Looking back, my journey began when I realized I had a choice—I could either see myself as a victim of my challenges or as a student of them. That shift in mindset, from “Why is this happening to me?” to “Why is this happening for me?”, set me on a path of deep exploration into human connection, communication, and personal growth.

In 2011, I took my first step in sharing these discoveries with others. I began hosting health and wellness events, introducing people to transformative teachers and healers who embrace a holistic approach to well-being. This passion for sharing knowledge led to my own TV talk show, Awakening Within, where I interviewed inspiring figures committed to making a positive impact. After three seasons with Rogers, I transitioned to working with a private producer, with later seasons airing on CHCH Hamilton—episodes of which you can now find on my YouTube channel.

In 2014, my curiosity about human connection deepened. I began visiting places of worship, engaging in diverse spiritual practices, and asking life’s biggest questions. Inspired by these experiences, I took a year off from teaching to earn a Diploma in Spiritual Direction, which profoundly reshaped how I approached education and human relationships.

When I returned to the classroom, I saw things differently. I became increasingly uncomfortable with many traditional behavior management strategies, which often prioritized compliance over connection. I recognized that students—just like teachers, administrators, and parents—crave the same fundamental needs: to be heard, understood, recognized, and valued. But how could we nurture empathetic, self-empowered individuals within a system that often values control over collaboration?

That’s when I discovered Nonviolent Communication, founded by Marshall Rosenberg. NVC helped me understand why teaching often felt stressful—the very strategies I had been trained in were unintentionally fueling the behavioral challenges I was trying to resolve. I realized that my role wasn’t to control students but to connect with them. When I stopped asking, “How can I manage these 25 kids?” and instead asked, “How can I connect with them?”, everything changed. Conflict became an opportunity for curiosity and compassion rather than something to fix or punish.

I stopped punishing children for not having the communication skills we never taught them.

In June 2024, I officially resigned from teaching, not because I was leaving education, but because I was expanding my classroom. Nonviolent Communication has transformed not only my professional life but also my personal relationships—with my husband, my four children, and everyone I interact with.