My Story

I was born and raised in Hawaii, the only child of an airline pilot father and a mother who worked with the pioneers of the modern women’s movement at its inception in the 1970s. I grew up believing that people are spiritual beings with a human experience. Music and my ability to relate to animals are the proofs that guide me.

I volunteered with Colorado Horse Rescue throughout my doctoral studies at the CU Boulder College of Music, and became possessed with the idea of having horses in my life “for real.” I went back to school and became a Registered Veterinary Technician. I was fortunate to have many opportunities to practice to the limits of my license, and often to the limits of what veterinary medicine itself could do. There came a time when I managed a soul-crushing case that made me, in the middle of the night, search Google for “animal hospice.” .

A year later, I was among the inaugural class of Certified Hospice and Palliative Care Technicians through the International Association of Animal Hospice and Palliative Care. I gave the first lectures on equine end-of-life care at IAAHPC conferences, which led to many meaningful years of practicing, speaking, and publishing in the field.

I went back to school again for an MSW with an emphasis in adult mental health and wellness. More than just clients, I wanted to help veterinarians, technicians, and support staff, having walked with them through some of the most intense experiences of their lives. This desire grew directly out of hospice care's interdisciplinary foundation. After graduation, I trained and practiced as a clinician in community mental health before spending several years with IndeVets, a national veterinary staffing organization, building supportive programs for over 200 doctors.