About Me

I currently make my home in Northern Virginia, but the road here has been long and meandering. I grew up in the Texas Hill Country, but have spent 15 years of my adult life living overseas – in 7 countries, across 4 continents. I have a BAs in English and Spanish from the University of Texas at Austin. After college I taught high school in Japan and Austin, and worked in women’s health. I received my MSW from UT Austin in 2004 with a focus in clinical social work, international social work, and conflict resolution.

Prior to moving overseas for my spouse’s job, I worked in the community mental health setting in Austin, Texas at both People’s Community Clinic and Austin Child Guidance Center. And then, like many individuals who accompany their diplomatic, military, or expat partners, I had the opportunity to get creative about my professional life. I knew early on that my heart was always in social work with a deep dedication to community building.

During my time overseas, I supported US-educated social work Peace Corps Volunteers in the Dominican Republic, took on leadership roles at not-for-profits in Japan (FEW), Belgium (the BSA), and the United States (FIGT). I also provided transition coaching, consulting, and training in cross-cultural adjustment and mindfulness to the globally mobile community through my own business, World Tree Coaching, LLC.

From the spring of 2022 until shifting to solo practice in January 2025, I was a mental health provider with Active & Connected Family Therapy and served as Northern Virginia Regional Director and International Team Lead.

I am a certified mindfulness teacher with a focus on Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and a Senior Facilitator in Personal Leadership, a mindfulness-based communication framework. I am bilingual in English and Spanish, and can get by in French and Japanese.

My spouse and I have been married for 25 years and are raising three children (now teen through college age). I am a naturally active and optimistic person. I love traveling, being outdoors, hosting parties big and small, and learning new things. From singing in the kitchen to going to my kids’ events, from family travel to diving deep into a big stack of books – I believe in living fully and seeing the opportunity that exists in each seemingly small moment.