get to know me

I’m a homebody, gentle habit-builder, solo traveler, and believer in slow healing. I created this space to share the kind of support I needed during my own seasons of burnout, brain fog, and soul-deep fatigue. This isn’t about fixing yourself. It’s about coming home to who you already are.

I have personally experienced chronic pain and health struggles that hindered my quality of life. Most of my health struggles are due to long term adverse effects of a childhood brain injury and a few additional concussions throughout my life. My health struggles are what brought me to seek answers.

In my early-mid twenties, I started to struggle more than I ever had with fatigue, headaches, migraines, brain fog, gut issues, and the list just keeps going! I kept striving for “perfect” in my healing journey thinking I needed to keep trying harder. That I wasn’t putting in enough effort or not pushing myself enough. It felt like weakness and lack of discipline were the reasons why I wasn’t getting better; that there was something wrong with me as a person and that’s why I couldn’t get healthier.

Healing isn’t about perfection, it’s about presence.

I hit a breaking point of total burnout at 28 years old and finally went to a clinic that specializes in brain injury recovery. The decision to seek support specific to my needs was the tipping point in getting to the root of my health struggles. Hint: it wasn’t a lack of discipline or lack of internal strength! I had far more going on in my body than I even considered related to my brain injury. It was affecting my metabolic health, hormones, vestibular system (balance), gut health, and my autonomic system (fight or flight).

In the years since my initial breakthrough, I continually and repeatedly get reminded that speed, perfection, and intensity are not linked to becoming a healthier version of myself. In fact, the intensity I kept placing on my health and day to day life was counteracting the modalities and treatments I was taught to help my body recover. Learning to slow down, give myself grace, and embrace calm daily rhythms changed everything in my healing journey.

I needed to experience slower living for a calmer mind and steadier body.

On top of all the physical symptoms, I have been struggling with chronic depression (major depressive disorder for those who know) for over 2 decades. I didn’t seek help for that until my 20s and didn’t truly understand what was going on in my brain and body until my 30s. Turn out, my body was having an autoimmune response to those “happy chemicals” in my brain. My body was attacking the GABA, dopamine, and serotonin production. Which means I was experiencing depression, suicidal thoughts, intrusive thoughts, and excessive ruminating thoughts mostly because of this autoimmune issue.

All of these body and mind symptoms were connected, yet it took years for me to finally find answers with a functional neurologist. Someone who was willing to look at me as a whole person and not a list of symptoms that are “unrelated” in nature. When I found out I had physiological reason for the debilitating depression I’ve struggle with all these years, my mind was reeling for more answers.

I started asking questions that I wasn’t seeing asked, let alone answered.

Over the years, I have sought out informative, life-giving education to not only support my own health, but also the health of others. I completed a Masters of Science in Rehabilitation and Mental Health Counseling in 2023. I am a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor and a Certified Brain Health Coach. My hope is that the education I have received in various forms will add to the content, information, and storytelling I share here.

In all the years of figuring out my own health, gaining further knowledge and education, and learning to ask the right questions, I have learned we are largely missing the mark on what constitutes true and lasting health. We are conditioned to think pharmaceutical options are always the best option, when that isn’t true for many health concerns and conditions. Often, our physical and mental health are suffering due to underlying issues that need to be addressed holistically not covered with a bandaid. Thankfully, learning to live a lifestyle different than the typical American can be one of the best steps forward in our health journey we can make.

Healing should feel gentle, homey, and doable. I believe wellness begins in small moments. In the meals we make, the thoughts we tend, the rhythms we live by, and the grace we offer ourselves along the way. Thank you for being here. Let’s take this journey toward healing, one gentle step at a time.

Teresa

*The content on this blog is for informational and personal inspiration purposes only. I’m not a medical, psychological, or legal professional. Please consult a licensed provider before making decisions that impact your health or well-being. Read Full Terms & Conditions