People often ask me why I created Samaste Wellness. The answer isn't because I wanted to teach yoga. It's because I know what it feels like to always be in survival mode.

I'm a survivor of domestic violence and sexual assault. I've lived with PTSD for many years and I was diagnosed with lupus at 25, a chronic illness that completely changed the way I understood my body. I've experienced the uncertainty of losing a job and wondering what came next. Like many people, I've had seasons where life forced me to rebuild from the ground up. Those experiences taught me something I couldn't have learned from a certification or a textbook. Healing isn't linear!

It doesn't happen because someone tells you to "just be positive." It happens when you feel safe enough to breathe, supported enough to keep going, and empowered enough to believe that your story isn't over.​ There were moments when I felt disconnected from my own body. Moments when I was simply surviving. Wellness wasn't something that came naturally—it became something I had to intentionally learn, practice, and choose every single day. That journey changed my life. And eventually, it became the foundation of Samaste Wellness.​ I created the kind of space I wish I had found sooner.

An experience where people don't have to earn the right to belong. Where education replaces fear. Where movement isn't about perfection. Where healing isn't rushed. Where every person is treated with dignity, compassion, and respect.