I have always had a strong passion and desire to work with families. I am sure some of this desire came from my upbringing, which was not terrible, but definitely strained. We moved a lot when I was young, and I was in a different school for each new school year. Both of my parents worked a lot, which left my little brother and I often fending for ourselves. Shortly after settling down in a home that was meant to be more permanent than those that came before it, my mother was killed in a car accident. I was 12 years old.
As a child, I had no idea what all of this meant to me on a larger scale. However, as an adult, I have learned that the uncertainty I experienced growing up left me with an overwhelming sense of instability. While I have created a sense of stability in my adult life for myself and my family, those formative years still have a tremendous impact on my identity.
I have shared my family history with you, not for your sympathy, but instead to offer you, my empathy. To let you know that I can relate to what you are feeling. I have been divorced once myself and had my fair share of trials and tribulations. You can click [here] if you are interested in reading more about my story.
I think events from my childhood, specifically the loss of my mother at such a young age, provided me with a deep sense of understanding how it feels when your entire world falls from underneath you. When you constantly feel like you are on a small boat in the middle of the ocean during a terrible storm. I spent many years in that boat, and I know how crucial it is for your emotional well-being, to get off that boat. My goal is to get you off that boat as quickly, and as efficiently, as possible.
For some background on why I am qualified to help you through this transition. I graduated from San Diego State University in 2000, and later went on to obtain my law degree from Thomas Jefferson School of Law and graduated Cum Laude. After working with a few family law firms and an estate planning firm, I knew I was ready to move towards my ultimate goal, which has always been family mediation. I was trained as a family mediator, and after gaining some mediation experience, I opened my own mediation firm, San Diego Family Mediation Center, in January 2008. I have solely practiced as a family mediator since that time.
To further enhance my ability to provide my clients with the knowledge and tools they need to stabilize their lives, in 2012, I studied and became a Certified Divorce Financial Analyst (CDFA®). This has been a fantastic addition to my toolbox. I attend annual conferences to ensure I am up to date on any financial issues that may have changed since the prior year, and monthly webinars to stay informed of new emerging financial strategies to handle the changing landscape in our community (think, high interest rates and the popularity of assumptions of mortgages). I also come home from conferences with new creative ideas to help clients through their journey by discussing different issues with my colleagues in the financial world. As with most things in life, it takes a village to obtain the best results. While my village does not sit in the room with us, I assure you, it exists.
Empowering Families, Resolving Conflicts. Trusted Professionals, Tailored Solutions.
In my spare time, I enjoy spending time with my husband, Johnny, and our two daughters, Marley and Cedella. We are an animal family and currently have three dogs, two cats, a bearded dragon and about 40 large koi in our pond. As a family, we like going to the beach, going hiking, swimming and spending time with friends and extended family.
I began my college career on a path to become a psychologist. Along the way, my educational desires changed, but I still had a longing to work with families. Personally, my passion for mediation was first sparked in an undergrad anthropology course. We studied the Lewellyn Indian Tribe and their methods for resolving conflict. Their method was so efficient and healthy for all involved. It helped to maintain peace in the tribe and not allow for resentments to grow, which could have led to the Tribe’s demise. I couldn’t help but compare this Tribe to our society and realize that mediation, which essentially is what the Tribe was engaging in, is far superior to our legal system. This theory of using “peacemaking” to resolve legal issues intrigued me so much that I decided law school was the right path for me.
Throughout law school, I learned more about the mediation process and knew it was the right path for me. It would allow me to fully embrace my passion for helping families during difficult transitions, as well as my passion for using peacemaking in place of a destructive, cold, highly unaffordable legal process.
I have learned over the years that living in the unknown is what terrifies us the most. I know that for many of you reading this right now, you are going through a process you have never gone through and never thought you would have to go through. Trying to picture what your life will look like after this is all over is painful, overwhelming, and scary. It is the unknown. I am very sensitive to this feeling. From losing my mom at such a young age, through several transformations throughout my career [you can read more about that here], to divorce, remarriage, becoming a mother and more. Life is full of transitions. Learning how to glide between them while keeping calm and focused is the key to rising above, learning all you can and becoming stronger as you leave each transition behind.
I have made it my life’s work to learn everything I can to make this journey for you as painless as possible. I promise to clear the smoke early and often and plainly show you the available paths. I will not keep you in the dark, and I will not use strategies that increase your anxiety, as the legal system often does. I want nothing more than to provide you and your family the clarity and the strength to make informed decisions. I promise to lead you down the most peaceful path, allowing you to reconfigure your relationship with each other if a relationship needs to continue.
