As a daughter of traditional South Asian immigrants, my upbringing was quite different than my American peers. I still hesitate to share if I'm hanging out with a male friend, even though I am pestered about marriage. Getting older has also involved outgrowing attitudes about myself, family, and relationships that hold me back, guilt included. I've worked to find my authentic self and accept occasionally being the black sheep in my close-knit family whom I love being near, but still need to enact boundaries with or know when to deep breathe instead of react. This also involves understanding the challenges with comparing to cousins in India, or peers whose parents grew up in America. If you've been stressed by the conflict of the third-culture sandwich, I'd love to chat.

I grew up navigating life with a disability, so I truly understand the challenges, frustrations, and emotional layers that come with it. That lived experience has given me deep empathy and insight into what both children and parents face every day. I also grew up in a blended family, which taught me firsthand how complex family dynamics can be. Because of this, I’m able to support parents as they advocate for their children, work through emotional and practical challenges, and feel less alone in the process.

Leaving graduate school early, job loss, poor fits - all traumas I've had to navigate through. Whatever nebulous point represented my dream career now has a circuitous route to get there. Add to that the mental toll that professional, financial, and social shifts take on our well-being, especially when we don't learn "corporate speak" in school! I'd love to share ways that I've handled these setbacks - such as becoming a content creator - as well as practical ideas for job seeking. As important as our careers are, they don't represent our entire identity.

MOTIVATION IS HARD!!! I know sometimes getting started is the hardest part in getting anything done! At times it's so hard to get moving, even at a snail's pace, but once someone else is involved.... BAM, I'm moving at Mach 5 to get it done! Maybe you just want someone to talk to while you fold laundry. Maybe it would be helpful if someone is just sitting quietly while you do something really hard emotionally, like going through belongings of a loved one after they have passed. There are numerous situations where having someone to just BE with you can be helpful and I'd be more than honored to be that for you. We can talk about anything, or nothing, whatever you'd like and whatever might help you get through whatever task it is that you are having trouble starting. I get it. I have nearly earned a Master's Degree in procrastination! I'm learning little tricks to get myself moving, the top of which is the Body Double... someone to be with while I do the thing I don't want to do.

I was faced with making a decision about an unexpected pregnancy twice in my life. Once at 17 and again at 25. The circumstances were different each time. At 17, my parents chose for me and at 25, I had to go through my own process to choose what was best for me. Both times, the choice was to terminate the pregnancy. It was the right decision for me each time. Both experiences had significant influence on my life and choices moving forward. I had to go through different grieving and healing processes for each termination. One thing I would have benefited from is someone to talk to who had been there.

I’m Emily, Em for short, and I’m here because I know how hard it can be to talk about what you're going through—especially with people in your everyday life. I offer a safe, judgment-free space where you can vent, process emotions, or work through relationship or life challenges. I’m currently in my pre-licensing for therapy, and I love helping people feel heard, supported, and less alone. If you need someone who truly “gets it,” I’m here.

I've walked through hell and back. Addiction, chaos, and darkness were my reality for years, and I've made mistakes that could have broken me - but I survived! I've cried at the gates of hell, and somehow, the universe reached down and pulled me out because it knew I was strong enough to turn around and reach back in to pull just one more out - hacksaw ridge status - one more person, one more life. Today, I guide people who feel lost, trapped, or hopeless to transform their pain into strength, reclaim their lives, and create hope for themselves and those around them. Together, we turn survival into purpose and lived experience into empowerment.

I've walked through disillusionment and the dark night of the soul - when everything I thought I knew about life, success and even myself, fell apart. I did everything the world said would bring happiness & fulfillment, yet found only emptiness where meaning should have been. In that darkness, I was stripped bare - forced to face my pain, my conditioning, and the illusions I once called truth. But it was there, in the silence, that I began to heal. Piece by piece, I rediscovered what cannot be taken - the light within, the quiet resilience of spirit, the knowing that wholeness isn't something to earn but to remember. My journey through the depths became my awakening. Now I walk with others through their own darkness, helping them see that even when all seems lost, the soul is never without light, but only waiting to be found again.

Self harm was my way of feeling something real when the emotional pain became unbearable. The physical act became a language for the chaos inside, a release of pressure from The unseen weight of trauma, addiction, and depression. I lived in fear - hiding scars, adjusting clothing and managing judgment from those I loved. Pain cause more pain; the cycle felt analyst. Yet, through recovery, I learned that self-harm does not define my worth. It taught me empathy, resilience, and the importance of being seen and heard. Now I got others through the darkness helping them understand their triggers, look for glimmers, find healthier outlets, and reclaim their life with hope, compassion, and self-love.

