My Professional Story:
I have my master’s and doctoral degrees in clinical and forensic psychology. I am a tenured professor, an international keynote speaker, a best-selling author, and a global consultant. I have served as a consultant on mental health to the Minister of Health in Norway; written the college curriculum for MN POST law enforcement certifications; spoken to survivors, families, and communities affected by mass shootings; and collaborated with national health care organizations on vicarious trauma, compassion fatigue, and burnout. I am also a Certified Humor Professional and recently competed for Minnesota’s Funniest Person.
My Personal Story:
I grew up on a dairy farm in southwestern Minnesota. My high school guidance counselor suggested I attend meat-cutting school instead of college. I suppose he looked at me and thought, Butcher. To avoid learning how to operate a bone saw, I moved to Los Angeles to become an actress.
I was good at it—until a severe autoimmune disease pulled me off the stage and eventually left me homeless in LA. Only serendipity (read: getting rear-ended by a truck) gave me the resolve to return to the Midwest. Shortly after I came home, both of my parents died, leaving me feeling orphaned and untethered.
Loss continued to mark my adulthood, but the hardest was still ahead. Miscarriages. The suicides of loved ones. A nephew died of an aneurysm; a niece to Type I diabetes. Then my husband died after a swift, brutal battle with lung cancer, leaving me to raise our two children alone.
While my story is marked with sadness, it is also a story of joy, resilience and courage. Read more about me in this article on TODAY.com.
