I was a devout evangelical Christian for nearly 40 years. My faith was the center of my life and my vocation as a writer, but I had a secret. I always struggled with the fear that my faith wasn’t good enough . . . that I wasn’t good enough.

After years of fighting to be the best Christian I could be, my faith fell apart. What many now call faith deconstruction felt more to me like self destruction.

After I lost my faith, I thought I’d lose everything, and I came close. I hid the truth, and I waited too long to seek help. The burden of pretending to fit in was eating me up inside. The pressure, the anxiety, the lies, the fear of rejection . . . it was too much. After years of self-loathing, afraid everyone saw through me for the phony I’d become, I snapped. I lost my job. I lost my marriage. I alienated my family and friends. I found myself feeling almost entirely alone. I had waited too long to face the truth and, as a result, I had driven my life into the ground. I didn’t even recognize myself.

I didn’t trust anyone. I didn’t know what truth was. I had no framework for what to believe. I didn’t trust the Bible. I didn’t trust the church. I didn’t trust my concept of who God was. I felt like I was starting from scratch. But then? I found a slight glimmer of hope. I found someone I could trust in the most unlikely place: myself.

Buried deep within the rubble of doubt and resentment, I found an anchor. I found my core values . . . and they hadn’t changed.

Authenticity. Creativity. Empathy. They were there all along. They were (and are) part of who I am. I hadn’t lost them. I hadn’t lost me. And that was the foundation I needed to reconstruct the way I saw the world.

I dedicated my life to studying the psychology behind human behavior and decision making, faith and doubt. I learned to set aside the mindsets that had burdened me with guilt and shame all my life, and I learned how to pursue authentic faith that didn’t depend on a charismatic leader or manipulative tactics. I learned to embrace my core values that had guided me all along. And the most gratifying change of all was learning to help others find their way as well.

I also learned the beauty of celebrating in someone else finding their way even when that looked completely different from my way.

That’s why I decided to become a certified coach with a focus on spirituality. I know what it’s like to feel completely lost, but I’ve also learned finding your way can be much closer than you think. I won’t push you to follow my program. On the contrary, I’ll help you rediscover your true self and find a path that serves your values and strengths. What I really want, what I’m absolutely dedicated to, is creating a space that provides you the same freedom I enjoyed as I figured things out for myself. The difference is, it took me a decade plus to find my way. I can provide you with the support and the safety you need to do it more efficiently and painlessly.

I understand you might be hesitant to trust a spiritual guide or leader. I would be too. The good news? I’m not one. I don’t recommend any one faith or worldview above another. What I do is support you in your search. I trust you find your authentic faith. I can help you identify your core values, your strengths, and your beliefs. I will also direct you toward the resources that suit who you are and where you are at this point in your search.

Maybe most importantly, I listen. I’m someone you can talk to and trust to guard against the kind of traps, self-sabotage, and self-limiting criticism that can make a journey through spiritual wilderness so long, so explosive, and so painful. 

You can know peace, hope, and clarity. You can rediscover the joy of believing with assurance and connection, whether to a higher power, a broader energy, or simply a likeminded community.