I’m an author, educator, leader, coach, mom, wife, lifelong athlete, and dog person.
I create children’s books, coloring and activity books, and personal writing inspired by ADHD, identity, leadership, family, belonging, and real life.
Understanding myself for the first time
Sometimes it feels like I have already lived several different lives, and I am only just turning 40. I have been married three times, started over in new places, and moved through different versions of myself: the athlete I was, the educator and leader I became, and the writer who is finally beginning to understand herself.
My understanding of my sexuality unfolded slowly. My first marriage was to a man, and the relationships that followed were with women. Each chapter belonged to a different version of my life and helped me better understand who I was becoming. Today, I am proud to be part of the LGBTQ+ community and proud of the journey that brought me here.
Motherhood became another part of my story that helped me understand myself more clearly. While trying to better understand my daughter and the way her mind works, I began recognizing pieces of myself I had spent a lifetime explaining away. Our stories are deeply connected, and that connection is at the heart of the memoir I am writing now.
For most of my life, I knew I felt different, but I did not know how to explain why. From the outside, I looked calm, capable, and like I had everything together. Inside, my mind was always loud.
For years, I tried to understand why my mind never seemed to slow down, why I carried so much beneath a calm exterior, and why movement was one of the only things that could quiet everything for a little while.
Not understanding myself affected my relationships, my work, the way I showed up as a mom, and the way I saw myself. I spent years trying to build a life without fully understanding what I needed or why some things felt so much harder for me than they seemed to for everyone else.
Looking back, I can see that each version of me was doing the best she could with what she understood at the time. My ADHD diagnosis at 39 gave me a new way to look back at those different versions of myself and, for the first time, understand the person underneath.
My diagnosis did not change who I was. It finally gave me a way to understand who I had always been.
Writing became a place to sort through those experiences, tell the truth about them, and create something that might help another person feel a little less alone.
The experiences that shaped me
I grew up in Maryland, outside of Washington, DC, before attending Syracuse University, where I played Division I soccer and served as captain during my junior and senior years.
After college, I moved to Tampa, Florida, where I spent 13 years as a teacher and coach. While teaching, I earned my master’s degree in Sport Leadership and Coaching from the University of Central Florida.
In 2022, I moved to Ohio and transitioned into educational leadership, supporting students, developing staff, building programs, and leading teams.
Whether I was on a soccer field, in a classroom, or leading an organization, the most meaningful part of my work was always the same: helping people feel seen, supported, and capable of more than they realized.
Those experiences continue to shape the stories I tell and the way I think about leadership, belonging, and showing up for others.
Why I write
Some of my books begin with something I wish I had understood earlier. Others begin with my daughter, one of the dogs, or a moment from real life that stays with me.
I write for busy minds, big feelings, and anyone who has ever wondered where they belong.
My hope is that every book offers readers something meaningful, whether that is comfort, encouragement, reflection, imagination, or simply the feeling of being understood.
Life outside the pages
I’m based in Ohio, and when I’m not writing or creating, I’m usually spending time with Paige, running or working out, or being followed around by Jovie and Patches.
Movement has always been a big part of my life. I was a Division I soccer player at Syracuse, and I still turn to running and exercise when I need to quiet some of the noise inside my head.
A lot of my ideas come from ordinary life: conversations with Paige, moments with the dogs, big feelings, small wins, and the things my brain notices along the way.
Thank you for being here and following along.
