We All Have A Story...
As a child, I was curious—like most—but I remember one moment clearly. My sister said to me, “You ask a lot of questions.” At the time, I didn’t know how to take it. Looking back, I realize it was the beginning of something that would quietly shape my life.
That curiosity found language years later in a high school Psychology 101 class, where my interest in human behavior came into focus. And it never left. If anything, it deepened as life became more complex.
At 18, I left home to pursue a modeling and acting career that lasted over a decade. While my surroundings changed, one thing didn’t—I kept asking questions. That mindset eventually became a guiding principle I still live by today:
Stay Curious.
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My professional path has been anything but linear. I’ve worked in restaurants, built and managed businesses, and spent over 30 years as a licensed massage therapist and esthetician—working with Olympic athletes, celebrity clients, and receiving national media recognition. I also built a career as a professional dog handler, achieving multiple championships and Best in Show wins.
From the outside, it may have looked like success followed a steady climb. It didn’t.
In 2008, everything unraveled. I lost my home, my second home, my business, a 20-year relationship, my father, and my first show dog—all within a short period of time. It was disorienting. There was a moment, lying in bed in a rental home, when I remember asking myself, “How did I get here?”
It wasn’t a rhetorical question. It was the same instinct that had always guided me—curiosity—now turned toward my own life.
That question became a turning point.
Around that same time, an unexpected opportunity came through the dog world. A colleague needed someone to step in for a client. I said yes—not out of certainty, but because I was willing. That decision led to a 17-year career as a professional handler, working with hundreds of dogs and reaching the highest levels in the sport.
Years later, someone asked me, “How are you so confident… so resilient… so clear?”
My answer came quickly: “How are you not?”
But the truth was more nuanced.
It wasn’t that life had been easy—it hadn’t. It was that I had learned, over time, to stay engaged with it. To keep asking questions. To remain open, even in the dark moments. That’s what carried me through.
That understanding became the foundation for GentleStrength Coaching, which I founded in 2025 at the age of 59...
I’ve lived what it means to rebuild—to rediscover identity, navigate loss, rebuild a career, and find a sense of belonging again. Today, as a Certified Life and Wellness Coach, my work is grounded in a simple but often overlooked balance:
Be gentle with yourself in adversity.
And strong enough to keep going.
Stay Curious.
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