About Me
Hi, I'm Dawn...
If you’re a woman who has been stuck in over-functioning, people-pleasing patterns and you’re worn out, drained, and emotionally depleted—I see you. I understand what it’s like because I’ve been there.
Several years ago, while running a full counseling practice, I stepped into a caregiving role with both my parents. As their needs grew, I took on more and more, until I was managing almost every aspect of their lives. I found that I was pouring myself into helping, supporting, and caring for others, both professionally and personally, until I was completely depleted.
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I thought taking a sabbatical from my counseling work would give me the breathing room I needed. But I simply redirected all that people-pleasing energy into eldercare, continuing to neglect my own needs. Looking back, I see it wasn’t just a rough season—it was a lifelong pattern that had become so automatic I barely realized I was doing it.
Perfectionism fueled the cycle, pushing me to “get an A” in everything while failing at true self-care—especially rest, relaxation, fun, and play. All of the things that help balance out the stress in life were getting lost in the mix.
When the cost to my wellbeing became impossible to ignore, I knew I had to change course to save my own sanity. Slowly, imperfectly, and quite messily, my awareness of these patterns grew, as did my willingness to change them and I renewed my existing skill set and strategies. I gave more attention to my needs, wants, interests and what mattered most to me. I leaned into self-advocacy and self-compassion more than ever. I learned to put on my own oxygen mask first, so I could show up for others from a full tank, not an empty one. (You can read more about what I learned and my philosophy here.)
Now, I can tell the difference between helping from obligation and autopilot versus helping from choice and care. I kept my kind, caring spirit—but now it’s sustainable. And I’ve got to tell you, that feels amazing.
Why Should You Trust Me?
I bring 30+ years of experience in helping professions to this work. In the course of my career as a teacher, trainer, counselor, therapist, and coach, I’ve helped thousands of people learn skills, strategies, and tools to make their lives better—and feel understood, valued, and less alone in their struggles.
In my 17+ years as a counselor and coach, I’ve drawn heavily from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy/Training, Buddhist psychology, and other mindfulness-based approaches—tools I’ve seen be enormously helpful for clients and in my own life. I now call myself a Wellbeing Strategist and a Self-Acceptance Specialist, and lightheartedly, a "Coachselor", because I bring my knowledge and experience as a counselor to my coaching work. I hold a current license as a clinical counselor, but I no longer offer clinical counseling services ('clinical' meaning psychotherapy for mental health conditions like depression and anxiety). My coaching program is not therapy, but it is psychology-informed.
My approach is down-to-earth and practical. No fluffy pep talks. No “just manifest it” advice. I bring strategy, structure, and a healthy dose of real talk to the table. I teach concrete, actionable tools and skills you can use right away in your everyday life.
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People I’ve worked with have said I’m insightful, clear, warm, genuine, and approachable, and I have a special talent for helping people. I think I’m quirky, persistent, and thorough. I'm compelled to chart my own course, and I admit—I swear like a sailor at times.
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But more than anything? I understand you, and I want you to know you’re not alone. I’ve been where you are, and I’ve walked the path out of burnout, resentment, and invisible mental overload. That’s why I do this work. I’m here to help you reclaim your time, energy, sense of self, and inner peace.
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If you’re interested in learning more about my perspective/philosophy about people-pleasing, over-functioning, and perfectionism, you can read a letter I wrote—a letter from my current day self to my younger self, and to others like me. It's a manifesto of sorts. I wonder if you might relate and find something helpful here.
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If you're ready to get started, I invite you to book a free consult call. We’ll talk about where you are, where you want to go, and whether working together feels like the next right step.
Disclaimer: Although I hold a current license as a clinical counselor, the services outlined on this website are coaching, not clinical counseling/psychotherapy. Clinical counseling/psychotherapy involves providing a diagnosis and treatment for clinical conditions, such as depression and anxiety, and I no longer provide that service. I do, however, consider my coaching services to be psychology-informed, because I bring in my knowledge and experience as a therapist to my coaching work, and teach skills and strategies that are part of counseling-based approaches. But it's important to note that my coaching services are not to be considered a replacement for clinical counseling/psychotherapy.