How I came to be a bodyworker and why I believe it matters:

I came to massage as a second career after working in human services for nearly a decade.  I worked for several years with abused and neglected children and then  ran a GED and life skills program for pregnant and parenting teens.  In both of these jobs I had glimmers of the power and importance of touch.  I saw the impact that safe touch had on young children who had survived traumatic family life, frequent hugs and bedtime back rubs were important to the children's sense of wholeness and well being.  With the teen parents, I witnessed a shift in the parent/child relationship when we brought in a massage therapist to teach the young women infant massage.  Their connection with their children was deepened and you could see them relating to each other in a new, more loving way.

These experiences propelled me to move to Oahu, from my home in Providence, Rhode Island and study Massage at the American Institute for Massage Therapy in Kailua.  There I learned all about the dance between bodyworker and client and learned about the powerful impact of the mind body connection.  I went on to explore more, becoming certified in prenatal massage, studying lomi lomi, Thai yoga massage, Rosen work, Chi Nei Tsang and other modalities.  I also received a great deal of bodywork over the course of my career, learning from each of my sessions beautiful techniques that worked to address things in my own body.  I have had the most beautiful experiences of being able to feel things that are part of my history and story that I had packed away and stored in my body.  Loving touch and intention has helped me personally to connect with my own story and sense of self in a more authentic way.  It has helped me to understand how I came to be this person that I am, feel what needed to be felt and release what was no longer needed, and for that I am extremely grateful. 

How I came to Birthwork:

Supporting mothers to be became a passion while I was working with pregnant and parenting teens and when I became a massage therapist, doing prenatal work immediately became my most cherished experiences. Clients began to ask me to attend their births and so I sought additional training to become a doula. After attending my first birth, I was awestruck by the power of these beautiful and challenging hours that bring a new life into the world and reveal the strength and magic of womanhood. I have sought to strengthen my skills ever since to provide the most competent and loving care I can to women and their partners during labor and birth. I enjoy holding space for others on this journey. I love the rhythms of birth and hope to help protect your experience while rolling with all of the unpredictable moments that labor and birth often offer. I will always honor your choices, without judgment, while offering my support to help you be strong when needed and soften when needed as both are essential to bringing babies into the world. My belief in the importance of a doula for every woman who wants one was solidified at the birth of my own daughter during which my doula’s support was invaluable.  I have two beautiful girls, both born at home with the support of midwives and a doula.  I have tremendous respect for and trust in birth.