Dogs are fiercely loyal; they endure the hardships of Life alongside us, without judgment, without pause. During my darkest times my dog was there - a constant study presence offering love even when I felt unworthy. Most people wouldn't choose recovery over loyalty, but dogs don't ask questions; they simply walk with you through the storm. My journey in recovery is intertwined with the bond I share with my dog teaching me patients, trust, and unconditional love. At bond has been a lifeline, a teacher, and a mirror for my own resilience, showing me that honoring and maintaining loyalty through recovery is possible and profoundly transformative.

There was a time in my life when everything felt paused. I was between jobs, unsure of my next step, watching others move forward while I sat still. People would say, “Something will come along,” but the waiting felt like slow erosion. My self-worth was tied to progress, and without it, I felt small. I learned how to sit with the discomfort, how to extract meaning from stillness, and how to build a life that didn’t depend on a clear next chapter. I began to ask myself deeper questions about purpose, identity, and what truly mattered.

I understand the hurt of traumatic loss with losing my brother to overdose in 2022. I understand the coping with loss with losing both of my grandmas in a a year spend 2018-2019. I understand the coping with loss and spiritual grief of losing both of my parents a a year spend 2016-2017 feeling the weight of the grief of wondering what Did I do wrong to deserve this. The complicated grief of losing my grandpa in 2025 and to feel the hurt and pain of the complicated grief of losing 6 family members 2016-2025. What I can offer Safe space to explore feelings and emotions of loss Coping skills to normalize the Saddness anger and guilt that grief tends to bring Building support and rituals to honor loved ones who have passed away Forgiving ourself for not being more available.

After spending years shaped by other people’s expectations, survival modes, or unhealthy dynamics, it can be hard to know who you really are anymore. I reached a point in my life where I realized I wasn’t just healing, I was being asked to rediscover myself. Reinvention didn’t mean becoming someone new; it meant uncovering who I’d always been beneath the coping and compromises. Through major life changes, deep self-reflection, and learning to listen inward, I began the ongoing process of living more authentically. I started singing publicly and pushing myself to get on stage which always terrified me. It wasn’t always comfortable. Letting go of old roles and identities brought grief, fear, and uncertainty, but it also created space for freedom, alignment, and self-trust. I offer this topic as a supportive space for anyone questioning who they are now, who they want to become, or how to live more honestly after change, loss, or growth.

Disabled from birth I have struggled finding employment that is accessible to me as a blind person. Jobs that work with screen readers and locations easy to find transportation to have been challenges I've had. After several job opportunities I have found a job that I feel will be rewarding and enjoyable that I don't have to leave home for.

Grief from loss can occur many times throughout our lives. From the loss of a dream or idea to the loss of a parent or spouse, grief can creep into our lives in many different ways. There is no right or wrong way to grieve but talking to someone can be a healthy way to cope when going through all of the ways we can be distressed. I've dealt with everything from the loss of my mother at a younger age after a debilitating illness to the sadness of losing the ability to continue in a career that I very much loved because my body had betrayed me. Loss of relationships has been a common thread throughout my life, from friendships to the closest and most important of all relationships. I've had heartbreak on every level. I've navigated loss of career, relationships, dreams & ideas, loved ones & pets (maybe one of the hardest to cope with!). I've gotten through some situations much quicker & easier than others, finding that going through, rather than around, tends to get me the best outcome.

For a long time, I treated creativity like something to extract from myself. I pushed through exhaustion, ignored my own signals, and learned to confuse productivity with worth. Making things became tangled up with pressure, self-judgment, and the feeling that I was never doing enough. What shifted wasn’t finding better systems or discipline, but learning to listen to what my nervous system was actually asking for. I began to see burnout and resistance not as failures, but as information — signs that something needed care instead of force. Now I offer space for people who want to make meaningful work without turning against themselves. Not to optimize output, but to build a relationship with creativity that feels alive, honest, and sustainable.

For me, living alone and a couple hours from close friends means the holidays can feel like a funny mix of peaceful project time and unexpected loneliness. I’ve opted out of complicated family dynamics because I’m no longer a people pleaser, which leaves me with a whole new kind of solo space. If you’re hitting your limit after the hundredth round of holiday music, or feeling out of sync with a family group chat that moves 30 messages a minute, and you’d rather talk to an actual human instead, I’m here. Whether it’s Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s Eve or Day, Valentine’s Day, or any moment when it seems like everyone you know is wrapped up in family plans while you’re navigating your own quiet corner of the season, it can feel liberating or it can feel like being the odd duck out in the cold. Don’t spend even a moment blaming yourself for being single or simply on your own during the holidays. Book a session with me, and let’s talk it through together.