I know that feeling intimately. I’ve lived it. For most of my life, I was searching — not just for healing, but for me. I tried so many paths and modalities, hoping to feel present, real, and deeply connected to who I was meant to be. But for years, I lived cut off from myself — numb, anxious, overwhelmed, and surviving instead of truly living.

I felt disconnected from my emotions. I couldn’t access joy — or anger. I poured out for everyone else, leaving nothing for myself. Depression, fear, and anxiety quietly shaped my days. I wasn’t broken…just buried.

Eventually, I learned I was living from what The Adult Chair® model calls the Adolescent Chair — the part of us that overfunctions, protects, performs, and holds it all together because I never learned how to feel safe just being. And then, slowly, everything began to shift. I started learning about emotional awareness. I began feeling again — little by little. I learned how to regulate instead of shutting down.

I stepped into my truth instead of fear. It was like I was entering a new world.

I had the honor of working closely with Michelle Chalfant, creator of The Adult Chair model, for five transformative months, and the growth I experienced was profound. When she later opened her coaching certification program, I knew it was time to answer my calling and help others find their way back to themselves, too.