I started my yoga journey in 2000 when I took a prenatal yoga class with a friend while pregnant with my first son.  At the time, I had been an avid mountain bike racer and always running my life at a fast, stressful pace. I found in those early classes and over the years that taking the time to slow down and allow focused time to tend to my mind, body and spirit on the mat was like a balm for my soul, helping to release my stress and anxiety. Having very tight muscles, I love the benefits of increased flexibility of hot yoga at Inner Fire and I'm excited to be a member of the inspiring Inner Fire Yoga community of dedicated yogis. 

After tragically losing my youngest son at the age of 18 in 2021, my life got turned upside down.  I could feel the devastating emotional pain in every cell of my body 24/7 and was so worried about what this would do to my body long term.  I turned to my yoga practice to focus on moving the pain through my body and releasing it.  

Yoga has been instrumental in my grief healing journey, so much so that I decided to train to be a yoga teacher.  I completed my 200-hour yoga teacher training, spending a month in Thailand in Jan/Feb of 2024 and then completed an additional 100-hour online training in Grief Yoga® in March of 2024.  

I loved learning more about yoga philosophy and the understanding that we are so much more than our physical bodies – that we are eternal souls having an earthly existence – and how yoga can help raise our vibrational energy and be more connected with the intelligence of our higher selves and Source (to me, this is God.) And, through Grief Yoga®, how important it is to give ourselves the space to release the emotional pain we carry in our bodies so that it doesn’t get stored in our tissues and wreak havoc on our bodies, resulting in long-term chronic health issues.

I am also a Certified Grief Support Specialist (UW-Madison Continuing Studies, December 2023) and a Certified Grief Educator through world renowned grief expert, David Kessler (June, 2024).  After 30+ years in the business world, I am excited about this next phase of life where I will be able to channel my pain into purpose and help others on their grief journey learn how to integrate their loss and reclaim joy in their lives. 

Besides practicing yoga, I love spending time in nature, pretty much any outdoor adventure, and traveling.  Boating, bicycling, stand up paddleboarding, kayaking, hiking, downhill and cross country skiing, snowshoeing and spending time on my fiance’s land in northern MN are my top activities.  I’m also currently obsessed with reading books and listening to podcasts about near death experiences, spirituality, and healing from trauma.  And, most importantly, I'm an extremely proud mom of my son, Ross, who is an officer in the US Air Force in Omaha and my angel son, Cade, who gives me strength from the other side to advocate for education and awareness about fentanyl poisonings and save lives in his honor.