My Journey

Just a few years ago, I was working in the Corporate world, feeling mis-aligned and disheartened. It was eating away at me, but admittedly, out of fear and attached to the security it offered, I stayed. I knew I was meant for something more…something that felt meaningful, was of service to others, and aligned with my heart. But, I wasn’t sure what it was just yet.

In late 2020, I finally found the courage to quit. I was committed to living my truth, after an event, that I would say, was a rapid start to my spiritual awakening. I could no longer stomach faking my way through anything in my life, especially something as significant as my career.

A few months earlier, right at the height of the Covid lockdowns, I bought a sprinter van, packed up a few personal belongings including my 6-month old cat, rented-out my home in Charleston, SC, and took off across the country. It was from the island of Vashon, in the Pudget Sound in NW Washington, where I formally submitted my letter of resignation.

I felt liberated! I had a good financial plan in place, including a few streams of passive income and owned my little home on wheels. I wasn’t sure where I was going, but with the Covid lockdown still in place, it felt amazing to have the time, traffic-free open roads, and financial freedom to create a new life for myself.

A few months later, through a series of twists and turns and the hopes of rekindling a relationship with my former fiancé, I landed in San Diego, California. I rented a beautiful little condo surrounded by nature as my home base. While the relationship didn’t work out, it further validated my commitment to living my authentic truth and sent me on a journey of self-exploration that ultimately created the foundation for my coaching.

My vision for financial coaching started in 2015, after walking out of a bi-annual meeting with my Financial Advisor, feeling frustrated and confused once again. Not only did I feel like he talked over my head, but my accounts didn’t seem to be performing well either. Embarrassed and determined to do better for myself, I got to work. I spent months reading, researching, and interviewing friends, family and other Financial Advisors. I ended up leaving my Financial Advisor, moved my money into another brokerage account, invested in funds and management with lower fees, and ultimately saved myself thousands of dollars annually. The experience solidified for me the value of financial education. With this new knowledge, I was able to make personal financial decisions from a place of empowerment.

Despite feeling more empowered, I still longed for a financial guide that would take into account the bigger, holistic picture of money; a confidant that got to know me (and my finances) and my visions for my current and future life. I envisioned someone that would walk along side of me and help provide me with the education, resources and encouragement to reach my goals. Since I didn’t know where to turn for this support, I created it for myself.

I devised my own system for money management, continued reading and self-educating, invested in real estate, explored private equity investing, took stock trading courses, and had as many conversations revolving around money with people as I could.

When I sat down in the summer of 2022 and calculated my net worth, a practice I like to do from time to time, I realized that not only was I still doing well 2 years into my mini-midlife-retirement, but my net worth was only a few thousand dollars less than it was the day I left my lucrative corporate career. Feeling rather proud, it got my wheels turning. I had up-leveled my life in numerous ways in those two years, living in a home nearly 3 times the cost of my home back in South Carolina and absorbing the increased costs, the Sunshine Tax as we refer to it, that came with living in Southern California. The steps I had taken since 2015, had allowed me to walk away from a job I didn’t love, take 2 years to recalibrate and explore new interests, and live a life of stellar abundance, while having little impact on my net worth.

In my excitement, I started sharing this with friends. Before I knew it, I started coaching them too. And, the career filled with meaning, service to others and aligned with my heart, seemed to be unfolding.

Through my own experience and early work with friends, I realized that financial wellness isn’t just about the practical matters. Like any relationship, money requires attention and will change and adapt over time. The more we take accountability to understand and integrate our past, are present in the now, and align our beliefs, thoughts and behaviors with our vision of the future, the better our relationship will be.

And thus, my programs are devised to be an integrative experience, addressing the practical aspects of money while also involving the needs of our body, mind and spirit.

I’ve combined my Financial Blueprint tool and financial education and resources with my certification as a breath coach, my team and leadership experience as a Division 1 College and Professional soccer athlete, and my passion for the study and practice of movement and somatic tools, to build a holistic financial coaching program that takes into account the “whole” that is you.

Remember that coach that I dreamt of all those years ago? The one, “that would walk along side of me and help provide the education, resources and encouragement to reach my goals”? I created her, and maybe a few touches better. And, she’s here to walk your journey with you.

I’m pursuing my dreams through this work, and I’d love to help you do the same!