If you could be anywhere right now, where would it be?

Either Switzerland or New York.

I’d be gazing at the Aare River in Switzerland. It’s the most crystal-clear turquoise body of water I’ve ever encountered. I’d go blueberry picking in the alps while listening to the music of the birds, which sounds mystical and foreign and somehow totally different from the birds in my backyard.

I’ve yet to see a Broadway show. If I could be in New York right now, I’d see every one I could squeeze in. Then, I’d see the off-Broadway and off-off-Broadway shows. Finally, I’d eat until I could walk no more. Then again, maybe I’d be on a beach where the sun is hot, the water is always warm and the sand is soft between my toes.

What are three things people don’t know about you?

+ I got to go to the Oprah show. Twice! Not the giveaway episodes, but still…

+ I’ve been skydiving twice and bungee jumping once. Bungee jumping was scarier.

+ I love math. I love when my kids come home from school and need help with algebra because, honestly, I’d rarely get to do it otherwise.

What do you do for fun?

I love to play Just Dance, cribbage and just about any board game with my family. Hiking in the BWCA. I like camping there, too, but I’m finding myself appreciating cabins a lot more these days. Anything fitness related. My family and I love doing mud runs, inflatable races and jumping on the trampoline together. I’m also fascinated with the nervous system and exploring healing through mindfulness, somatic experiencing, yoga, EFT tapping and breath work.

What would you tell your 20-year-old self?

Sweet child, you will fall many times. Ouch! But, you will learn to get back up again and again and again. Each time, you will carry a new wisdom with you that you can choose to pass along to those whom you recognize have fallen, too.

P.S. Your future family is amazing. Get ready to love deeply, double over with laughter and learn to clean the kitchen. It’s coming!

What are your favorite quotes?

“The healing is in the return, not in never having wandered to begin with. We let go and we begin again. The most important moment is the next moment.” – Sharon Salzberg

“You are altogether beautiful, my love, there is no flaw in you.” Song of Solomon 4:7