What are you listening to right now?

Bon Iver’s new EP on repeat, Nehmasis, Mustafa, Noah Kahan, and the soundtrack to Encanto (maybe more times than I’d prefer)

What are you reading right now?

I am currently alternating between All Fours by Miranda July and Small Victories by Anne Lamott.

What’s something you wish more people knew about mental health?

It’s okay to be a compassionate mess.” This is a quote I love from Kristen Neff (lead researcher on self-compassion), and it encapsulates two things I think are important about the exploration of our mental health:

First—the mess! To struggle is to be human. There’s no pressure to arrive at therapy any certain way, you don’t need to have anything figured out, and there is no pressure to ‘get fixed’ or be flawless. Without fear of judgment for our messes, going to therapy might seem less intimidating and more accessible.

Second – the compassion! Kindness for ourselves helps develop resilience, as we recognize that our growth will not be linear. As Carl Rogers so perfectly said, “The curious paradox is, the more I accept myself, the more I can change.” When we begin to see our setbacks through a compassionate lens, rather than seeing them as failures, they all become part of the journey (Spoiler alert: eventually, this can lead to more love for ourselves and others, and then we’re really cooking 🍳)

What was one of your favourite adventures?

My husband and I travelled to Sri Lanka with our wee little 6-month old baby for a few months. The gorgeous landscapes, incredible beaches, delicious food (I crave egg hoppers and Kottu Roti weekly!) and unending kindness from the people we met there was such a gift during those post-partum months.

Tell me about one experience that changed your life:

I experienced severe perinatal anxiety during both of my pregnancies and came up against my limits (as I had to leave my job both times), recognizing that I needed more support than my spouse or friends could provide and discovering the absolute gift of therapy was truly life-changing for me. Not only did I encounter true relief and healing, but the experience lit a deep desire in me to offer this gift to others, which led me to apply to grad school and eventually arrive here at The Cove.

What’s your favourite thing to do?

If I had to pick one thing, it would probably be lying on a blanket at the park in the sun, surrounded by friends, snacks and babies. Runner-up options include reading and writing at my favourite cafés, late-night conversations with friends about the meaning of life, snuggling with my kids (especially if they fall asleep on me 😭), the experience of a really good cry, exploring our downtown neighbourhood during a snowstorm, making friends with strangers, singing in a group, and generally savouring moments of sunshine and joy because they’re rare but they’re everything.

Who do you work with?

I work with adults of all ages who are looking to discover or reconnect with themselves in a compassionate, gentle, judgment-free space.

What would you like a client to say about working with you?

I would truly love it if my clients said that they feel seen by me, that they feel like they could share anything with me, and that they can show up to our sessions exactly as they are. It would be absolute icing on the cake if I heard them say they discovered something new about themselves or began to embrace a part of themselves they used to push down, or maybe even that they’re learning to love themselves – that would just mean the world to me.

What is your favourite poem?

“The Thing Is” by Ellen Bass

to love life, to love it even
when you have no stomach for it
and everything you’ve held dear
crumbles like burnt paper in your hands,
your throat filled with the silt of it.
When grief sits with you, its tropical heat
thickening the air, heavy as water
more fit for gills than lungs;
when grief weights you down like your own flesh
only more of it, an obesity of grief,
you think, How can a body withstand this?
Then you hold life like a face
between your palms, a plain face,
no charming smile, no violet eyes,
and you say, yes, I will take you
I will love you, again.