About Me

With roots in South Carolina and New Orleans in my veins, I am raising my sons in Lausanne, Switzerland, with America always in my heart.

After college graduation in Florida, I began my professional slalom water-skiing career, touring the world by lake. I was a 2-time World Cup Title Champion, ranked "World Number One" multiple times, and accumulated 13 Professional Titles during a career that spanned 10 years and had a brush with a world record. (A story for another day!)

 YOGA & WEBSITE DEVELOPMENT

Yoga practice and teaching mended my body when retirement from skiing began with the birth of my first son, Nash. At this time, I studied under the tutelage of many incredible yoga teachers, but eventually shifted to launching my own online yoga teaching platform website called "Gather: A Yoga Collective" when my second son, Ford, was born. I spent 7 years developing the website, recruiting yoga teachers, and teaching them how to get visible in the early online space from 2012-2019. This is where my initial passion for coaching highly skilled, professional people who did not realize their own potential began.

WINE BACKSTORY

A move out West to Colorado began my deep dive into wine expertise. I became a Level 1 Sommelier and obtained the Loire Valley Master-Level title through Wine Scholar Guild. This was a monumental accomplishment, but also fueled the fire that was my slippery relationship with alcohol. My knowledge emboldened increased consumption, and also a sense that I could never stop drinking because it was both my passion and my JOB.

Like many people, COVID was the perfect recipe for abusing the alcohol. What was once a few glasses a week with benders on the weekend became heavy consumption (at least a bottle a day) and STILL the benders. 

ROCK BOTTOM

After a rock bottom that physically brought me to my knees, I decided to stop drinking entirely on June 29, 2020. For 9 months, I was able to sustain abstinence from alcohol. Our family's relocation back to the vineyards of Switzerland led to what I considered then to be my first of many relapses. 

FREEDOM FROM ALCOHOL

For five years, I have grappled with moderation. Every time, I felt like it would be possible for me, but now that I have a full year of complete sobriety, I know this is not the case. What I have discovered in sobriety is beyond my wildest imaginings. Freedom from alcohol gave me my life back. But it also led to the realization that this freedom is something I want to share with other people who are tethered to the debilitating shackles that are alcohol addiction. This is my why. I became a coach, and why I want to share everything I know with anyone feeling the shame, regret, disappointment and self-loathing that I knew too well.