My Path to Wild Refinement
To some, credentials matter.
I began my academic career with a life-long intention of becoming a medical doctor, immersing myself in biology and neuroscience research throughout my early college years. But eventually, my curiosity shifted – from the mechanisms of the body and brain to the deeper patterns of human change. I earned my undergraduate degree in Business Administration from Colorado State University, eventually finding my way to the healing arts. I hold a Master’s Degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Naropa University, where I focused my studies on Somatic Psychotherapy – an approach that integrates the wisdom of the body as central to the therapeutic process.
During my graduate studies, I wrote my thesis on the lived experience of childhood abandonment, exploring how early relational ruptures create internal voids that shape identity, embodiment, and meaning-making. That inquiry – both scholarly and deeply personal -continues to guide my work today, as I support others in navigating the lingering impact of early loss through somatic, symbolic, and relational integration. I continue to learn from a range of disciplines that explore the human experience and our interconnectedness with the world – ecology, mythology, depth psychology, anthropology, and the expressive arts. Together, these threads shape how I understand transformation: as a dynamic, embodied process rooted in story, relationship, and place.
I’m certified in Dr. Stephen Porges’ Safe and Sound Protocol, a Polyvagal Theory-informed intervention that helps regulate the nervous system. I’ve also completed Level 1 training in the Gottman Method for Couples Therapy, which offers research-backed strategies for building trust, connection, and emotional safety in relationships. I have had the rare privilege of training under Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estés, whose teachings continue to guide and deepen my relationship with the wild psyche, archetypal patterning, and the healing power of story.
To others, story matters more.
A deeper layer of how I came to this work begins in my early twenties, when I went through a drug-induced psychosis. Though the episode itself was short-lived, it permanently altered the trajectory of my life. In the aftermath, I developed chronic panic attacks and persistent disorientation, which marked the beginning of a long-term recovery process. Over time, it became clear that the episode had unsurfaced layers of unresolved trauma stemming from early relational wounds related to childhood abandonment and the ongoing impact of chronic illness.
These foundational experiences later manifested as symptoms of sexual dysfunction, generalized anxiety, compulsive overworking, and a dissociative relationship with my own body. In response, I turned to many forms of restoration – spirituality, meditation, dance, yoga, breathwork, and medication. Each offered relief, and at times, a deeper glimpse into an embodied sense of self. But the pain, more often than not, lingered beneath the surface -or circled back in new forms.
I’ve learned that these practices are supportive, but they’re not cures. Their lasting medicine begins to unfold when they’re woven into the rhythms of daily life – less as something I reach for in crisis and more as ongoing forms of communication between myself and my body.
Nearly two decades in the health and wellness space have taught me this: healing is not one-size-fits-all. There are many valid pathways, and no single modality holds all the answers – including psychotherapy. Therapy can open powerful doors, especially when sustained over time within a strong, attuned relationship. But the work doesn’t end in the therapy room. Real change happens when insight is lived – when it moves through the body, shapes our relationships, and reorients how we meet the world.
Authenticity isn’t equally safe or accessible for everyone, and any truly meaningful path, whether mental, emotional, physical, or spiritual, must honor that. In my own journey, the most lasting change has come through radical truth-telling and genuine connection. For me, restoration lives where honesty meets artistry – where personal growth is not only pursued, but witnessed, within intentional community.
Wild Refinement Studio is my offering to those navigating their own ongoing, nonlinear process of becoming. It’s a space where the body is not just a site of personal exploration, but a living archive – shaped by experience, identity, and the systems we, and our ancestors, have moved through. Here we honor the ways power, privilege, and systemic forces are held in the body – and how reconnection, expression, and choice can begin from that very place.
My studio is now yours. Let’s explore what’s possible – together.
wild refinement studio 