Most of the time, when I meet people, it's like we're not strangers. It's easy for people to feel comfortable and relaxed around me.

Growing up in a beauty shop my mother and grandmother owned in the Southern warmth of Alabama was a pivotal part of my childhood and adolescence. I entertained the clients at the salon by singing or talking to them while they got their hair done; witnessing the transformation of someone looking and feeling fabulous always lit me up.

When I turned twenty, ironically, I lost all my hair. I was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma cancer and underwent chemotherapy for treatment. Losing my hair signified a momentous shift in my identity, symbolizing something greater within me. Radical changes began to happen all at once. I explored who I was more fully in my sexuality and expanded beyond the conservative Christian lifestyle I only knew.

In 2001, I found my way to Crestone, Colorado—a spiritual sanctuary where religions from around the world co-exist in the Western foothills of the Rocky Mountains. I lived in a Dojo with five others, intensively practicing Mindfulness Meditations, Kundalini Yoga, Qigong, and Massage Therapy at Crestone Healing Arts Center.

This immersive experience was the catalyst I needed to restore my sense of Self and heal my body in a supportive community that championed my inner growth. Most of all, I discovered my life's calling and passion for therapeutic bodywork as a way to transform tremendous life difficulties into something meaningful to share with others.