My self-love journey began long before I knew it was the path I’d take and remains at the forefront of my life. I was around 7 years old when I felt a powerful force coursing through my arms and hands down to my fingertips. Instinctively, I knew to put them on loved ones wherever they had pain and imagine it disappearing - and it would. As this force grew, I realized that I was also sensitive to the energies of people and spaces around me, later finding out that I am what people call an empath. In the early stages of recognizing myself as such, I sank into the depths of depression, consumed by the desire to absorb other people's pain so they could be free. This led to a marijuana addiction, which blocked what I needed to discover the most. I spent the majority of my twenties emotionally numb and depressed, all while helping people move through their toxic beliefs. I was a functioning addict disguised as a superhero who suffered in silence.

In addition, I was a fast food junkie despite my father having been raised on an organic farm before "organic" was a thing, and my mom being from Okinawa, one of the few Blue Zone regions noted for having the longest living people. I was a first generation and true-to-heart American, food wise, at least. My overconsumption of fast-killing fast food led to IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) eventually landing me in the hospital where I was misdiagnosed as having endometriosis. 

At a standstill after getting all the wrong answers from western medicine, I chose to explore holistic medicine, which led me to acupuncture. This became my medicine of choice and, through my acupuncturist, I found Reiki. This is where my life changed. I was ecstatic about learning Reiki after finding out that I had been doing it as a child and that it originated in Japan. Reiki opened the door to realizing my purpose and has been a foundational tool that I use to assist others on their healing journey.