About
“If we could literally reach into you and remove all your fears – every one of them – how different would your life be? Think about it. If nothing stopped you from following your dreams, your life would probably be very different.
This is what the dying learn. Dying makes our worst fears come forward to be faced directly. It helps us see the different life that is possible…
… One lesson becomes clear: we must transcend our fears while we can still do those things we dream of.”
~~Elizabeth Kubler-Ross and David Kessler
When I was little, people were completely fascinating to me. I was fixated on understanding the inner lives of every person my eyes fell upon. I would study every fleeting expression, every subtle gesture, every shift in tone, attempting to feel what it was like to be them. That relentless curiosity has shaped my life.
I studied psychology in college, organizational behavior in grad school (focusing on workplace behavior), and then adult development and learning in PhD-level psychology program. Though I deliberately chose not to become a therapist, my path has always revolved around deeply knowing what makes people tick.
It led me to a career I genuinely cherished: working as both an internal and external consultant in training and development, and the nuanced realm of change management. Through all of that and my own personal development work, I began to catch a glimpse of what the world would be like if everyone felt free to fully express themselves in their relationships and their life pursuits. I'm launching Life Beyond the Armor to scratch that itch—a second act that weaves together all my curiosity, study, work, and passion for understanding human connection and providing tools for living the lives we want.
I live near Washington, DC, close to my grown daughter. She's objectively wonderful, and not just because she and her husband have a 3-year-old who utterly amazes me every day. Beyond that, I've given my spare time to renovating six properties, knitting and sewing, and performing improv since 1994. I hope to start singing lessons soon because I've always wanted to sing!
My Credentials:
- BS in Psychology (Bradley University), MS in Organizational Behavior (Loyola University Chicago)
- PhD-level work in Psychology and Adult Development & Learning (Northwestern University)
- Consultant for Kaiser Permanente, Google, Genentech, Accenture, Baxter Health Care, University of Chicago Hospitals, and more
- Led over 1,500 workshops, seminars, and presentations
- Trained or coached over 14,000 people as a corporate consultant
- Founded Life Beyond the Armor in 2025