A native of Philadelphia, PA, I left home at the age of 17 to pursue higher education. I earned my Ph.D. in educational psychology from the University of Northern Colorado, an M.S. in counseling from the State University of New York, and a B.S. in psychology from Cornell University. As my educational background suggests, I have a lot of formal education about the human condition.
A resilient survivor of childhood trauma, I also have plenty of personal experience to speak to the human condition.
I have used most of my experience in various academic settings. I taught psychology at community college, and private and state universities. I have experience in a variety of presentation formats including large lecture, small seminar, and experiential teaching. My topics of motivation and learning address mental, emotional and physical well-being, parenting for healthy outcomes, successful learning and overcoming childhood trauma for adults.
I have been supporting adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse since 2010 when I founded Talking Trees, Inc., an empowerment organization that encourages survivors to live openly to heal. In November 2017, I was recognized for my work by the Colorado Springs Business Journal among their selected “Women of Distinction” honorees. In March 2018, Ms. Magazine Blog featured my article about adult survivors within the Me Too Movement, and I have appeared in several other media outlets since then to raise awareness, including ABC News radio, Dr. Dave Podcast, and Iowa Public Radio.
Writing and publishing empowering literature is a major platform for me and I a regular contributor on several sites, including medium.com, Upjourney.com, and Talkingtreessurvivors on FaceBook. My memoir has been suggested as "required reading" because some people refer to me as a real-life hero. In addition to authoring four books, I hold an unpublished poetry collection of over 150 poems. I am also a spoken word artist.
