A client said something recently that I don't think they expected me to notice. Over the course of our conversation they mentioned someone with nice clothes, someone else who made more money than they did, another person whose hair always seemed put together. After hearing them woven throughout the conversation, I reflected something back. "It sounds like appearances matter to you." They paused. Then I added, "It also sounds like financial abundance and stability matters to you." There was a...
20 days ago • 6 min read
We can turn the volume up and down without losing the song. I have been a little quiet lately, partly because I have been working behind the scenes on something I am deeply excited to share, and partly because this summer has been full in the best, messiest, most human ways. We traveled to Colorado and Mt. Hood to take my son to snowboard camp, which meant long drives, changing schedules, work tucked into odd pockets of time, meals wherever we could find them, and plenty of adventure along...
about 1 month ago • 6 min read
What If You’re Looking at the Wrong Evidence? Last night I sat down with someone who is preparing for their first performance, and as we talked it became clear that they were carrying the same contradiction I see so often in coaching. Here was a person who had spent months showing up to practice, learning new skills, pushing through discomfort, becoming more confident in their body, and preparing to do something that would have felt completely out of reach not very long ago, yet the thing...
3 months ago • 5 min read
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how often people say they “just need accountability.” And sometimes that’s true. Community matters, support matters, structure matters, and having people in your corner can absolutely make change feel more possible. I’ve built much of my work around helping people stay connected to themselves and their goals when life becomes chaotic, exhausting, or emotionally heavy. But sometimes what looks like an accountability problem is actually something much...
3 months ago • 5 min read
It’s been a few weeks since I’ve sat down to write one of these. Life has been full in the best and most chaotic ways; travel, family, work, trying to squeeze every bit out of Tahoe’s shoulder season before summer hits and everything shifts into high gear. I went backpacking, reconnected with an old friend, met my new nephew, and spent some much-needed time outside and with people I love. This newsletter has been sitting in my drafts the entire time because I knew I wanted to come back to it...
3 months ago • 9 min read
Recently I had a conversation with a client that took me right back to a place I know well. That place where you’re doing things that are supposed to be good for you… and wondering why they don’t feel like it. Because sometimes they don’t. And no one really prepares you for that. When I first started therapy, I didn’t walk out feeling lighter or clearer or “healed.” I felt worse. Agitated. Exposed. Like I had just opened a door I wasn’t sure I wanted to walk through. It took time to...
4 months ago • 7 min read
We're still standing! I’ve been quiet. Not because I didn’t have anything to say, but because life got… loud. My son was sick for nine weeks. Nine. We navigated illness, school, travel, and his competitions, including USASA Nationals, just trying to keep our heads above water. Just when it felt like we might be settling back into some kind of rhythm… He got hit again. Then I did. A full week of being completely knocked out, puking, not eating, losing seven pounds, canceling work, delaying...
4 months ago • 4 min read
There’s a moment that happens whether you’re in the gym, on a mountain, on a trail, or trying something completely new with your body. You hesitate. Not because you can’t do it, but because you’re suddenly aware of how you might look doing it. A little awkward. A little off-balance. A little… not good (yet). One of my clients said something recently that stopped me in my tracks: “I know I probably look pretty funny sometimes. If I feel awkward and someone’s around, I just think… they probably...
5 months ago • 6 min read
One of the first things I explore with new coaching clients has nothing to do with calories, workouts, or sleep routines. We talk about values. At first, it can seem unrelated. Someone comes to coaching because they want to lose weight, get stronger, improve their health, or feel better in their body. And then I ask questions like: Who do you want to be?What matters most to you?What kind of life do you want to build? It can feel abstract at first. But eventually something clicks. Because...
6 months ago • 7 min read