Meet your Guide
This is the part where I’m supposed to list my credentials, accomplishments, and a bunch of professional jargon to convince you that I know what I’m doing and…
…I don’t! I don’t know what I’m doing. You do, that’s the whole point of Guided Self-Mentorship. I know, I know, you get it. Credentials are important (I’ll throw them in at the bottom for the people who like that kind of thing), but if you’re here, chances are you don’t just want an impressive resume—you want to know about the actual person you’ll be spilling your heart out to.
The Story
If you’re feeling stuck, overwhelmed, or like you’re somehow failing at life while everyone else has it figured out, I get it. Not in the “I read about this in a textbook” kind of way, but in the “I’ve lived it” kind of way.
I spent the first 25 years of my life riddled with anxiety and feeling inadequate—to the point where I didn’t know if I wanted to keep living. I had tried therapy multiple times, and it didn’t work. I didn’t walk away with insights or skills—I walked away feeling lost, confused, and hopelessly broken. Like I was the problem. Like no amount of effort would ever make me feel okay.
At the same time, I was doing everything wrong (or so I thought). Three years into a Computer Science degree, I had yet to pass a single semester. At my lowest, I was sinking 16+ hours a day into video games—not because I didn’t care about my future, but because I didn’t know how to deal with the things that were preventing me from getting there.
Long story short? I hit rock bottom, got kicked out, and finally started working on my mental health—but not through therapy. What finally helped me get unstuck wasn’t talking about my problems endlessly. I went to the internet and learned a new way to think, a new way to understand myself, and a new way to actually change things.
And once I figured that out, I couldn’t stop learning. I spent years diving into psychology, philosophy, and real-life strategies that actually work. I became a therapist myself, working with people one-on-one for nearly a decade. But I also realized something…
What actually helps doesn’t have to take years of therapy.
That’s why I created Guided Self-Mentorship—so people can learn what actually works without spending years searching like I did.
What It’s Like to Work With Me
Guided Self-Mentorship isn’t about me giving you all the answers. I trust that you already have them. My job isn’t to push you, force accountability, or tell you what to do—it’s to help you uncover what’s right for you. Not based on someone else’s version of success, but based on what actually feels fulfilling to you.
I ride the line between warm, empathetic, and non-judgmental and honest, direct, and a little bit challenging. A past client once put it this way:
"You don’t let me get away with anything, but somehow manage to be perplexingly kind."
Yeah, that sounds right to me!
Unlike therapy, where progress can be slow and open-ended, this process is designed to move quickly. Why? Because I get bored easily and I have no tolerance for tedium. Most people walk away from their first session with core understandings that change the way they see themselves for life.
And I won’t be the one giving you the answers—you will. My job is to help you find your own guidance, so that by the time we’re done, you don’t need me anymore. That’s bad for my finances, and great for my soul.
Other Way More Important Stuff
When I’m not guiding people through untangling their brains and building lives they actually enjoy, I’m usually diving into something fascinating, hiking a new trail, reflecting on the silliness of life while sipping a coffee, or eating something irresponsibly spicy. I run on curiosity, a reverence for nature, a love of technology, music, food, and an unreasonable amount of admiration for animals. My ideal day? A slow morning with coffee and my cat, a long hike, learning something new just for the hell of it, and ending the night at a concert with good friends.
The Part Where I List My Qualifications
For those who like formal credentials:
I have 9+ years of experience as a therapist (plus an extra year as a hospice social worker where caring for the dying taught me to truly live).
I earned my Master’s in Social Work from the University of Wisconsin - Madison.
I’m licensed as a Social Worker through the Arizona Board of Behavioral Health Examiners.
Truly, at the end of the day, the letters after my name aren’t the reason this works. It works because I’ve been where you are. I’ve seen what actually helps. I’ve seen others use these tools to find relief. And I have an unrelenting, borderline ridiculous, possibly delusional level of belief that anyone—yes, anyone—can recover.