More About Me

As a child, I grew up in a country where girls and women are owned by men; daughters by fathers, wives by husbands. I grew up where there was war—the internal often worse than the external. I grew up under a regime that massacred its own people and tried to cover it up for decades. They took members of my family and much of my childhood away.

At the same time, I grew up knowing unconditional love and the true meaning of solidarity and humanity, in a family and community unmatched in their kindness, empathy, and love.

I fled that country, leaving the best and worst of my prior life behind. My scholarly success was the wings I flew with. I completed my Master’s degree in Biomedical Engineering at Johns Hopkins University and my PhD in Biomedical Engineering at McGill University, both on scholarships. After my PhD, I returned to the United States—this time to California—after having previously been denied a student visa multiple times, even with a scholarship from the most prestigious Biomedical Engineering institution in the US. After a short postdoctoral fellowship, I left academia for industry and worked across companies ranging from startups to larger organizations, including Google and Genentech.

Along the way, I received my green card and later became a U.S. citizen. Yet much of my family still cannot visit me here due to visa limitations. I have remained deeply connected to them by traveling each year to meet them wherever it is possible and safe.

In 2022, after years of introspection, I knew I wanted to have a child—either as a single mother or in a couple. In 2023, my son was born in the latter situation. In 2024, his father and I separated.

What followed was one of the most difficult periods of my adult life. I navigated a high-conflict custody situation while also facing significant personal and professional challenges. I lost my job and began my legal journey self-represented, learning everything from the ground up—what an RFO is, what a stipulation is, how custody and DV laws work. There were periods of intense anxiety, insomnia, and fear for my child that felt truly unbearable at times. I spent a long time in guilt and shame, asking myself: How could I be so naive? Why did I not take the red flags more seriously? Hindsight is a tough coach.

I kept going, because I had to do everything in my power to show up for my child and protect him. I looked for affordable support where I could find it. I worked with amazing therapists and doctors. I read, researched, and took courses and workshops. Slowly, I began to find my footing again. By late 2025, I had returned to work and was able to afford legal representation. In early 2026, I began to feel stronger on the other side—more grounded, more equipped, and clearer in how I move through difficult situations.

This journey stripped away the non-essentials and brought me closer to my core values and purpose. I knew that I wanted to help children caught in high-conflict situations, and to support the parents working hard to protect and care for them. It took me time to realize my fit best—on the legal side, the mental health side, or somewhere else. After much introspection, I realized that coaching was where I could contribute the most and find the most meaning.

With my first client, that conviction deepened. I saw that I could truly help in a way that felt both practical and deeply human. More importantly, I cared about their situation with the same level of seriousness and commitment as I did my own—like I was protecting my own child.

I truly feel that we are one as parents, and our children are one. Supporting one parent means supporting a child. Supporting one child means supporting many more than we can see. This sense of unity—of shared responsibility and shared humanity—is what grounds me in this work like no other work ever could.