I heard a speaker named Dan Thurmon. He was the first person who ever spoke in a way that allowed me to dream outside of my circumstances. He taught us how to make a bucket list- the first one I ever did. And on that list I wrote “get a pedicure” right beside “visit The Great Wall of China.”

My first acting opportunity came on House of Cards where I was a recurring extra. I loved everything about the experience- learning the camera angles, understanding the monumental amount of work that went into each scene, and hearing the stories of others who were trying to make it big.

During that time, I was having babies, so acting consistently wasn’t in the cards. For the duration of that decade I jumped on tons of acting opportunities and things were rolling along until Covid hit. Like every other mother with small children, I went into survival mode. Chasing dreams wasn’t even a consideration.

I was able to grab ahold of a long-time bucket list goal (thanks Dan Thurmon) and self-publish my first book, Dear Mama. Inspired by my experience with postpartum depression with my first born. I wrote it as a bonding tool for mothers with their infants, which shows the challenges that mothers face. Additionally, I made a journal where mothers can write their own” Dear Mama story.” I would love to see it picked up by a larger publisher and be able to expand it.

Life continued to move along, and I found myself hosting group therapy, which I absolutely loved. Sometimes it was like a “Breakfast Club” experience, while other times it was it was normalization of the struggles of life. Either way, through my own thoughts and encouragements of others, I decided to start my first podcast, Mental Health & Me in 2023.

I have to be honest… Hosting this podcast has been extremely challenging. The amount of technical and personal setbacks I have experienced have knocked me on my heals. It would be so easy to quit, and I’m sure that’s why most people do. Many times, I have looked at the broken pieces of this journey and said “What the heck do I do now?” But I continue to build this platform with belief and hope. My goal for Mental Health & Me is that one day I will have an episode where every person can find a validation and know they aren’t alone.

And because I just don’t know how to do one thing, I decided to launch a fun podcast, Dating App Disasters.” I gotta tell you- these are hysterical. Every time I am listening to a guest, I think to myself, “This cannot be real!” So if you are looking for a feel good podcast where people aren’t afraid to laugh at their experiences, then this episode is for you.

I am still deeply connected to my high school college music play list, and my favorite show is Frasier (a clear sign that podcasting and being a therapist was my calling!)