About me

I started Weeds in the Rocks during my "reset year." At first, I was calling my "reset" year a mom sabbatical, but then people thought I was taking a break from parenting. However, I was actually doing the opposite--resetting my priorities around parenting and how I wanted to spend my time. I realized I love parenting (though I rarely have it figured out) and spending quality time with my kiddos. 

When I first was trying to figure out how to make my actual life more compatible with my vision, I visited a dear friend of mine who just happened to have a one-month old. I couldn't wait to meet my friend's newborn and offer support in being a new mom! What I didn't anticipate was how much I would value providing support to my new mom friend and how much she valued my support.  Thus set into motion my reset--I resigned from my job, took time to grieve and caught up on things like overflowing closets.  Then, I entered into the new to me field of becoming post-partum doula. This wasn't a quick process and it took me almost 14 months to actually be sure that this was the direction I wanted to go. Now, there is no doubt! Supporting new mothers, being a mother, and leading classes (including a mom/baby group) is how I spend my time these days. 

A bit more about my background and transition: In my earlier work experience, I was a K-12 teacher for 10 years, teaching mainly math and science. I then earned my PhD in math education (three weeks before my second kiddo was born) and at the time dreamed of being a professor. For a number of reasons this didn't quite work out the way I had expected. I was a Visiting Assistant Professor at NYU for a year (living in Arizona). Then, I worked as the Founding Director of the Tucson Regional Educator Collaborative (TREC). While I loved designing the effort alongside teachers, building a collaborative, and supporting the region's teachers through webinars, book studies and more, I did not enjoy the fundraising or the schedule which often had me working most afternoons and early evenings (aka prime parenting time)! Also, I was extremely burned out working full-time to support teachers through the pandemic and parenting full-time through the pandemic. The tipping point was when my son turned 9 and I realized he was (most-likely) halfway through his time living at home. I realized I was not spending my time in a way that reflected my priorities. So, I quit my job and spent time listening to my emotions, desires, getting comfy with my values and priorities and ended up here! It was a longer road than I expected and bumpier at times, but so valuable and important. If you want to learn where this new journey takes me subscribe to my monthly newsletter below!