about my resilient life…

I haven’t played by the rules in a long time.

Years ago, when my children’s father passed away suddenly, I found myself alone in the woods with 3 small kids, no college degree and no tangible family support. I quickly realized the precarious, societal boxes this placed me in… ones that are extremely challenging to overcome:

Poor. Female. Uneducated. Single mom.

I couldn’t imagine living my life or raising my children from these labels. I had to reach within and find self-determination. I started by asking myself: If I’m not these things or only these things, who am I and what do I want for myself & my family?

The facts of our stories shape us, but we get the final say on how our true story is told.

Early in my adolescence, I experienced rare success in competitive horseback riding and training and even won Canadian "National" Championship. This time nurtured my deep intuition, as I learned to be in relationship with these mythic and sensitive creatures. The success was a life raft of sorts as I was simultaneously navigating intense family trauma. My horses, with their 4 grounded hooves, kept me sane, loved and purposeful.

But when I became pregnant at 18, all I’d known disappeared fast; my family rejected my choice...especially my mother. Nevertheless, becoming a mother myself sowed a deep faith in the miracle of nature and its perfect holistic regenerating systems, while simultaneously opening my eyes to eco-cide, capitalist-patriarchy, consumerism, fascism. I experienced a renaissance of spirit, longing for a connection to the land that sustains us and all things wild and free. When my first son was born, I took one look at him and something cracked wide open in me…

I became a naturalist, a mountain woman, a renaissance parent, a maker and a homesteader. I became the Great Composter of my life, recognizing and leaning into one of my key gifts: The ability to turn the yucky, ignored or discarded aspects of our lives into the richest medium for new growth.

Amidst heart-wrenching heartbreak and young-motherhood, I found my way to a B.S. in Sociology, where I focused in gender studies & non-profit business management. And then, a year into my Masters in Social Work program, I realized there were faster and more direct ways to be a healer and activist. I wanted to BE THE CHANGE, not study what needs to change and become a cog in the proverbial wheel that created the problems in the first place. The institutions were making me sick with Fibromyalgia as their systems were based on striving, not listening, on hierarchy, not collaboration. I left that program, and started to move even more fully into a more handmade life…

This began by experimenting with more positive, life-affirming archetypes (to replace or nourish the oppressive labels of mainstream culture that limit so many of us):

Healer. Alchemist. Conscious Parent. Entrepreneur. Artist. Activist…

These empowering archetypes have become an evolving identity.
I’m comitted to living them, day by day alongside my children and community.

I started a Waldorf inspired art and farming summer camp to give to the community's children what my own inner child needed to heal; being in my garden which is my church (my farmacy), inspiring wonder in the natural world.

I educated my self as a coach and Neuro-Linguistic Practitioner (NLP) to embody a more radical and transformational approach to mental health starting in the family home.

I KNOW that full recovery is possible, because I am a living example. We have the power within us to change generational family patterns and become the new family ecology. Raising a conscious, connected family is a revolutionary act.

Being a Mother became my pathway to radical activism. Homesteading and artisan business allowed me the opportunity to be the present and available parent I wanted to be.

I’m now able to honor my path & name who I am. Through loss, abuse, even homelessness, I’ve learned to own my right to grow into a life that’s true to myself, my values, my family and the highest expression of my gifts. It’s an ongoing adventure!

I want the same for you.

Whether you’re looking for guidance in crafting a life more harmoniously with your values, or learning about new, emergent ways of raising a conscious & connected family, I want you to know that it’s possible. I’m here for you.