My Story

I discovered yoga and optimism when I needed it most. When my three daughters were little, I knew I would be up to my eyeballs in laundry, diapers, dishes, potty training, bedtime stories, and tiny toys. I was a stay at home mom as well as an entrepreneur running my own photography business. What I didn't expect is that I would be navigating how to handle my children's anxiety, OCD, and depression that we were discovering. I knew nothing about how to handle that. And it triggered my own anxieties. I would take care of my kids all day and run my business until the wee hours of the night. I became depleted of all my energy and enthusiasm. So I decided to do something for myself and I went to a yoga class. I had done yoga years earlier in my twenties and realyl loved it, but did not continue to pursue it at the time. As a new mom with 3 young kids, it felt selfish and indulgent to take this time away from my children to go take a yoga class, but it turned out to be the best thing I could have done for them... because I did something for myself! And it turns out, a happy mom is a better mom.

I realized that although it felt like I was being selfish by putting my needs first, it was exactly what I needed as a mom, and it was what my girls needed. When I took the time for myself I was able to calm my mind, think clearly, find more patience, peace, and presence. And it turns out, thats what my family needed from me! So my yoga journey began.

After a few years of practicing and being able to learn about meditation and mindfulness, I started to see differences in the way I parented and how well my kids were reacting to it. There were things that I was learning that I could apply in my home. So I decided to become a certified yoga instructor... the first of many yoga certifications to come! I wanted to help others the way my teachers had helped me. And I had always loved teaching and working with people, so it was a great fit for me.

Shortly after 2016, I co-created a company with a business partner called Mud Flower Yoga + Mindfulness that specialized in bringing customized programs into schools to help with stress and anxiety management as well as confidence and compassion building tools. It was an amazing program that I was so proud of. We were able to bring our specialized programs teaching breathing, mindful movement, and mindfulness to thousands of students, helping them combat stress and anxiety while building confidence, empathy, compassion, courage, teamwork, and emotional literacy.

Here is a great video that shows some of the amazing work we did with Mud Flower:

https://youtu.be/y-IHCFQtsXw?si=5HRRyqGXUVP-v_jb

Unfortunately, COVID brought our business to an end, but I continue to teach and work with people in yoga and mindfulness because it brings me so much joy. I have always loved teaching, from the time I began teaching in musical theatre and dance, up until today where I teach mindful movement focusing on functional yoga for mobility as well as more challenging yoga flow classes to the fun and free uncork & Unwind classes I teach monthly, which combine playful yoga and wine.

Always inspired by my family and my connection with others, I am still developing new and exciting ways to help more people and bring more programs to communities that need it, so stay tuned and find out what happens next!