I was born in Whitehall, Wisconsin, and grew up on the shores of Shell Lake, where I learned to paddle a canoe, gather wild raspberries, and listen to the songs of loons drifting across the water. Those early moments — full of wonder, stillness, and the poetry of nature — taught me how to listen deeply. I carry that same spirit of presence into my work today as a coach.

I nurtured my poetic voice while studying at Colorado State University where earned my MFA in Poetry — a practice that continues to shape how I see and accompany others. I also learned to help people lift up their own voices as a lawyer and human rights advocate. For more than 20 years, I have dedicated my career to advancing human rights, labor rights, and diversity, equity, and inclusion — standing alongside migrants, refugees, women, children, and LGBTQI+ individuals across the Americas.

My professional journey has included serving as a staff attorney for The Advocates for Human Rights in Minnesota, policy director for Polaris in Washington, DC, and holding senior roles in the U.S. government — including Deputy Senior Coordinator in the State Department’s Trafficking in Persons Office, Labor Attaché in Mexico for the Department of Labor, and Assistant Director in U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Forced Labor Division. Through this work, I have led complex investigations, diplomatic negotiations, and cross-government initiatives to strengthen labor protections and supply chain accountability worldwide.

As a Certified Professional Co-Active Coach (CPCC), licensed attorney, and poet, I help leaders and teams align purpose with presence — integrating the inner work of reflection with the outer work of change. My approach is grounded in contemplative spirituality, compassion, and a lifelong belief that personal transformation and social justice are deeply interconnected.

Outside of coaching, I find meaning in nature, family, music, poetry, interfaith dialogue, and contemplative practice. I worship at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Washington, DC where I practice centering prayer and sing in the choir — spaces where silence and sound become teachers and wholeness begins to take shape.

I am a Certified Professional Co-Active Coach (CPCC) and a member of the International Coaching Federation.