my story

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I am a single, professional mom of three amazing (and precocious) kids who keep me on my toes! I navigate daily challenges related to living with Type 1 Diabetes, burnout, depression, anxiety, PTSD, and long covid. 

How did I get here?

I  grew up in the shadow of inter-generational trauma. I have experienced abuse and trauma directly. Depression, anxiety, anger, burnout and other effects of post-traumatic stress have been integral characters in my life for as long as I can remember.

I am deeply inspired by the Jewish concept of Tikkun Olam which refers to our individual responsibility to contribute to healing the world. 

As a young child, I set as my key goal in life to interrupt the pattern of intergenerational trauma in my family. I envisioned a life free from suffering where I was able to connect with people all over the world and change the world for the better. Partially a survival mechanism and partially my personality, I dove deep into striving to be the most self-aware, hyper vigilant, and best version of myself that I could possibly be. I thought that would protect me and keep me safe.

Fast forward to my mid-thirties. I had a beautiful family, a lovely home, two degrees, and a stable job. My life looked pretty great from the outside. In many ways it was. It was so difficult to accept the not-great part of the picture. 

I had a number of difficult truths to face. First, I had not broken the link of inter-generational trauma as I had been determined to do. Tikkun Olam felt like an impossible goal. Even worse, the manifestation of trauma in my family was worse than I had ever imagined it could be. In addition, I was caring for kids with chronic health conditions.

I had failed at the things that mattered most to me - breaking the cycle of inter-generational trauma in my family and giving my kids a happy, safe, and peaceful home. I had two choices. 

Drown in it and let the failure defeat me - and I can say for sure that I spent a fair bit of time exploring that choice - or dig really deep and figure out a way to heal and grow.

I chose the latter and started down the journey of curating my life. Living with intention and purpose. Living in alignment with who I most wanted to be and the impact that I most wanted to have for my family and the world. Making conscious and deliberate choices about my actions, behaviours, thoughts, and the activities, surroundings, and people in my life.

I still struggle, get scared, and react badly to things sometimes. Most of the time though, I live with joy, passion, and a sense of unending possibilities. My commitment to working in support of mental health and wellness has led me to share my own personal story of moving from post-traumatic stress to post- traumatic growth.