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...
13 days 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...
about 1 month 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...
about 1 month 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...
2 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...
3 months ago • 7 min read
There’s a moment I see sometimes in coaching. It’s not dramatic. It’s not explosive. It’s quiet. It’s the moment when someone is right at the edge of change…. and instead of stepping forward, they start to pull back. They question the process. They question the timing. Sometimes they question me. And I understand it more than you might think. Because I’ve been there too. I have absolutely had seasons in my own life where I knew something wasn’t working, a role, a structure, a way I was...
3 months ago • 6 min read
Hi friends, These past weeks have been heavy in Tahoe. The Castle Peak avalanche. The multiple resort deaths. The texts that start with, “Did you hear…?” If you live here long enough, you know this truth: the mountains give us so much. And sometimes, they take. I’m not writing to debate decisions. I’m not writing to speculate about what someone should or shouldn’t have done. And I’m definitely not interested in adding to the noise of armchair experts who have never stood in a whiteout, never...
3 months ago • 6 min read
There’s something humbling about realizing you need to revisit the very things you teach. Lately, I’ve been relearning and re-implementing strategies I’ve used hundreds of times. Not new hacks. Not shiny new systems. The basics. Just because I’m a coach doesn’t mean I have everything nailed. In fact, I’d argue the opposite: the best coaches are realistic and vulnerable enough to admit when they’ve drifted. When their boundaries blur. When sleep hygiene slips. When nutrition becomes reactive....
4 months ago • 5 min read
Mountain culture prides itself on resilience. We work in tough conditions. We recreate in unpredictable environments. We accept risk, discomfort, and effort as part of the deal. Being a “mountain person” often means you’re willing to push through weather, terrain, fatigue, and fear. And yet, something interesting happens when that same discomfort shows up off the hill. When movement feels awkward. When strength work feels humbling. When training doesn’t match the identity we already have of...
4 months ago • 5 min read