I know what it’s like . . .

I earned my bachelor’s degree from Oberlin College and my master’s degree from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. I have studied Universal Design for Learning with CAST, and I have completed accredited training on Coaching Teens and College Students with ADHD through JST Coaching. My personal experience with executive function struggles and the emotional labor of masking those challenges uniquely positions me to understand my clients.

Early in life, I didn’t see my executive function struggles because my parents modeled so many organizational tools. I was lucky to grow up in a family that used calendars, lists, note-taking, and visual reminders.

I used willpower and organizational strategies to propel myself as a “high achiever” in middle and high school. I loved intellectual engagement, as well as interdisciplinary and project-based learning. I felt called to become a teacher to share these experiences with my own students.

As a tween and teen, emotional regulation and processing increasing loads of information became more difficult. I wondered, “ If people keep telling me I’m so smart, what’s wrong with me? Why does this feel so hard?” I was more acculturated to hiding my challenges than seeking help. My emotional health crashed in college without the predictable structure and expectations of secondary school. I overcame my setbacks, but I did not understand what was at the root of my struggles. My teaching career inspired a parallel personal journey to identify my own barriers to executive function.

My teaching career at traditional public, charter, and independent schools drew me into the work of special education, neurodiversity, inclusion, advocacy, and supportive accommodations. Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging work reinforced my belief that brains are best primed to learn when people feel truly seen. My training with JST Coaching, taught me one-on-one coaching tools to support people with executive function struggles and/or ADHD, nurturing a client’s sense of agency and confidence.

I am dedicated to the one-on-one coaching process to help people feel functional and fulfilled in their daily lives.