“I believe every experience we go through in life, no matter how painful, is a gift. It is up to us to choose how to use that gift.”
If I could go back and tell my younger self that…
I would end up going to university for 14 years, help my father fight stage-4 brain cancer, travel the world in desperate search for medical cures, become a widow in my 30’s, and lose everything. I would probably say, no thank you.
but, today…
I wouldn’t change it for the world because the struggles and the pain helped me find power of meditation and led me to what authentic medicine means to me.
Let’s back up first…
Raised in suburban Seattle, I was taught to chase success and material gain, but something within me always craved more. At 12, I rebelled and was sent to an all-girls boarding school, where my instinct to question became my strength.
This ability to challenge convention and think deeply has shaped the way I practice medicine, allowing me to approach healing with an open mind and a holistic perspective.
The diagnosis…
In my early twenties, I chased success and studied business. Then, moment that changed everything. One day, in 2002, I was home from college for the weekend and my father said he was having trouble getting out his words. He called his doctor and they told him to go to the hospital immediately. I went with him and remembered waiting in the ER when my father came back telling me… “They found something in my brain the size of a golf ball”. I was devastated, scared, and felt helpless. My father was my best friend and my biggest support. He was diagnosed with stage-4 “terminal” brain cancer and given 3 months to live.
I went from a carefree college student to a full-time caretaker, medical researcher, and his patient-advocate. I was 20 years old. After learning of his diagnosis, I immediately read the statistics. He had a less than 1% chance of surviving 10 years.
Going Beyond Statistics…
I knew that the only way my father would survive was to do everything different than what the doctors told him. Despite overwhelming odds stacked against us, I delved into research and attended conferences to find new treatments. Encouraged by doctors who saw the impact of my efforts, I eventually pursued medical school. This experience solidified my true calling in life.
In the end, my father lived another 17 years thanks to our unconventional approach.
The Awakening
I can still vividly recall the moment I decided to become a doctor. While working in commercial real estate and completing my MBA, I was showing a vacant building in Seattle when it hit me—making money simply wasn’t enough. My true calling was medicine. Despite the challenge of eight more years of schooling, I enrolled in pre-med courses while finishing my master’s degree.
The desire to bring hope to others, much like I had longed to do for my father, became the driving force behind my passion for healing.
Finding my true purpose
I completed my premedical studies and earned my doctorate from Bastyr University, learning under some of the world’s leading physicians and shadowing healers in Central America.
In 2014, twelve years after my father’s terminal brain cancer diagnosis, I stood at UCLA’s annual brain tumor conference as a leading expert—speaking at the very conference I once attended as a frightened, desperate caregiver. My father was in the audience, and in that moment, sharing our story and the knowledge I’d gathered over the years, I felt that I had finally stepped into my true purpose.
Taking the road less traveled…
While establishing my clinical practice in California, I found a peaceful writing spot in a small Greek village on the island of Crete. Here, I met the love of my life. We first spoke at a café where he shared his dislike for doctors. He had battled cancer and survived by holding onto his own power. We connected deeply and got married that year, altering my path and perspective forever.
After being a tourist in a small traditional village, I moved there permanently. It was a big change from my life in California, but it felt right to be there. I focused on inner reflection and living simply with nature. My husband taught me about the spiritual side of medicine, including breath work, meditation, and philosophy discussions about illness. I learned more about medicine and healing in these years than all the years prior.
Loss & Transformation
In one instant, everything changed. My husband's cancer returned, and we spent two years traveling to China and Austria, searching for hope. I was forced to navigate foreign healthcare, making decisions that weighed heavily on my heart, relying on both my knowledge and intuition.
After a long and grueling fight, he passed—not from the cancer, but from an unexpected turn of events. In that moment, I understood that life and death are not mine to control. I realized the only thing I can do is offer my knowledge, my heart, and my soul to guide my patients, helping them heal and find their own way.
My dark night of the soul…
I lost my husband, father, our dog, and our home in the span of just three months. For the next two years, I retreated to a cabin by the river, deep in the forest, away from the chaos of the city. I sought truth—longing to disappear into the Himalayas, find a cave, or live in a monastery.
Yet, despite this urge to escape, I knew I had to stay and transform these experiences into something greater. I did the deep inner work, confronting uncomfortable truths and learning to be as fluid and adaptable as water. My true test became living fully in this world, finding balance, and becoming the kind of doctor I would want to have.
My journey has shown me…
That statistics are simply motivation, not destiny. Material wealth means nothing without health. Every challenge holds a hidden gift, and true healing comes from following your heart and quieting your mind. Change is constant—embrace it. Nothing is impossible when you believe. Faith is the strongest medicine.
Uncovering the True Essence of Healing…
I was eager to return to my clinical practice, but with a new perspective. As a physician trained in naturopathic medicine, I had always approached the body holistically, treating the whole person. But I soon realized that something essential was missing—true healing requires nurturing the mind, body, and spirit together.
When I began helping my patients align their thoughts with their actions, I witnessed transformative shifts in their well-being.
Everything changes all the time…
Today, I’ve embraced a new chapter of life—remarried, navigating the profound journey of motherhood, and stepping into the heart-opening role of a stepmother to three beautiful women. All the while, I hold sacred space for loss and grief, recognizing their delicate place in my evolution.
Through it all, I honor the beauty of this ever-evolving path and the grace it brings.
Each experience has shaped who I am today and deeply informs the way I practice medicine, with intention, compassion, and presence.
Which Brings Me To You
At the end of the day, nothing else seems to matter once you have lost your health. I understand this deeply, and I’ve dedicated my life to helping you unlock the healing power that’s already inside of you.
