My 8th grade English teacher posed this question to our class: If there was an earthquake, which of the other students in this room would you trust to lead you to safety?

I’ll never forget that when the votes were tallied, my peers had chosen me. At 14, I knew other people looked to me for leadership, and I claimed space as a leader. That journey continued as I navigated adolescence and young adulthood.

But somewhere along the way, I noticed that I kept accepting leadership roles, but I didn’t know what it meant to be fully me while doing them. Too much of my work felt like mimicking what seemed to work for other leaders I admired. I decided that wasn’t satisfying anymore. I was hungry for something different for myself and the people I was leading!

I am still learning how to listen to myself. I am learning how to bring all of the complexity of my story, my cultural experience, and my inner wisdom to each opportunity I have to lead and influence. I’m learning to access my own full palette. And I’m passionate about helping other people access theirs as well.

I regularly look at my kids and hope they never internalize a sense of having a limited palette. I want them to carry a deep sense of clarity about the gifts they bring to the world by being themselves. I want that for everyone.

My husband and I are parenting our son and two daughters in a unique pocket of cultural and economic diversity in Portland, Oregon. We love our neighborhood and finding ways to invest in our local community. Our home is filled with laughter and moderate chaos, and you can often find one of us singing half-written parody songs.

In addition to coaching and consulting, I value spending my time dancing, reading, making music, baking delectable treats, and having long conversations over mediocre coffee.