_{^{I grew up just outside of New York City in an Ashkenazi-Jewish-American home.  Growing up, my mom would host art classes for the neighborhood kids in the dining room of our Bronx apartment after school.  In nights I would watch her creativity flare as she cooked dishes from across the globe, and sometimes I would hear my dad from the living room, as he would sing (his own) songs on the guitar.}}  

_{^{While there were many aspects of my childhood that were unstable, painful, and traumatic, there is no doubt that I was raised with respect, reverence, and love for the power of creativity.}}

_{^{As a toddler I would wear multi-colored tights on my head to promote the illusion of having really cool long hair; in elementary school I won my fifth grade short story writing competition; in middle school I served as a peer mentor; in high school I was repeatedly class president and student government representative; in senior year I was elected most school spirited and field hockey captain; in college I served in various creative chairs in campus organizations at my undergraduate business school while pursuing a degree in Media and Culture, graduating Magna Cum Laude.}}

_{^{As a toddler I would wear multi-colored tights on my head to promote the illusion of having really cool long hair; in elementary school I won my fifth grade short story writing competition; in middle school I served as a peer mentor; in high school I was repeatedly class president and student government representative; in senior year I was elected most school spirited and field hockey captain; in college I served in various creative chairs in campus organizations at my undergraduate business school while pursuing a degree in Media and Culture, graduating Magna Cum Laude.}}

_{^{Still, I was not (or ever) “well.”}}

_{^{In spite of my leadership positions and bubbly, humorous personality, I was wildly depressed.  I struggled with anxiety, dissociated with binge eating, and coped with self-harm.}}

_{^{The lowest point of my life was when I graduated college.}}  

_{^{I had gone to business school because I wanted to start a business to make a positive impact in the world…and the experience (and general patriarchal, capitalist, classist business culture) left my passion completely gutted.}}

_{^{Not to mention…I was tens of thousands of dollars in debt.}}

_{^{I quickly took a sales job that “seemed like the right thing to do” - and absolutely hated it.  I was living out of the trunk of my car and sleeping on friends' couches.  My parents were finally divorcing and I was adamant that I could not move back home.  I was in unhealthy and unstable friendships and romantic partnerships.  I had no clue of who I was, where I was going, or what value I could bring to the world.}}

_{^{I’ll save you the break-up dramas, the inevitable return to New York, and the dance to pay off debt with three-jobs-at-once, and jump you right to the Teaching Assistant gig I was lucky to get at my alma mater high school.}}

_{^{This position was a return "home" in more ways than one.}}

_^​

_{^{It propelled me to pursue a Master’s Degree at a highly selective alternative program, where the people I met inspired my soul and gave me a sliver of what college coula-shoulda-woulda been for me.}} 

_{^{Being with adults who were passionate about supporting the greater good of the world reminded me of who I was.}}

_^​

_{^{Supporting young people helped me understand where I came from.}}

_^​

_{^{Teaching taught me about trauma.}}

_^​

_{^{And with that - spiritually and literally - teaching saved my life.}}

_{^{Learning about trauma - and how to support people who had experienced it - helped me understand the places I hadn’t healed within myself, the patterns of my life, and the “why” of the suffering I had co-created in response to it.}}

_{^{My kids became my motivation and my inspiration -}} 

_{^{To heal}}

_{^{To grow}}

_{^{To learn}}

_{^{And change}}

_{^{It was like, the more I loved them, the more I loved myself.}}

_{^{I started to practice my preach:}}

_{^{“You can change your life.}}  

_{^{You can be anyone you want to be.}} 

_{^{You can do anything you set your mind to.}} 

_{^{You are here for a reason.}}  

_{^{You are loved.}}  

_{^{You are valued.}}  

_{^{You are needed.}}

_{^{You are worth it.”}}  

_{^{Over time…}}

_{^{My creative juices were flowing.}}

_{^{My professional and personal leadership began to bloom.}}

_{^{My relationship with my body, my home, the land, my spirit, my mindset, my habits, and my commitment to myself began to change.}}

_{^{I traveled across the world on my own, for months at a time.}}

_{^{I built healthy, vulnerable, and meaningful relationships.}}

_{^{I experimented in various fields of interest - from yoga to permaculture farming to art.}}

_{^{I educated myself while building new skillsets and earning certifications.}}  

_{^{I faced my traumas, changed my mindset, took massive risks, and became an entrepreneur.}}

_{^{I led the creation of a more liberated, aligned, and abundant life.}}

_^​

_{^{And I am here to tell you -}} 

_{^{beyond a shadow of a doubt...}}

_{^{no matter where you are in your journey -}}

_{^{no matter how hard things feel right now -}}

_{^{no matter how confused, overwhelmed, frustrated or stuck you might be -}}

_{^{no matter how many things you've tried in the past}}

_{^{or how many people you've worked with before -}}

_{^{no matter your age, experience, history, or financial situation -}} 

_{^{I promise...}}

_{^{you are closer than you think,}}

_{^{and -}} 

_{^{You Can Create Your Dream.}}