I am a 27-year-old graduate from the University of Kansas currently based in Lawrence, KS. Originally from Jackson, New Jersey, my family moved to Hutchinson, KS in 2003. I moved to Lawrence when I was 20 in 2014 and started at KU in 2015.

I don’t think this world is very kind to those who are different. I learned pretty quickly that I did not fit in. And for the first 22 years of my life, I made that very wrong. I did everything in my power to not stand out. I thought being different was a curse. I hated it, and I didn’t understand myself or the world I was living in. I was bullied heavily. As you can imagine, that lead to a lot of struggles with mental health.

I was diagnosed with ADHD at age 6, anxiety and depression at 12, and Borderline Personality Disorder at 19. This may be a little controversial – but I don’t think diagnoses are lifelong. I believe this because my life today is proof that people can change anything if they truly choose to. I do believe my behavior was a symptom of failing coping mechanisms combined with a lifetime of invalidation. Many diagnoses are a symptom of being highly aware and not knowing it. Have you heard of Highly Sensitive People? It’s like having your 5 senses and your instincts heightened times 10 all the time. Not always fun!

All of this catapulted me into the legal system. After getting off corrections 6 months early for good behavior, I still struggled with my environment as a whole. I long felt that Hutchinson wasn’t a place that would contribute to my growth. When the opportunity presented itself, I moved to Lawrence, not really knowing why, but knowing that it was the change I needed. I knew something else was possible, I just didn’t know what it was or how to get there.

I chose towards that unknown possibility, and I have been choosing towards it ever since! Not 5 months after I moved to Lawrence, I discovered the tools of Access Consciousness. I used the tools relentlessly, and continued my search for practical strategies for life. This is my passion and I consider myself a life long learner. It was also very important to me to get off all my medication, because I was taking over 7 at the time. This is not everyone’s journey and I’m not saying everyone needs to do this! However, it was a key part of me feeling healthy and balanced. I was able to do this safely with the help of an amazing psychiatrist, Dr. Maria Illardi. She and her husband Dr. Stephen Illardi are all about helping people thrive naturally, and have even developed their own program to curing depression.

Now that I have been on this healing journey for sometime, I have been fortunate enough to shift out of fight or flight and into possibility. I started asking, “What are my gifts and talents? What do I have to offer to the world? How can I use those gifts to contribute to others, the world, and our planet? And, man wouldn’t it be cool if I could make money doing that, too?” And those are the services I offer today. I used to always think I had to find the right “thing” – that I had to work in a certain profession to help people create more consciousness in their lives. Now I realize that me being me creates that in whatever I do. We all have our own unique gifts and capacities, and it’s the willingness to embrace those that creates change in the world.

Through a combination of constant learning; knowing better was possible and that I deserved it; amazing therapists, psychiatrists, energetic facilitators, & practitioners; choice; and being willing to step into the unknown; I have learned not only how to function successfully in this reality as this difference, but how to embrace it, make it work for me, and how to contribute to others as well. It’s been a long journey of getting out of my head, out of a defensive mode of life, and meeting the fun and kind being I always was. Though learning is my passion, I know that it’s not fun for everyone, and that it’s not where everyone wants to spend their time and energy – and that’s okay! That’s also why I offer my services: so that people don’t have to hunt and spend years like I did, for the tools that we all should’ve gotten from Day 1.

On the Recommendations page, you’ll find the people and resources who have contributed to me the most. I am beyond grateful to them and for the ways my life has changed as a result of their willingness to be who they are. I wouldn’t really say my life has been easy, but I have learned so much because of it. I am infinitely grateful for all of it. My willingness to learn and grow has helped the people around me grow and learn, too. The more aware I get, the more fun my life becomes. I know that I bring this level of consciousness and change to every interaction I have. I hope that by sharing this, you too will find the inspiration to be who you are, and that all of us together can create a happy planet full of fulfilled people. OH, and better writers, too 😉