Originally from Illinois, I have always had a fascination and love for nature, animals, water, and especially the ocean. This love took me to Hawaii in 2005 where I completed my bachelor’s in biology. During this time, I fell in love with surfing and developed a deeper relationship with Mother Ocean. Life eventually took me back to Illinois where I found and continued to surf on Lake Michigan while also walking a new path of supporting people through their healing journeys as a clinical social worker. 

 

Like so many others, I have experienced grief and loss throughout stages of my life. In 2021, I had a deeper, significant loss followed by a cascade of other losses which shattered the ground I stood on. The loneliness, isolation, and depression that came with it was like none I'd experienced…although, I always found refuge in nature during this time - in forests, rivers, and the great Momma Lake Michigan. In 2023, (and over a decade of yearning to be back by the ocean) I finally took the plunge to figure out where I want to put down roots and landed in Florida. Connecting with the ocean and wetlands here has nourished my mind, body, and spirit in a way that I've never experienced...and I recognize that part of this is due to how grief transforms us. 

 

Contribution is a major value of mine. I'm always trying to find ways to give back to nature. Be that through volunteering with conservation efforts or nurturing the connection other's have with their own bodies, with their grief (individual and collective) so that we can reconnect with this sacred, living, breathing planet. Needless to say, when I came across Waves of Grief through a Chicago surf group that I was a part of, I knew that I needed to create a space here in my new home.