I’ve been there! BIG TIME! I burned out in my early 30s, and it took me nearly a decade to fully recover from chronic fatigue syndrome. I had a long-distance relationship that wasn’t working, my mum had cancer, I was doing a Ph.D. in astrophysics—of all subjects, and I wasn’t even passionate about it—and I was doing way too much hardcore mountain sports to distract myself from my daily stressors.
I kept this up for a few years until “my body said no” (a Gabor Maté reference). I hit rock bottom AGAIN, but this one time, I didn’t bounce back. Enter chronic fatigue.
No more sports. No more socializing.
I was in a physical, emotional, and spiritual crisis. I had to re-evaluate how I lived my entire life up to now.
Whose life was I living? Whose values was I following? What are my values? How do I begin to change? How can I heal?
For years, I explored meditation, diets, and supplements. Still, it wasn’t until I discovered healing trauma and the healing power of vulnerable connection that I truly started coming out of my burnout. It was a slow and steady process back to having the energy to exercise, socialize, and work again, but I DID IT!
Now, work works for me. I have time and money to enjoy life. I have the skills to navigate significant stressors like working in a fast-paced tech world or becoming a stepmom to two teenagers. I still achieve a lot— I even run two businesses—but with self-care, joy, and pleasure being non-negotiable.
I want to help you see that change is possible. That you, too, can experience joy again. You can make choices that help you have more energy, even at the end of your day. Instead of getting by each day, you look forward to each day. Yes, even if it’s a work day!
In my therapeutic counselling sessions, I combine heart and mind, experience and science. My approach is holistic: emotional, ancestral, spiritual, and somatic. I bring family systems theory, healing trauma, mindfulness, and psychoeducation to my practice.
Registered Therapeutic Counsellor (RTC) with the ACCT
Clearmind International’s transpersonal psychotherapy program PRAC
Somatic Experiencing® Practitioner in training
Level 1 and 2 of Trauma-Informed Practice Training
Ph.D. in Astrophysics
Remember to take care of yourself. You can’t pour from an empty cup.