Somatic practices have given me the tools I need to help my body, mind, emotions and spirit come alive. My vitality is restored and I no longer suffer from anxiety, perfectionism, compulsive people-pleasing, poor sleep, exhaustion or IBS. Somatic practices, along with intentional community and a reconnection with the natural world, enabled me to uncover the embodied habits that kept me from connecting to and expressing my emotions and my authentic self. I’ve gained insight that has enabled me to understand and have compassion for habits and behaviours that I used to be frustrated by or ashamed of. I navigate bumps and change with more ease and I’m happier and healthier than ever.

I see the body, it’s intuition and emotions, as sources of intelligence. By providing tools to access this inner wisdom, I support clients to re-wire their nervous systems, making blocked, disconnected or repressed energy available for healing. This work is a deeply intuitive process, but the tools and practices are grounded in a working understanding of the nervous system and how it regulates bodily function, felt sense, emotion and experience.

I believe in connection and belonging as powerful sources of healing. I know in my bones that each person can access what they need inside to heal, to feel more whole, free and coherent.

My personal road to healing, and that which I share with others, is to first develop a deep understanding and compassion for self through education and body-mindful awareness practice. Together, we co-create a plan to build capacity in the nervous system so that our lived experience can be felt and processed through the body. I offer tools and somatic practices that support healing, growth and transformation. These practices build new neural networks that support healthy habits and increase our ability to cope with life’s ups and downs.

My business name, Root and Thrive represents the journey to wellness that begins from the inside out. To root means to root into embodied inner knowing. To thrive is to regain full access to our whole self, to our capacity to feel, to heal, to transform, to choose, to set boundaries that honour self and other.

I’ve been studying and exploring wellness through the interconnection of the mind-body-emotion and spirit since my 20’s. I first found the work of Caroline Myss and read “Why People Don’t Heal and How they Can.” This was soon followed by reading Dr. Gabor Maté’s “When the Body Says No” which further fuelled my passion for understanding how we are more than our physical selves and how our entire being, our past experiences, our family and cultural history, our emotions, personality and body co-create our state of wellness. I was inspired to study a holistic healing system and worked as a registered Acupuncturist for several years, then branching out into study and practice in sound healing, body work, energy healing, mindfulness, life coaching, decolonizing practices, trauma-informed group facilitation, embodiment and more. After many years of attending as a participant, I began facilitating ceremonial circles in 2010. Intentional community and ritual has been a key part of both my personal healing and an integral part of my professional work.

I am full of curiosity and love learning. I’m a student of life, trees, the moon, the stars, the water, air, earth and fire. I love to be in deep connection with other people and with the natural world. I am still learning and exploring embodiment every day by actively engaging in mind-body and soul-nourishing practices like mindfulness, movement, breath work, therapeutic treatments and body work as well as ceremonies and rituals that support my wellness.

I live with my family (partner, two teenagers and a dog) near forested land on the traditional, unceeded territory of the Coast Salish People. I love having lots of books around me. I start a lot of them and finish some. I’m a lover of great coffee, belly laughter (the kind that’s borderline painful) and meaningful conversation.

If you’re curious to find out more, I’d love to see if we are a good fit to work together.

Find out if working with me is right for you. Schedule a free 15-minute consultation below.

The simple act of being witnessed, encouraged to take time and space, being given (and giving myself) permission to notice, feel, acknowledge and validate my own felt experience has been one of the most powerful means of healing that I have encountered.