I am a former Silicon Valley business analyst turned solo world traveler, snowboarder, and backpacker. Writing became my passion during a 10-day service trip to Uganda, Africa, where I discovered that our most powerful experiences cannot be captured with a photograph or a video, but only with words. From witnessing addiction, to the early passing of both of my parents, to caregiving to depression, I’ve lived many more lives than most people my age, and therefore can speak to experiences beyond my years.

I began my first blog, I Got Lost…Again after resigning from Google, Inc. to travel the world in 2014. After completing two writing courses in Berkeley, California focused on “Writing from the Heart,” I built my website in 2017, DIRTandTEARS.com. Every few years I volunteer at the Banff Mountain Film and Book Festival, volunteering, and connecting with other creatives in the outdoor industry.  In 2018, I traveled and volunteered in New Zealand for five months, while writing the “shitty first draft” of my first book. Now, with six years of writing experience, my stories have been published by SISU Magazine, Outside by Design, The Dust Magazine, GearJunkie, Adventure Bound, Out There, and Women on the Road. 

In February of 2016, I first became a Certified Mental Health First Aider. After my recertification course in 2019, I decided that this was where I could finally take my mental health advocacy to the next level. With a grant from the EpicPromise Foundation, I was able to take the three-day course to become a Certified Adult Mental Health First Aid Instructor. Although I tried to find an organization that wanted to utilize these skills I had, I was unable to teach as much as I wanted and reach the clients I felt needed this training. So, in May of 2022, I took the plunge into full-time self-employment, building my business around all the services you see offered on this website, working at the intersection of outdoor adventure and the greatest struggles we have as adults.

As an avid backpacker, I’ve completed both the John Muir Trail and the Tahoe Rim Trail, plus hundreds of miles around the world. I also trail run, cycle tour, still water kayak, snowboard, splitboard, ski, and much more. Outside of grand adventures, I start most mornings snuggling with my dog by the fire with coffee and a book, I am passionate about coffee shops, and wear silly costumes on the slopes to bring joy to others. When I’m not traveling, I live on the land of the Washoe People, in South Lake Tahoe, in California, in the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range.

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