If you had asked little me what I wanted to be when I grew up, I would have told you I wanted to be a teacher.

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I loved learning, helping others understand new concepts, and finding ways to make complicated information feel approachable. Even then, I was drawn to education, mentorship, and helping people feel more confident when they were facing something unfamiliar.

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Then life had other plans.

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During high school, my grandfather suffered severe burn injuries, and my family spent months navigating hospitals, specialists, treatments, and difficult decisions. While many people understandably felt overwhelmed by the experience, I found myself fascinated by the healthcare system. I wanted to understand what providers were saying, what the next steps were, and how families made sense of situations they never expected to face.

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Without realizing it at the time, I often found myself acting as a translator—taking medical language and turning it into something my family could understand.

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Those experiences sparked an interest in healthcare that eventually replaced my plans to become a teacher.

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As I explored healthcare careers, I became a Red Cross-certified babysitting instructor and looked for opportunities that combined education, caregiving, and service. By the time I entered college, I was convinced I would become a nurse with aspirations to become a Nurse Practitioner.

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That plan lasted about two years.

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It wasn't until after my second year of college that I discovered social work.

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The more I learned about the profession, the more it felt like someone had taken all of the things I cared about and turned them into a career. Advocacy. Education. Problem-solving. Relationship-building. Helping people navigate complex systems during difficult moments.

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For the first time, I could see a professional path that felt like a natural fit. Instead of choosing between healthcare and helping people understand difficult situations, I realized I could do both.

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That realization ultimately led me to earn a Bachelor of Social Work from the University of Michigan–Flint, a Master of Social Work from the University of Michigan, and later a Master of Business Administration with a concentration in Health Systems Leadership from Central Michigan University.

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Over the years, my career has taken me through healthcare, education, crisis intervention, outpatient therapy, school-based mental health, and leadership. I have worked as a Certified Nursing Assistant, supported public health efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic, helped students navigate college and career planning, provided emergency behavioral health assessments in hospital settings, and eventually found my way to both school-based mental health and private practice.

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While the settings changed, the work remained remarkably consistent.

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Whether I was helping a family understand a medical diagnosis, supporting a student as they planned for the future, assisting someone experiencing a mental health crisis, or sitting across from a therapy client navigating a difficult season of life, I was helping people make sense of uncertainty and figure out what came next.

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Today, I serve as a Licensed Master Social Worker, school-based therapist, and founder of Guiding Star Counseling PLLC. I have the privilege of supporting individuals and families through life's challenges while continuing to grow as a clinician, leader, educator, and advocate.

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But my story does not end with my professional experiences.

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In July 2025, I married my husband, Dwight.

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Less than two weeks later, my life changed forever.

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His death challenged everything I thought I knew about grief, resilience, healing, and the assumptions we make about the future. Like many people who experience profound loss, I found myself searching for answers, connection, and understanding in a world that suddenly felt unfamiliar.

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Over time, that search evolved into writing.

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What began as a way to process my own experiences gradually became a platform for education, advocacy, and community. Through projects such as Widow in the Wild, The Grief Gap, and other writing initiatives, I share reflections on grief, resilience, mental health, and the realities of rebuilding life after loss.

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My goal is not simply to tell my story. It is to help others feel less alone in theirs.

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In many ways, my writing reflects the same values that led me to social work years earlier. It is rooted in education, connection, advocacy, and the belief that people deserve honest conversations about difficult topics.

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Today, my work exists at the intersection of clinical practice, leadership, education, writing, and advocacy. While those roles may appear different on the surface, they are all guided by the same belief:

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People are remarkably resilient, and they deserve access to the support they need to navigate life's challenges and opportunities.

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When I'm not working, writing, or volunteering, you'll most likely find me outdoors with my dogs, tending a garden, working on a crochet project, exploring a new hiking trail, camping, kayaking, or planning the next adventure.

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Those moments remind me that some of life's most meaningful lessons happen far from a classroom, office, or therapy room. Life rarely unfolds the way we expect it to, but there is still beauty, meaning, and purpose to be found along the way.

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Thank you for taking the time to learn a little about my journey.

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