I’ve always been a kid who thrived in nature. Climbing trees, planting strawberries with my Grandma, and crying to my mom not to kill a spider. I chose to study Environmental Science during my time at U.C. Berkeley, and while I managed to finish my thesis and graduate, my last year was overshadowed by my diagnosis of Type 1 Diabetes.
I coped by throwing myself into a quest for a scientific understanding of my diagnosis, and mathematical calculations of insulin. A year later, I was facing a constant soup of burnout, anxiety and depression. Something had to change. This kicked off a radical shift to tending to the emotional side of my journey, and a decade-long exploration into self and healing.
After feeling how out-of-touch the healthcare system was, I switched my career into the diabetes space. I’ve had the chance to work on some amazing projects with non-profits, universities, clinical centers, start-ups, and biotechnology companies. You can read more about my professional experience on my LinkedIn. The common thread in all of my work has been improving the patient experience using a balance of strategic program development and heart-centered design.
My own journey with diabetes has led me to understand the importance of holistic, heart-centered support. Making sure we are tending to our hearts and speaking to ourselves with kindness is essential to surviving the marathon of chronic illness. Over the years, I’ve studied meditation & mindfulness, yoga, Non-Violent Communication, Internal Family Systems, healthcare literacy, boundary-setting, and somatic body-based healing that have helped me weather the storms on my journey. I continued to pursue a Master's in Psychology to support this work even further. I often walked those paths alone, and I want to help others do so in community.
Sage Diabetes is a space for heart-centered, holistic diabetes care, so we can collectively build our capacities for navigating the ups and downs of diabetes (and life!).
