My Origin Story

The mindfulness meditator in me came alive in mid-2014. Six months after I left my wildly unhealthy (but very fun) life in New York City (yep, mindlessly living my life), I was travelling solo around SouthEast Asia when I was robbed on a beach in Vietnam.

My first meditation ever...

In my desperate attempt to survive the last two months in SouthEast Asia on $200, I googled ‘free things to do’. Volunteering with the elephants didn’t fit my travel schedule but a donation-based (silent) meditation retreat did. 

So I booked myself in, figured I had a free place to stay and eat for at least a week (probably not the best intention).

This was my first time meditating. Ten hours a day I meditated, ate two vegetarian meals before noon, had cold showers and slept on a wooden plank bed. My life has never been the same since. 

This profound experience deeply impacted every aspect of my life (for the better) and I have had a daily meditation practice ever since. I loved it so much that I signed up for two more 10-day silent meditation retreats in a space of two months. 

At this time though, I was completely lost, not knowing what to do with my life. One thing that was clear, I knew I couldn’t move back to New York City when I left SEA because I would fall into old dysfunctional habits. I was committed to feeling better. 

So I did what any New Yorker who wants to get healthy…I moved to Los Angeles. I replaced drinking and smoking with hiking and fitness. 

But six months into living in LA, no dream job happened so my gypsy ass moved to the Bahamas to live in a tent. 

That’s right, I joined an Ashram and got up close and personal to being a “Yogi” in 2015 (putting off the career thing yet again).

Forced to practice yoga…

The Ashram was the first time I practised Yoga and unfortunately, it required two hours a day! I hated every minute, but I couldn’t ignore the benefits. 

After five months at the Ashram, I did another 10-day silent retreat hoping to find direction in life, but instead found another distraction. I was invited to a festival out in the desert of Nevada called Burning Man. 

It was here that (through a love triangle) I met my Australian twin flame, Kenny. We enjoyed each other’s company so much that we eloped four months later in Vegas at the Flamingo Garden Chapel. 

That’s how I ended up in Sydney, Australia (for the fourth time in my life).

Moving to Australia… 

Now that I was living with a man I loved in a country I loved, I wanted to find that job I loved. My broad millennial goal was to work in the “wellness industry” because I was so moved by my own holistic healing journey. 

Ever since that first meditation retreat, I lost 30 lbs and kept the weight off by doing nothing but yoga, I healed my (30-year) IBS issues, recognised I had unresolved trauma to work on, created my first healthy relationship, emotionally matured, and overall just felt more grounded.

This led me to complete my Yoga Teacher Training and Reiki II certification in 2017. Still unsure of what I was going to do, the universe moved us to Brisbane, Australia. 

I started teaching full-time as a Yoga Instructor, hosting restorative workshops, facilitating reiki treatments and creating eye pillows filled with lavender, crystals and reiki called “Paradise Pillows.” (I should bring these back!)

Always on a quest for optimal health, I couldn’t get enough information and continued to dive deep into the world of wellness. It was all I thought about, talked about and wanted to be around. 

Health is wealth. Now, how could I help others feel wealthy? 

My career in wellness…

I loved teaching Yoga but it wasn’t sustainable to continue full-time. I wanted to create a wellness approach that addressed physical, mental, emotional, spiritual and social components. 

For me, this was Mindfulness. All wellness (and change) begins with self-awareness. Mindfulness creates space for new perspectives, mindsets, attitudes and approaches.

I saw first-hand how small changes created the biggest results.

Birth of The Mindful Method…

In 2018 I had two separate people come to me and ask if I could help them. They were both going through a really rough time in life, one was admitted to the hospital with severe anxiety and the other burnt out with a broken heart

This inspired me to create a 1:1 mindfulness meditation program. That is when My Mindfulnest was born. A name that came from a quote, “Thoughts are like birds, you can’t keep them from flying around your head but you can keep them from building nests in your hair.”

That year my partner in crime, Kenny had a scary stroke. Safe to say, my infatuation with the brain now had more meaning.

In 2019, I had three more clients complete My Mindfulnest. I couldn’t believe the positive shifts they were all making in their life, all from mindfulness. 

I also co-hosted two weekend retreats in Byron Bay called the Wilderness Within during this time. For three days, 10 of us came together in nature, with no wifi to connect and practice yoga and mindfulness (while being fed the most delicious meals!)

Of course, we know what happened in 2020. COVID. That is when I hosted My Mindfulnest as a group program for the first time.  

I shifted my focus from teaching (because classes were now cancelled) to building digital programs, hosting more retreats and writing my memoir. 

I took a six-month business course to get my programs online and in 2021 created what I now call The Mindful Method.

Between 2020-2023 I co-hosted 15 very successful and fulfilling, one-day Wellness Retreats in Brisbane. 

And finally, after many years, in February 2023 I published my debut memoir, Trust the Flames: My Wild Ride from Mindlessness to Mindfulness. 

Mindfulness is the only way…

As I approach 2024, my obsession for optimizing health holistically is higher than ever because let’s face it, the world needs it! We are so stressed, full of distractions and unable to manage our time or emotions wisely!

But, I believe there is a way O-U-T!

“Life doesn’t get easier or more forgiving; we get stronger and more resilient.'“- Steve Maraboli

The only way out is through, and the only (healthy) way through is MINDFULLY. I want to share the gift of mindfulness with as many people as possible.

Mindfulness is a gift, that’s why it’s referred to as being present. 

So from trauma to drama to namaste, it has been one hell of a ride! You can read more about My Wild Ride from Mindlessness to Mindfulness in my debut memoir: Trust the Flames!

#6 Amazon’s Hot New Memoirs

Let’s connect!

If you want to learn more about my journey, you can check out MANY more blogs or follow me on Instagram.  👇 👇 👇