ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ

What drew you to your work in yoga and energy medicine?

Yoga was a refuge for me in my early twenties when I was in graduate school. I went from ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ straight into a doctoral program in microbiology and biochemistry. After realizing that I had committed myself to a career path that was not bringing me joy, I struggled to redefine myself. During this time of uncertainty, I discovered a local yoga class.

Yoga offered me the space to center and find balance from stress. The practice of yoga also introduced me to the subtle energy systems of the body, which include the meridian lines and chakras. I continued practicing yoga as I explored different careers in science and writing.

As a young mother, I developed a debilitating condition that interfered with my life for two years. Yoga offered me temporary relief but did not remedy the issue. I sought out specialists and medication, but nothing alleviated my chronic disease. I would eventually discover that my condition (IBS, irritable bowel syndrome) is an enigma to medicine, but not to the body. Our bodies hold onto trauma until we are able to free it.

I turned my focus to healing. With this commitment to wellness, I made a decision to pursue writing and to release my body’s trapped stories. Suddenly, my condition disappeared. Writing a memoir unlocked my childhood traumas and led to a deep healing and a desire to continue to learn, grow, and discover.

What do you find rewarding, exciting, challenging?

Seeing my childhood struggles mirrored in other children has led me to seek out ways to help empower youth with the tools they need to thrive in life. This challenge set me on the course to writing my middle-grade series, Warriors of Light, and inspired me to pursue opportunities to lead classes and workshops for children and teens, as well as adults.

It is not always easy to introduce new concepts to people, but I have found children tend to be the most open. Teens can be ruled by their desire to fit in with their peers, and to not feel vulnerable. This can also be true for adults. I am thinking of one experience, in particular.

I had been teaching mindfulness and yoga classes to Montessori schoolchildren and was invited to lead a workshop for teachers and staff during a continuing education day. The material I presented to them was different from anything they had before experienced. It was too much all at once. I needed to understand the importance of knowing your audience, and responding in kind.

Despite this experience, and other discouraging moments, I find encouragement in the growing embrace of yoga, mindfulness, and meditation in offices, health centers, and schools. It is now widely accepted that mindfulness practices correlate to higher test scores and reduced behavior issues in youth.

How did your career unfold?

My career is still unfolding. I continue to discover and explore inspirations and ideas that open up new pathways. Currently, I am in search of land—lots of land, ideally—to create a sanctuary where people can explore their connection to nature and, hopefully, in the process find a greater sense of peace and well-being.

Although this vision has been unfolding for several years, this past fall I had an opportunity to realize its potential while leading a retreat at a NH farm for teenagers struggling with anxiety. Witnessing the transformative act of connection that occurred for the teens through simple activities in nature instilled in me a determination to create my own sanctuary.

Tell me about your path to writing.

I’ve wanted to be a writer since I was five years old. While at ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ, I joined The Quill and wrote some pieces for a Maine newspaper. After I left the field of laboratory science, I worked as a health writer, and later a marketing writer for a software company. Although I wrote the occasional short story, essay, and poem, I didn’t fully open myself up to that form of expression until I went back to graduate school for an MFA in writing.

What brought you to ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ? What was your experience at the College like?

I discovered ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ through my high school guidance counselor. ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ offered an intimate college environment with a strong liberal arts education. Coming from a lower-middle class household with a public-school education that was not rigorous, I found ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ to be both challenging and rewarding. It took me a semester to overcome my academic deficit, and a bit longer to overcome my feeling of “otherness.” ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ was a place of learning that went beyond its exemplary education. It taught me how to embrace challenges and find ways to overcome them.

What inspires you?

I am often inspired by simple moments when life becomes distilled. It’s particularly poignant when I am able to watch wonderment unfold through the eyes of someone else. For example, observing a teen unfurl her full attention to watch a honeybee searching for nectar in a lavender blossom. In these moments, the quiet presence of joy comes out to play. It is the act of connection to life that inspires me.

Is there something about your work that others would find surprising?

People who have never experienced energy medicine or energy healing (such as Reiki) are often fascinated by how it works, even though the gap between physics and “metaphysics” is getting ever smaller. These days, it’s not uncommon to find Reiki in dental offices and hospitals to supplement patient care. But, for people who have never experienced energy work, it can be somewhat confusing and surprising. We are so used to relying upon our accustomed senses, it can be surprising (in often a delightful way) to discover there is more that exists beyond the mundane.

Is there something about YOU that others might find surprising?

Since publishing my memoir, and becoming a blogger, there isn’t too much about my life that is secret anymore. That wasn’t always the case. I used to hold my stories close. My childhood friends can attest to that. None of them knew, for example, that I lived in hiding with the Hare Krishnas when I was two years old. They didn’t know that my mother shaved my head, and for six months I became a boy with a ring of tulsi beads around my neck and two pierced ears.

What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?

A couple of years ago, a friend of mine introduced me to the wonderful world of foraging for wild mushrooms. My family will tell you it’s an obsession. The proof is in the mushroom coffee (a gift from my husband) that I drink from my mushroom mug (a gift from my daughter). During peak (and not so peak) seasons, you can find me in the woods in a scavenger hunt for golden chanterelles and shaggy mounds of bear's head tooth—my two favorites. When I have the opportunity to travel, you can also find me getting lost inside ancient landscapes. These explorations have provided inspiration for my writing.

Best ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ memory, or most-lasting lesson from your ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ days?

Once we turned twenty-one, my friends and I would sometimes visit a local bar called The Barking Spider on Saturday nights. Just a handful of us, drinking frozen mudslides and dancing without a care for who was watching. I also really loved my plant physiology class (in retrospect that is not surprising). I have a fond memory of taking field trips through the Brunswick woods to identify local flora.

This story first appeared in the Winter 2025 issue of ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ Magazine. Manage your subscription and see other stories from the magazine on the ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ Magazine website.