Authentic Living and Wellness LLC

01/20/2026

Really good educational information on trauma responses.

Knowledge is power. Understanding that trauma responses come out of a place of trying to keep you safe, can help reduce the shame to allow you to incorporate curiosity and compassion and assist you in working with yourself instead of against yourself.

01/20/2026

Yes! Compassionate curiosity. By the point of functional freeze, there is generally a hefty amount of shame. Allow yourself to get curious with compassion. I love the question what is this trying to protect me from?

You may have seen the term functional freeze lately. It’s resonating because a lot of people quietly recognize themselves in it.

Functional freeze isn’t a diagnosis. It describes a nervous system state where you keep functioning, but mostly on autopilot.

You go to work, answer emails, keep routines, show up socially. From the outside, life looks fine. Inside, things often feel flat, stuck, or disconnected.

That’s usually where the guilt shows up. “I’m doing everything I’m supposed to. So why do I feel this way?”

From a trauma perspective, this isn’t laziness or a character flaw. It’s a nervous system that learned how to stay operational under ongoing stress by dampening feeling and conserving energy. And as long as we see this as a flaw, we won’t give it the care it actually needs.

Insight alone rarely shifts this state. You can understand what’s happening and still feel stuck. From a nervous system perspective, this isn’t shutdown. It’s survival mode.

In my work, I don’t try to push people out of functional freeze. I get curious about what the nervous system is still protecting against.

Instead of asking “What’s wrong with me?” I often invite questions like:

– What has my system needed to stay functional?
– What might it be protecting me from?
– What helps me feel even slightly more settled in my body?

That shift, from pressure to understanding, is often where things begin to ease.

If this term resonates, let it be information, not an identity. A starting point for curiosity, not another reason to judge yourself.

05/28/2024

“Forgive yourself and move forward.”❤️

11/19/2023

“Celebrate it all. Celebrate you.” 💜

10/29/2023

Yessss!!!! This is so important and will improve mood 💯. I’m so glad I’ve incorporated gratitude journaling into my daily life and self care routine. I definitely notice a difference. And, you will too. ❤️

If you think you will do better with a gratitude journal with prompts, The 3 Minute Positivity Journal is one of my favorites. I will post a link in the comments in case anyone is interested.

10/08/2023

There is a myth that physical health and mental health are these two separate things. They are not. Physical health impacts our mental well-being and mental health impacts our physical well-being. Just like we go to get a physical or a cleaning, our minds deserve the same. ❤️💯

09/20/2023

One of the words that kept coming over and over to me when thinking about the ingredients to cultivating a life of wellness is authenticity. Being able to show up in the world and in your relationships as your authentic self. Imagine what it would feel like to not have to put on a mask (or several masks) to get through the day. I guess that’s why authentic and wellness both ended up in the name of my practice. The practice of living life authentically while simultaneously knowing you are “enough” is the path to wellness.

09/18/2023

09/18/2023

Welcome! Thank you for being here and taking the next step in your wellness journey. Embarking on a wellness journey takes courage. The courage to look within. Do you ever find yourself so busy taking care of others, you have forgotten how to take care of yourself? Have you found yourself on the “hamster wheel of life”, simply surviving, and are now looking up and thinking, “how did I get here?” Or, have you found your path to wellness and want to continue being the best you? No matter which of these it may be, welcome! You are in a safe place with a safe person. A place without judgement where you can fully discover and be yourself
I work with trauma, PTSD, anxiety, depression, addiction, family/relationship issues, infidelity, chronic pain, self-esteem, life transition and helping the helpers. I build trust through confidentiality and compassion while using evidenced based practices such as CBT, CPT, MI, SFBT, DBT, and mindfulness to empower individuals to cultivate authentic living.

I would love to walk alongside you on your journey (figuratively or literally). I offer in person sessions, walk and talk sessions and teletherapy sessions to offer customized services to meet each individual client’s needs. In efforts to also meet those needs, I provide afterhours and weekend sessions. I have been providing therapy services for 15 years in nonprofit settings. I recently followed my own dream of opening my private practice and I would love to help you follow your dream as well. I have a strong passion for "helping the helpers."

I am licensed to practice in South Carolina. If you or someone you know could benefit from my services, please do not hesitate to reach out. I am waiting with an open heart and willingness to listen.

Send a message to learn more