Everyone said certain health challenges that started in graduate school would go away once I left the stressful environment. But they were here to stay. While peers spend their vacation leave and money on trips, I spend my sick leave and funds on doctor's appointments and interventions - all while managing conditions and treatments discreetly for co-occurring conditions. If you struggle with sleep, pain, anxiety, or GI issues - as well as as "gymtimidation," or having to choose sneakers over cute heels - I'm here for you.

I have struggled with insomnia for about 4 years. I would wake up in the middle of the night and not be able to sleep again often for 3 or 4 hours or sometimes just not at all. This would leave me feeling extremely grumpy the next day, sometimes exhausted to the point of having trouble driving, and affected my performance in my job and my ability to connect with my kids. I have found a variety of different practices that have been helpful for me to keep me from waking up on the middle of the night, or if I do wake up to get back to sleep within a short period of time. They aren’t foolproof, I still have nights occasionally that leave me exhausted, but they are far fewer and I have learned to cope with the tiredness better even on those days that are the worst.

I see or hear something that displeases me; there’s an immediate surge of energy in my gut. I feel like cursing or striking out. Or I feel like crying and hiding as when I was a child and anger wasn't allowed. Sometimes anger simmers unconsciously below the surface, waiting for a moment to erupt, most often at an inappropriate time bringing guilt or shame. It might translate into passive aggression, a biting comment or icy silence. Sometimes it morphs into something entirely different – anxiety or sadness or fear. Without psychoanalyzing, developing awareness of unrecognized anger can put us in control of it. Anger manifests in many ways. It often masquerades as insomnia and food disorders. Understanding how it manifests, acknowledging its presence, exploring it's origins and recognizing this consciously helps us better navigate it's various forms and respond in ways that are constructive rather than destructive. Giving help with such exploration is the work of a Warmer Expert.

I experimented with minimal living in both physical and social settings. I found so much richness outside of the rat-race. Do you want to find that life feels like a treat? I found expanded possibilities in less calendar clutter, “things” clutter, and general clutter in myself and routine interactions. I do enjoy basic pleasures, yes, but I also enjoy increased opportunity to conceptualize and explore new ideas and environments. Less equals more is counterintuitive, but we will discuss how “more” is simply having extra- duplicates to clutter our progress. “Less” is a vacuum of space that can be created, reinvented, and loved in a million different ways. Let’s get minimal and maximize our imagination!

I discovered higher level coping skills only worked for me once I mastered three basic practices around sleep, food, and daily time in passion projects. I coach participants through the essentials of sleep and food tracking as well as spending time each day in passion projects. These basic practices are often overlooked but can hugely impact the success or failure of advanced coping skills.