My Story

I help people break free from the grip of limiting beliefs shaped by trauma—beliefs that were once necessary for survival, but now keep them disconnected from their genuine self.
Not by trying to fix them, but by walking with them back to the parts of themselves they had to abandon to survive.

I know this intimately. For years, I looked like I was functioning. But inside, I felt broken—caught in patterns I didn’t yet understand. I carried unresolved trauma, and addiction became a way to silence the pain, to escape the confusion of feeling lost in a world that didn’t reflect who I was.

 

In 2010, I contracted sepsis after a medical procedure and was placed in a coma with a 5% chance of survival. That near-death experience cracked something open in me. It marked the beginning of a return—to truth, to self, and to a life that felt aligned with who I truly am.

 

What followed was a deep unraveling. Years of shadow work, self-inquiry, and daily time with a master teacher taught me how to look within—how to meet the parts of myself I had exiled, and understand the patterns that once protected me but were now holding me back. I learned to soften the strategies I’d built to survive, and slowly, begin living from a place that felt authentic—rooted not in fear, but in something much more honest.

 

For over ten years, I’ve worked in mental health, specializing in developmental trauma, addiction, belief work and reconnection to the self. I hold a diploma in a social work program and have completed extensive training, including a one-year program with Dr. Gabor Maté in Compassionate Inquiry. I've also trained in Compassion Key with Edward Mannixx, and with addictions specialist Todd Ritchie.

 

Alongside this, I’ve trained in spiritual somatics in shamanism, and ancestral healing, which has deepened my ability to support others in healing at a soul level. These combined experiences have given me a deep understanding of how trauma—both personal and inherited—shapes us, and how reconnecting with our roots can guide us back to our true selves.

 

These teachings continue to shape me—but it’s my lived experience that allows me to truly meet people where they are. I’ve walked through the dark. I’ve sat with pain, shame, and the unraveling of everything I thought I was. I know how much courage it takes to turn toward yourself.

 

You’re not broken. You adapted. And the parts of you that once went into hiding? They’re not lost. They’re waiting for your return.

 

With love,
Tess