About Emily

When choosing a Functional Coach, I believe it’s important to understand both someone’s professional qualifications and their lived experience. Credentials matter, but so does perspective.

In this space, I want you to know a little about both.

I am formally trained to coach and guide individuals through complex challenges using evidence-based, trauma-informed approaches. And while every person’s story is entirely their own, I also understand what it feels like to struggle, to search for answers, and to want lasting change.

My goal is to offer you both expertise and empathy — grounded in education, informed by experience, and rooted in compassion.

My Background

I’ve been a Registered Nurse since 2001, working in hospital units, outpatient surgery centers, and detox settings. I’ve cared for patients in crisis, in recovery, and in vulnerable transitions. I maintain an active RN license.

I hold an MA in Health Education with a specialization in Holistic Nutrition from John F. Kennedy University and a BSN from California State University, Sacramento.

Other training and certifications:

• 240-hour Compassionate Inquiry training with Dr. Gabor Maté
• Advanced Complex Trauma Coach & Facilitator certification through Tim Fletcher Co. (COMPASS & LIFT programs)
• Extensive Continuing Education Units in functional nutrition, integrative health, and trauma-informed coaching
• Formal training in Mindful Self-Compassion based on the research of Kristin Neff

I have facilitated 12-step study groups, volunteered on recovery hotlines, coached since 2020, and served as a primary facilitator in structured trauma recovery education programs.

Personally, I understand what it feels like to look high-functioning on the outside while struggling internally. My childhood was often confusing and sometimes painful, and like most of us who struggle with these issues, I had no idea that what I was going through was considered complex trauma. As a result of the challenges I experienced, I battled alcohol from my teens into young adulthood. But even with long-term sobriety, I eventually realized something important:

Sobriety is not the same as healing.

When I found myself repeating painful patterns and relationships, I learned to ask a different question: not “What’s wrong with me?” but “What happened to me?”

That question led me into advanced training in my determination to improve my life and then be able to help others. If you'd like to learn more about my background with complex trauma, read here. 

What I've Learned and What I Help Do

What I’ve learned — personally and professionally — is that complex trauma can exist even when life “looks fine.” Many high-achieving, responsible, healthcare-minded people carry deep shame, unmet developmental needs, and nervous system patterns that were never addressed.

My work is rooted in education, trauma literacy, and self-compassion as the foundation for sustainable change.

You are not broken. You adapted. When we understand the adaptations, real change becomes possible.

I offer Functional Coaching to walk alongside and empower people to learn and create a new way forward for themselves. If you'd like help, start with a free call.