I was born in the Twin Cities but grew up in Canada. Living there for 26 years, I completed all my schooling there and developed lifelong friendships I cherish. To this day, many of my best friends are still in Canada. I carry them in my heart and a huge part of who I am is related to our experiences together. This includes my love of rock music! It was 1990 when I bought drums that we started trying to play music (LOL). Thank goodness for my patient parents as three boneheads made unspeakable noise in the basement. 

 

After getting a Master's degree in clinical psychology, I started working as a  psychometrist, a role that allowed me to do psychological assessments and treatment with kids, teens, and families. The breadth of experience I gained was remarkable and is something for which I am deeply grateful. I worked with people suffering from things like depression, anxiety, ADHD, and trauma. My experience included offering family therapy, group therapy, and individual counseling as well as coordinating care with children's services and screening cases for psychiatric consultation. 

 

When working with families, I was able to participate as a facilitator of parents navigating the challenges of having children with diverse needs. I worked one day each week in a high school, dealing with pretty much everything you can imagine teens go through. I was also a resident "expert" on the assessment and treatment of eating disorders. (By the way, I hate having the word expert anywhere near my name...I don't know that much about anything. LOL)

 

Because my sister, father, and grandmother all still lived in the Twin Cities, I decided to take a leap of faith, leave the house I'd recently bought and my career, and move in 2003. A big motivating factor was when my sister had her first child in 2001. As my niece's godfather, I wanted to be closer and ensure she grew up knowing me!

 

My new beginnings included working for my father. He owns a very successful pallet company in Bloomington and I was building pallets. I taught my first college course in January of 2004. After that, I became a writing tutor at that same college.

 

Over time, I was able to piece together a full time job by being an adjunct professor across many different community colleges. I started being an adjunct at Minneapolis College in 2005 and that led to me slowly amassing a full credit load there.

 

In 2017, I received tenure at Minneapolis College. It is hard to believe I have been there 20 years. I absolutely love it. It is also hard to believe that I have written two books about student success and have even been a keynote speaker. I think I have fooled a lot of people into thinking I'm smarter than I am. (Shhhh. Don't tell anyone or I'm screwed.) LOL

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In my private life, I am definitely an introvert who enjoys quieter activities and time with friends and family. I love wildlife and animals in general. All my charitable contributions are geared to support animals and the environment. Even my yard is certified as a wildlife habitat. As you can see, I also have trained a few chipmunks. They are adorable, gentle creatures.

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On May 30, 2024, I was diagnosed with cancer. Treatment for my cancer is known to be brutal (radiation 5 days every week for 7 weeks, with one day each of those weeks to include concurrent chemo). Initially, I will be okay but by the midway mark of treatment and for months after, I'm going to be a mess (or so they say). ​