“Neither spectators nor victims, we can be directly involved in the making of ourselves and our world. Life’s solutions lie in each of us daring to create our own life and art. Daring to listen. ”
Growing up, I had that generic passion to help others, sprinkled with a need to be creative and physically active. I volunteered in hospitals in high school and worked in them to pay my way through college. I loved healthcare, especially the problem-solving element of it, but was hungry for experience outside of the box. I wanted adventure (and hate the smell of hospitals).
After completing my bachelor’s degrees, I joined the Peace Corps as a community health specialist in Tanzania. It was more amazing and life changing than I expected. I left with a newfound understanding of how culture influences our perspective (and how freaking beautiful the world can be). I returned to the US and continued the volunteering path for another year with Americorps VISTA (akin to a domestic version of Peace Corps). I spent that delightful year integrating health education into vulnerable school populations in NYC and figuring out how to maneuver city life after living in a rural village for 2 years.
Hunkering down in NY for the long term, I completed my master’s degrees from Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons. I opted for graduate work in occupational therapy because of its approach of treating the mind, body, AND community as part of health. Graduation brought clinical work splitting my time between pediatric and adult populations, a really cool way to understand how moments in a lifespan impact it all the way through. Working with young children was, and remains, my passion. But it takes a village to raise them so it’s equally as important to help the parents, aunties, grandparents who are raising them. So I continue to treat and educate myself on both.
The itch for adventure and service work came back and I returned to the Peace Corps. This time to Grenada with my specialized skills as an OT. I focused on training providers, setting up programs, and consulting (being the only OT on the island at the time). It was magic. I got to innovate and expand my skills in whole new directions I didn’t know existed. Also, I freaking love the beach so that made my heart happy to live in the Caribbean.
Returning to NYC after my Peace Corps service, I decided it was time to formally break out of the standard operating procedure for health care. I wanted more for my patients, my family, and my community. I started taking additional certifications to deepen my knowledge on movement approaches and integrative medicine. I expanded to leadership and operational roles, putting in action my unique skill set of being able to interpret complex concepts into clear maps, tangible plans, and actionable steps. And I found my groove.
I went from practitioner to coordinator to director to CEO. I have planted the seed, watered the seedling, pruned the branches, and harvested the fruit. All rooted in growing the good. And it’s so much fun!