Photo by Goto Murakami, Tokyo, Japan, 2025

People often ask, "how did you decide to go from practicing law to coaching?" This is my story. (If time is limited, please see my Long Story Short.)  

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Home on the (Iron) Range to University

I come from a family of hard workers in northern Minnesota, where my grandfathers labored in the iron ore mine and my grandmothers were next-level bada**.  My parents, raised in a generation that believed the "school of hard knocks" was enough to get by, made a bold move - they left for a bigger city, each pursuing careers as a teacher and a nurse. It was a major shift from the world they’d known. My siblings and I were along for the ride, trailing from mid-size city to small farm town to a sod grass suburb – always reaching for their next career  ambition.

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My mom always considered herself to have a gypsy soul – never quite feeling like she belonged anywhere and always having an unfulfilled sense of wanderlust. That restlessness ran deep in me, too. When I turned 16 and got my driver’s license, I made my first independent adventure: I took my hand-me-down car all the way down Highway 65 to Minneapolis. My parents, who rarely left the state (and didn't have passports), never ventured to the city, but I loved it. I wandered around the streets and ended up at the Greyhound bus station, curious to see how far I could go. I picked up a bus schedule, and after some thought, I decided my first adventure would be to Chicago.

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I bought a ticket to Chicago and set off for the city alone. (I don't recall what I told my parents. They were the opposite of "helicopter" parents; we were free-range kids.) I arrived near the middle of the night, stepping off the bus and being struck by the bright lights and energy of the city – it was electric. I spent the remainder of the night at the bus depot, observing the diversity of people, the hum of the city, and the pulse of something much larger than my sod-farm suburban life.

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The next day, I set out to explore the city. I had no idea what I was doing, but it felt like a revelation. I was amazed at the sheer scale of it, the different cultures, the sounds, the smells – a thousand new experiences all at once. This moment in Chicago was just the beginning of a long pattern of independent travels, from New York to Washington, D.C., and even Ohio (don’t ask about that one, but the grits were fantastic). Each new destination was a chance to understand more of the world, to expand my horizons, and to deepen my desire to explore the world beyond what I had always known.

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In college, I designed an independent study abroad in Mexico to research NAFTA. My project, Anticipatory Adaptation: The Environmental Effects of NAFTA, led me to a conversation in a Mexico City library with a man who was a staffer with the United Nations, he suggested I meet a professor at UNAM. She connected me with a New York Times journalist, who invited me to a press conference—where I found myself just feet away from Mexico’s soon-to-be president. Not bad for a girl who had flown Sun Country Airlines to Mexico on a student budget. Lesson learned: serendipity favors the bold.

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I earned my undergrad degree from the University of Minnesota in three years - 18 credits cost the same as 12. With limited financial resources, I tried to make every opportunity count. Afterwards, I set my sights on law school. I thought it would be a perfect fit, motivated in part by a challenge I had faced as a child when a sibling told me: “You’re not smart enough to be a lawyer.” It wasn’t the healthiest motivation, but it was powerful. Despite graduating Summa Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa, I totally bombed the LSAT. I had a panic attack mid-way through that I never saw coming; I had too little experience in knowing how to take high stakes exams. Thankfully, I was  accepted into a local law school. That experience taught me a profound lesson about pressure, mindset, and performance - insights I now use in coaching with my high achieving clients.

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From Law School to London

Law school was intense, but it also opened doors to incredible experiences, like studying abroad in Jerusalem, Israel during a particularly tense time in the country’s history. The tension in the air was palpable, with bombings a real threat, but I still cherished the opportunity to be there, soaking in the culture, eating the amazing food and witnessing the resilience of people living with constant uncertainty.

 

After law school (and the bar exam), I met my husband at Brit’s Pub in Minneapolis. On our second date, we decided that soon enough we would move to London. A few years later, he was asked to join his company's start-up in London. To make it happen, we eloped over a lunch break, with two co-workers as our witnesses, so we could both get our work visas in order prior to the imminent move. (We had a proper wedding a year later.)

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After 9 months in London someone in Minnesota "blew up" a major part of the fund my husband worked for and the London office was to be closed. There was no way I was leaving London. We advised his work and they allowed us an extension on  his employment (and our visas). We made a bet – winner gets an American Hot pizza from Pizza Express – on who would get a job first. I quickly requalified as an English Solicitor – studying 18 hours days for 4 weeks straight for the QLTT exam in effect at the time. During the job hunt,  I was told, “don’t bother trying to work in London as a lawyer, you are just maternity leave waiting to happen.” I asked, "what is maternity leave here?” “It can be up to a year.”  So, I pivoted and approached recruiters for any and all maternity leave contracts. And for the next few years to get my UK legal experience I did maternity leave cover for really great companies and had a really great time with so many brilliant Brits with side-splitting senses of humour. (The "u" in "humour" is a nod to my British mates. I got your back, loves.)

