I grew up on a small farm in rural Central Arkansas, surrounded by miles of remote woods and dirt roads (and not much more). After earning a Bachelor’s in Anthropology and Sociology in 2008, I ventured west and began my journey as a outdoor educator for the National Park Service, immersed in the beauty of Sequoia National Park and other iconic landscapes throughout the mountain West. My travels eventually led me to South Lake Tahoe, where I fell in love with the mind-blowing scenery and decided to settle in this incredible region in 2010.  My great-grandparents, Artie and Dick Carson, lived in Tahoe City and Reno, where they owned a butcher shop in the 1940s and 50s. It wasn’t until I moved to this area that I learned about my family’s long history here. I believe we’re often drawn to places where we have soul connections or contracts to fulfill, and for me, this region feels like one of those destined places.

In Tahoe, I opened a small art and furniture shop that specialized in upcycled creations (think flea market flip!). The stress of entrepreneurship, coupled with unaddressed trauma, propelled me toward a daily Hatha and Kundalini yoga practice. In the summer of 2015 my grandmother took her life, the business was failing, I lost a significant long term relationship, all of which culminated in a “spiritual emergency” that altered my life path.

This masssive shift in consciousness inspired me to pursue a Master’s in Transpersonal Psychology at Sofia University, where I focused on mystical consciousness, somatic healing, and the transformative power of altered states of consciousness, including psychedelics. My thesis explored yoga as a tool for trauma recovery, laying the groundwork for my deep interest in mind-body healing. After graduating in 2019, I worked in community mental health, supporting individuals facing homelessness, addiction, and severe mental illness. These years were deeply humbling and revealed the systemic flaws in how we approach mental health care.  It remains a deep passion and priority of mine to offer high-level services to individuals who cannot typically afford it.

During the pandemic, I transitioned to working with foster care children and began pursuing a Ph.D. in Depth Psychology & Integrative Therapy & Healing Practices at Pacifica Graduate Institute. This program profoundly shaped my understanding of the psyche, teaching me to embrace the unconscious, shadow work, and the depth of human experience. While my Master’s focused on transcendence and higher states of consciousness, Pacifica taught me the importance of “going down” into the depths of the soul to achieve wholeness.

My current research and dissertation centers on psychedelic-induced psychosis, exploring why some individuals experience ongoing spiritual phenomena and psychosis after psychedelic use. Using a Jungian framework, I am investigating how lack of ego development and healthy self-orientation play critical roles in these experiences. My work aims to challenge the narrative that “ego death” is always desirable, particularly for younger individuals, and to explore how we can repair and integrate injuries to the underdeveloped  Self.

Outside My Work

In my personal life, I thrive on creativity, connection, and nature. I live in Reno with my four cats  in a cozy midcentury home where I garden, sew, paint, keep bees and practice herbalism. My garden apothecary is a decade-long labor of love, producing herbal potions and remedies that keep me grounded and connected me to the earth.

I practice a blend of spirituality rooted in pagan, tantrik and spiritualist traditions, informed by years of transforming religious trauma into self-discovery. Movement, body awareness practices and mindfulness are integral to my daily life, from icey cold river baths, to yoga to long walks and paddleboarding in the Eastern Sierra. Whether painting mandalas, crafting clothes, or fly fishing along alpine streams, I find peace in the balance of creativity and nature.

Through my work and my life, I aim to help others uncover their own path to healing and wholeness.