I have been fascinated by humans and human behavior from a very early age. As a child, you could often find my nose in a book and my mom described me as a voracious reader. I loved being transported to other worlds and absorbing the character’s stories. I loved observing those around me and figuring out what motivated people. I was the friend everyone came to with their problems to seek out support or advice. In middle school, I decided I was going to be a neurosurgeon after a unit on the brain (we even dissected a sheep’s brain!). While the neurosurgeon part did not come to fruition, my career journey has been a combination of helping people with their lives & stories and motivating them to make changes and do their best. After all, we get one shot at this life and to me, it saddens me to see people not capitalize on this opportunity!

During college, I worked at the William & Mary College Bookstore in Williamsburg, VA. Eventually I was promoted to department manager and stayed in retail management for 2 years while I explored my career options. I did take the MCATs, but ultimately decided I didn’t have the drive and passion for med school / the doctor’s life, and wanted to help people from a different angle. I enjoyed my time as a leader while in retail management. I loved teaching, encouraging, and bringing out the best in my employees.

In fall 2007, I moved to Bloomington, IN and started a job in a research lab at the Department of Brain & Psychological Sciences. I completed my graduate program there from 2009-2010. You might be saying to yourself “Psychological Sciences, yuck!” but I am sure as a badass law professional, you know the importance of being able to work with all types of people – that may be more challenging for you than the actual application of the law! After graduation, I moved to Knoxville, Tennessee where my now husband lived. There, I started my career as a therapist, working in a community mental health agency. In this role, I worked with kids in the foster care system and the biological parents who were wanting to reunite with them. It just so happens that I also routinely worked with lawyers on a number of cases related to these families and I also had to testify in court many times. I couldn’t get away from it. Law just happened to find me no matter where I went. It is through the relationships with some of these lawyers that I became involved with collaborative law.

At the agency, I was promoted to Regional Manager and again found myself in a leadership position, mentoring young therapists and overseeing the operations of multiple programs across 16 counties. I loved the supervision part and developing the staff – but I did not love having to constantly manage whether they were getting their client hours in each week or not and entering their sessions (hmmm… sound familiar, lawyers? Very similar to the billable hours.).

In April of 2015, I attended a Collaborative Divorce training and decided that weekend I was opening my own private practice. I was done with agency work and management. I wanted more!  I wanted time freedom and financial freedom. I didn’t want anyone else putting a cap on how much I could earn in a year. I didn’t want a boss anymore – I wanted to be in complete control of my life.  It was up and running by the end of the month and I was able to quit the agency job by August.

While working full time at my practice, I started to take graduate level sports psychology classes at the University of Tennessee. My intent was to eventually go into sports psychology to become a coach to athletes but then surprise! my daughter came along and my plans changed. If nothing else, my career path has allowed me to embrace what I teach others to do – be patient, be open and seek change, create your own path if you don’t like the one you are on, and have unwavering belief in yourself. My practice is still thriving. In a quest to practice what I preach, I added a business partner and now have 11 therapists working alongside me. I am building Vantage View Coaching as my second business because the coaching approach is my natural style and it combines everything I love: psychology, motivating and helping others, spending time with lawyers, and growing a business.  I also enjoy spending time with my husband of 10 years and my beautiful 4-year-old daughter. While I have a lot going on with two businesses, the collaborative group, and a family, I make sure to prioritize time for myself and my wellbeing so that I don’t burn out. What is your story? I would love to hear it.