My passion for dance began at age three when I attended class in purple hiking boots and tap-danced to an original song – “chicken dancer” – in my kitchen. It wasn’t until I found myself crying and lost in the locker room at the University of Colorado-Boulder’s dance department that I realized I had compromised my wellbeing to live in a dance culture misaligned with my values.
Admitting misalignment was not easy, because at the time I believed my passion to dance was my authentic identity. I grieved and felt lost without direction, but focused my energy on wellness. Once my mind and body healed, I craved to understand who I was.
Curiosity and openness triggered me to attend Coby Kozlowski’s Quarter Life Calling at Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health in 2014. This week-long intensive not only taught me more about authenticity, but provided me with the tools to continue my exploration and personal development. I thereafter completed my undergraduate education, obtained my Life Coach and Yoga Certifications, and enrolled in a PhD program at Claremont Graduate University to study Positive Developmental Psychology.
During spring break in my second semester of graduate school, I withdrew from my family in Breckenridge, Colorado and furiously threatened to light my Master's thesis on fire. Looking back, I hold compassion for who I was during that trip, because although I thought I was locked in a prison cell, I held the key all along.
I recognized my dissonance with graduate school as a trigger to shift. While clarity and courage took time, I utilized my support systems – coaches, personal tools, and dogs – to trust my intuition, to clarify what I desired, and to bravely act in alignment. I confidently left the PhD program, and in 2018 I received my Master’s degree in Positive Developmental Psychology and Evaluation.
I have experienced multiple triggers, roadblocks, and prosperous alignments in my journey so far, and I expect to be in relationship with this rhythm for the rest of my life. As I continue to practice supported exploration, experience, nourishment, and alignment, I am grateful to more consistently express my authentic self, and to thus fully experience my authentic life.
The opening of yes& is one demonstration of my courage to live authentically and my ability to thrive. I am eager to be of support as you dare to begin your own journey.
