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My Story: The Journey Behind the Move FORWARD Framework

It was my students and my three children who inspired me to become a parent and family wellness coach.

For more than 30 years, I've had the privilege of helping people through some of life's hardest seasons. I've worked in public health and healthcare, taught college health, nutrition, and women's health, served as a high school health teacher, and created the Healthy Starts program, bringing health and wellness education to more than 10,000 elementary, middle, and high school students throughout California.

"But the most important part of those years wasn't what I taught. It was what I learned."

That lesson became deeply personal when my own daughter developed an eating disorder. I realized I wasn't just looking at one person's struggle—I was seeing generations of anxiety, body image challenges, dieting, restricting, unhealthy coping, and pressure playing out in different ways within my own family. That experience forever changed the way I coach.

As I looked back over the thousands of conversations I'd had with teens, young adults, parents, and families throughout my career, I realized the same pattern kept appearing.

The challenges looked different, but the underlying struggle was often the same.

People don't struggle because they're weak. They struggle because the pressure they're carrying outweighs their ability to cope.

Whether that pressure showed up as anxiety, ADHD, perfectionism, unhealthy coping, eating disorders, family conflict, difficulty launching into adulthood, estrangement, or even my own experience with postpartum depression, I began to see that the behaviors were different, but the underlying need was often the same.

People needed healthier ways to cope.

They needed to make sense of what was happening.

They needed a different lens.

That realization became the foundation of the Move FORWARD Framework—an evidence-based coaching approach that helps people make sense of what's happening by understanding what's beneath the behavior, reduce pressure without lowering standards, build healthier ways of coping, and move FORWARD with greater clarity and confidence.

Today, I help parents, teens, young adults, and individuals navigate life's hardest seasons with practical tools, compassion, and a clear path FORWARD.

No Blame. No Shame. Just FORWARD.

What I Began to See

Over the years, both professionally and personally, I began to notice a pattern.

People don't struggle because they're weak. They struggle because the pressure they're carrying outweighs their ability to cope.

When that pressure builds without healthy ways to manage it, it doesn't stay hidden. It begins to show up in our thoughts, emotions, relationships, and behaviors.

You might see:

Anxiety and overwhelm
Perfectionism
Emotional eating or other unhealthy coping
Body image or eating concerns
Shutdown or avoidance
Family conflict or emotional distance
Difficulty launching into adulthood
Estrangement or disconnection

These aren't character flaws. They're coping strategies.

And healthier ways of coping can be learned.

That's what led me to create the Move FORWARD Framework, a practical, evidence-based approach that helps people make sense of what's happening, understand what's beneath the behavior, and move FORWARD with greater clarity and confidence.

"My passion for this work comes from both professional expertise and personal experience."

Why This Work Matters

By the time families reach out, they're usually not asking what's beneath the behavior.

They're asking:

"Why is my child shutting down?"

"Why are they pulling away?"

"What's going on with the eating?"

"Why can't they seem to get started?"

"How did we get here?"

They're looking for answers.

They're looking for hope.

They're looking for a way FORWARD.

That's where my coaching begins.

Together, we'll make sense of what's happening by understanding what's beneath the behavior so you can respond differently, reduce pressure without lowering standards, strengthen connection, and build healthier ways of coping.

I've learned that lasting change rarely comes from trying harder or controlling more.

It comes from making sense of what's happening, responding with greater intention, and creating a healthier definition of success based on your values, strengths, and purpose.

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30+ Years Helping Parents, Teens, Young Adults & Families

For more than 30 years, I've worked across public health, healthcare, education, and coaching, helping individuals and families navigate physical health, mental health, behavior change, and resilience. Today, from my practice in Pleasanton, California, I provide virtual parent and family coaching for teens, young adults, and families throughout the Tri-Valley, the Bay Area, California, across the United States and even internationally. Highlights include:

30+ years in public health, education, and health coaching
10 years helping patients manage and prevent chronic disease in healthcare settings
21 years teaching college Health, Nutrition, and Women's Health
4 years as a high school health teacher and Health Curriculum Director
Creator of the Healthy Starts school wellness program, educating more than 5,000 elementary, middle, and high school students throughout California
Presenter of Suburban Student Athletes: Driven to Overachieve at the Sport & Society Research Network, University of Toronto
Author of four books focused on parenting, health, and practical tools for lasting change

Education & Credentials

Master of Public Health (MPH)

National Board Certified Health & Wellness Coach (NBC-HWC)

Jai Institute Certified Parent Coach

MindBodyGreen Certified Health Coach

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How We Move Forward

Everything I've learned over the past 30 years—as a public health educator, teacher, parent, and coach—has led me to one simple belief:

People don't struggle because they're weak. They struggle because the pressure they're carrying outweighs their ability to cope.

When we make sense of what's happening, we can respond differently.

That's where lasting change begins.

That's why I created the Move FORWARD Framework—to help people reduce pressure without lowering standards, build healthier ways of coping, strengthen relationships, and move FORWARD with greater clarity and confidence.

Because when people feel understood instead of judged, supported instead of pressured, and connected instead of alone, healing becomes possible.