I was born and raised in beautiful San Diego, California. My parents were both good-hearted, hard-working people of high integrity who left their native countries with a strong sense of commitment to the values and benefits of US citizenship.
I had the extreme good fortune to be raised by my stay at home mother. As a result, I felt nurtured and safe during my early childhood years. These formative years served as a great buffer to the painful struggles I was to later endure and also provided the foundation of the high standards of integrity, determination, and trustworthiness I require of myself and others.
My parents raised me to be respectful of people and institutions but also encouraged and afforded me freedom of thought even if it differed significantly with their own ideology. They taught me how to think critically and to accept personal accountability and responsibility for the consequences of my actions. This environment influenced a mindset that has helped me to develop and refine a unique ability to hold space for others and to help me be the change agent I feel I am meant to be.
At the age of thirteen my parents divorced and the hardships I subsequently endured were profound and many including hunger, loneliness, and emotional and financial distress. As if these challenges were not enough, my mother frequently suffered with severe bouts of depression which often required me to serve as her caretaker although I was a mere child.
Despite these challenges and more, I felt truly blessed because I was able to develop the ability to look within myself and to devote time, effort, and energy to my own personal development.
One book in particular I read made a profound impact upon me. It was “The Road Less Travelled” by Dr. Scott Peck and as I read it at 14 years of age, I entered a world to which I knew I belonged. Further, I developed a keen appreciation for music, philosophy and art and this as well as my own resourcefulness helped me develop and refine a highly effective coping mechanism.
At age 22, I made the decision to travel abroad. I wanted to gain a broader world experience, make more personal life changes, and explore who I was outside my family. With little money and no dedicated means of financial support, I moved to Italy and I lived there for nearly 12 years. I became a conversational American-English teacher and interpreter to business people and university students. I already had a love affair with Italy and because of my dedication to the country, I earned my Italian citizenship for which I am very proud. During this time, I also began mentoring and coaching young women, many of whom struggled with their own limiting beliefs.
Partial testimony to the tangible benefits of my life journey thus far is and how devoted I was to helping others, I earned degrees in Psychology/Life Coaching. Additionally, I maintain professional certifications in a myriad of coaching and therapeutic modalities designed to address a wide range of issues related to human suffering and personal growth and development. These include; Leadership, Neuroplasticity, limiting beliefs, Human Design, and Authentic and Purposeful Living.
I gained so much wisdom about my own life, people’s behavior, and what drives them that I came to believe wholeheartedly that individual human potential is the only way out of a victim mindset. This influenced me to dedicate my life to the study and practice of what it means to live authentically and help others to do so as well.
My other passions: I’m a philosophy junkie, I love photography, writing, learning about neuroplasticity, hiking & biking, eating healthy, traveling, music, art and enriching, thought-provoking conversations
I have come to believe that we each possess incredible potential and we can all transcend our suffering and acquire inner peace and forgiveness. When each of us makes the effort to do deeper inner work, these efforts inevitably show up in our life as the most successful positive outcomes. We can never fail as long as we’re making an effort!