knew from my training that my nervous system and muscles were stuck in a patterned response, and that's when I discovered Clinical Somatics.
The exercises practiced in Clinical somatics allowed me to resolve the chronic pain and tension I was living with. Some of my symptoms subsided within 4 days of practice, others within a week and all my symptoms dissolved after a month.
This is why I am so passionate about guiding you in experiencing the benefits of somatic practices in your life.
My life now...
My best friend Joelle and I closed the doors to our niche salon in 2021, but we kept on dreaming.
We were once passionate about helping women feel beautiful on the outside, and now we inspire beauty from the inside.
We host an annual women's empowerment retreat called Find Your Wild Retreat and various workshops throughout the year.
Outside my full-time university studies, I host fitness classes and somatic workshops at Your Story Fitness in Red, Deer Alberta, Canada.
Qualifications
- Somatic Stress Release™ LEVELS 1, 2 and 3
- Clinic Somatics® Level 1
- The Coaching Masters® ICF Accreditation
- Life Awarness™ Breathwork Instructor
- Yoga Body: Science of Stretching
- Bachelor of Arts in Psychology (In Progress)