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There were high points – including a trip to Athens, Greece, after winning employee of the quarter- my British work mates called me "the Ameri-CAN" – there were also moments of ego-crushing lows. One such moment came when I was told I should be “grateful for the privilege” of a job with a lower salary, because, “normally we only hire people with pedigree here.” Ouch, that stung! But it also shaped my resolve to forge my own path and to give little weight to where someone starts in life. I’ve always wholeheartedly believed that everyone has a purpose, a story to tell, and something to offer. At the same time, we all have to play the cards we’re dealt. The key is to be your own best friend, bet on yourself, and play those cards to the best of your ability. Not everyone dealt the best cards becomes the best player — some may lack grit and gratitude - or never have the chance to practice courage, while those with a bad hand can make a comeback in the next shuffle. Grace lives in the space between—where everything remains  possible. Ganbatte!* (*a Japanese term for "never give up")

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Throughout my legal career, I learned the importance of balance - or even better, harmony -  to maintain my well-being. Becoming a yoga teacher improved my level of fitness, but more importantly helped me integrate my mind with my body; I no longer considered my body as something to be used for the sole purpose of carrying my head around. It also helped me develop mindfulness and stress management strategies. Training as a natural chef taught me how to nourish my body for sustained energy and allowed me to indulge in my extreme love of food.  Photography and writing classes offered a creative outlet as well as access to creative minds. Travel allowed me to recharge, have great conversations and gain new perspectives (and of course try new foods). I certainly wasn't always perfect, and there were plenty of  intense periods of burnout along the way, but these experiences helped me navigate the pressures of law while prioritizing my physical and mental health, enabling me to perform at my best without completely sacrificing my well-being.

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Onwards to Coaching

Eventually, life brought me back to Minnesota after 16 years in London, due to family health issues, including my mom’s Alzheimer's diagnosis. After years of practicing law, I recognized a deeper pull: helping people navigate complexity and reach their higher potential. Coaching wasn't a departure but a natural evolution of what I had always loved doing -  guiding, mentoring, and bringing out the best in people - really seeing them and intentionally giving space for deep listening and compassionate understanding. 

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During my time as a lawyer, I mentored new attorneys, and one experience stands out. I was tasked with managing a lawyer who had failed her law exams twice. Rather than giving up on her (or "manage her out", as I was advised to do), I helped her restructure her role to do the work she was great at and gave her time to study. With support, she passed her exams and was named employee of the month by her new clients. Believing in someone's untapped potential and implementing a plan for success was a life altering experience for her, and for me. Ganbatte!

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So I pivoted again and went on to complete coaching certifications in both executive coaching and health coaching. I also deepened my knowledge of brain health and neuroscience, areas that were personally meaningful to me after my family’s struggles with mental health and Alzheimer’s. The study of neuroscience has been a fascinating journey, and I’ve found it to be a powerful tool in helping people unlock their full potential.  (See My Qualifications)

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I’m a proud mom to a 12-year-old daughter who’s a “rocketgirl” with over 200 model rocket launches under her belt, and a smiley dog named Could’eye, a megachon Cavachon who’s all fluff and love.

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My Coaching Practice

My journey—from travel, to practicing law, to coaching—has been anything but conventional, and that’s exactly how I’ve come to embrace it. I didn’t follow a traditional playbook—I didn’t have one to follow. Each step along the way has deepened my understanding of well-being and the pursuit of a purposeful life. Mentoring lawyers and guiding others through their own challenges led me to discover my true passion: coaching.

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Now, I help lawyers and leaders redefine success on their own terms, align with their own unique values and purpose, and build lasting legacies. Success isn’t one-size-fits-all. Life gives every person a different starting point and different vantage points along the way, and with that a unique path to fulfillment. I love supporting clients as they forge their way forward, bringing clarity, confidence, and intention to their journey. I offer clients a stable foundation without being rigid, and allow room for transformation without straying too far from grounded, scientifically supported methods.

 

​​My coaching approach blends depth with strategy - integrating resilience, adaptability and human insight into the world of human performance. Many of my clients have mastered the skills in their respective field, but they come to coaching when they realize something is missing. I help them bridge that gap, bringing clarity, ease, and sustainability to their success. It's not about working hard, it's about working with purpose and a deeper sense of fulfillment.

 

​​My clients are brilliant, accomplished, and driven—pulled toward what truly matters to them. I meet them where they are, walking alongside them as part of their ultimate long-game team, helping them turn ambition into impact.

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Thank you for taking the time to read my story—I truly appreciate the connection. I’d love to hear yours and explore what life has in store for you.

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Memento mori, memento vivere.

(Remember you will die. Remeber to live.)

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