I’m so glad you’ve stumbled upon my blog. I bet you’re wondering what my story is … In short, it’s that I’m here to hear your story. But the long answer is that I’ve always gravitated to stories—the stories we tell ourselves, the stories we tell others, the stories that both inspire us to be our best selves and the ones that scare us to death. I’ve spent my life’s work studying how to support people as they process their stories through a Master’s degree in Clinical Counseling and School Counseling, becoming a Love & Logic facilitator and parent educator, pursuing training on postpartum depression, eating disorders, anxiety, living wholeheartedly, and a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism too.
For me, my own stories are about mothering—becoming a mother, struggling as a mother, remembering who I was before I was a mother, and wondering if I’m a good enough mother. Even before I was a mother, mothering has always been part of my story. I was often the listening ear my friends and family turned to when their own story got hard. I have held sacred others’ stories of suffering and pain. In these stories I see beauty, hope, and our propensity towards connection. I believe our stories connect us. When we can be vulnerable enough to share them authentically, we have the opportunity to create a kindred connection, the kind that makes you feel validated, cared for, and respected. That’s what Kindred Counseling is all about.
Kindred Counseling exists to support mothers and their families. I know it’s cliche, but I truly believe that being a mom is the most important job in the world. If we want to impact our world in a positive way, I believe we need to support mothers more. If we can support mothers to dare greatly, live authentically, yell a little less and love a little more, then they can be the role model they want to be for their children. It’s a ripple effect. Helping mothers actually helps the family as a whole and has a ripple effect throughout our society. When we are able to take care of ourselves first, nurturing our own story as we grow, we are able to be the rock that our families are depending on.
Our society tells us not to tell our stories of pain, fear, anxiety, and depression. But what a wonderful gift to give yourself and your children—to model that telling your story authentically, while both grappling with the hard parts and celebrating the good parts, can help you to be your truest, best self?
So there you have it—my story in a nutshell. What’s your story? I am eager to support you through your story of hope, pain, suffering, anxiety, whatever it may be.
