"I'm so tired of being a woman! "

It's hard to imagine it now, but I actually got to a point where my frustration and lack of connection led me to say that- and mean it in the moment.

And I bet you've felt the same way in some of your tougher moments. After all, being a woman can be intense! But it's downright overwhelming when you don't have the support of sisters. When you're out of whack with your own body's cycles and boundaries and superpowers. When you are cut off from the lineage of wisdom and intuition that marks our place in the legacy of the Divine Feminine.

Whether it's feeling like you have to battle through your period and tough it out no matter what, feeling like no one around you who understands you, or running up against the unrealistic and unhealthy expectations society sets for us, I know you can relate to the mixture of emotions that led me to that moment. Here's how I got there- and how I got out.

My first career was a creative one, as I experimented with photography and the joy of bringing beauty to life through art. However, it wasn't a money maker right off the bat, and instead of being supported in my dreams, the well-meaning advice I got was centered on quitting the creative to do something practical and more lucrative.

I went to work in the male-dominated construction industry as an administrative assistant and revenue collector for my dad's company. I did a great job, and got a lot of praise for it. My ability to connect with people made it easy for them to talk to me; as a result, I had great success rates with collecting on bills.

What I noticed, though, was that when I received a compliment, it was for collecting funds- not for the connecting and relationship building that made my success possible.

It started to dawn on me that there might be more to life in general- and my life in particular- than this highly masculine approach to work and success. I started to explore my own spiritual development, but found that even the women's groups I explored still were based on a hierarchy that felt very masculine to me.

 I was beginning to see a growing disconnect between what I was being validated for and what I was beginning to realize my own worth really was.

Having children was a tremendous joy to me. I immersed myself in understanding what was important to them, and learning how I could build them up and develop their self-esteem. I also started a business on the side with my cousin, crafting and selling herbal teas that women could use in sync with the lunar cycle and their cycles. For a while, I was feeling at least some of the connection and purpose I craved.

But then life got more hectic as I had my third son. I felt lost, and went into a time of depression that kept me from connecting with women as I had been doing, from meditating, and from doing the spiritual work I had started to embrace.

What I really wanted was to crawl into someone's lap and be comforted, but instead of having that outlet for myself, I was that person for others.
And then came the day I made a wish. Or a declaration. Either way, it was said out of pain and anger and frustration. Either way, the Universe-- and my body--heard me.

We were on vacation, driving to the Outer Banks, and I had my period. Really heavily. We got out of the car and were starting to unpack and I realized I was about to pass out. I told my family I just needed to lay down.

I remember laying in bed and thinking, this period is going to ruin my vacation. I'm so over this. I'm so tired of being a woman. No one else in my life knows what that's like.

And it happened. Immediately following that declaration, I lost my period for 5 months. It disappeared completely. It knew it wasn't welcome.

For the first month, I didn't mind. It was a break. But by the third month, I knew something was seriously wrong. I remember crying because I thought, I'm not ready for this. I went to the doctor and was dismissed with a, "You're just in perimenopause."

I'm 37, I thought. There's no way! There's definitely something wrong. And then I realized, I had done that to myself.

You're that strong, I said to myself. You have forgotten all of your ways and you have diminished yourself and made yourself so small that you have cursed the gift of your cycle.

And I prayed. I said, I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry that I didn't see the power of this. I'm so sorry that I'm not taking care of myself. Give me another chance.

I started working with a functional medicine doctor who specializes in women's hormones. She brought me back to my spiritual connection by asking, “What are you missing? What aren't you doing? Let's talk about nutrition, but let's also talk about your spiritual side.”

Within a month of connecting back to myself, I had my period back. I honored it this time, and vowed “I will never do that to you again. I will never forget my feminine.”

I started to meditate again, and pull cards, and connect. Slowly I began to experience community with women who were going through similar things and working on their spiritual path. And as I connected back to my sacred feminine, I realized I couldn't continue in my job at the construction company. I couldn't live that masculine life any longer.

The idea to start Mother Moon Mentoring came to me in meditation, and when the Universe wants to clear a path for you and you are willing to step aside, watch out! Within a month of having the idea, my position of 15 years at the construction company was eliminated.

Four days before my job ended I started working with an incredible business and life coach, and within a very short space of time Mother Moon Mentoring was born and I started working with women to help them connect to their cycles and the lunar cycle.

The idea for The Sanctuary as a sacred space for community and the honoring of the Divine Feminine evolved from learning the history of the land where my home – and the greenhouse in particular – is located, and connecting that history with the very real need women have today to gather in sacred community.

With prayer, my husband’s incredible hard work, and lots of loving support the greenhouse with its crumbling foundation was fortified, repaired, and transformed into a space worthy of its nature as a vortex of sacred energy and purpose as a place for ritual, honoring the divine, and uplifting community..

If you’re reading this page, I bet at least part of my story is something you can resonate with. Maybe it’s the frustration with your body and the way it works. Maybe it’s feeling surrounded by a word and workplace that just doesn’t get you. Maybe it’s looking for connection, for spiritual growth, for the collective wisdom of women. Or maybe it’s just the feeling that there is supposed to be something more – more aligned, more alive, more abundant. More.

Whatever it is, I’m inviting you to explore what may be missing in your life, and drop me a line. Because I’ve been there. I was guided to the tools to help, and have seen so many women flourish as they reconnect with their bodies and acknowledge the Divine Feminine within them. The “more” you are looking for is closer than you think!

Built on land sacred to the Lenape tribe and watched over in spirit by the Land Protectors of that lineage, The Sanctuary sits at the center of a vortex of powerful energies. This makes it the perfect place for ritual and rites of passage, sacred circles and sound baths, drum circles and dreaming, meditation and mindful movement, reiki and restoration.

The front room is a spacious open area for gathering and enjoying a workshop, sipping tea, or meeting with community. The meditation space is fashioned after the historical Red Tents used by women for generations.

Through The Sanctuary, the tents of old are reaching up through time – and out past all of the taboos and trauma of a history where women have been taught to stay small, to tear each other down, ad to feel ashamed.

They are reaching out to us now, as the world readies for a change, whispering of the part we are meant to play in it. They are embracing us, healing us, calling us in.

Welcome home, they say. Welcome, Sister. We’ve been waiting for you.

Are you ready to redefine yourself?
Are you ready to live your destiny?
Are you ready to recharge your feminine power?
Then let's get started!