Aphasia can be a lot of frustration and stress. After getting aphasia from some major accidents I was told that my life would be short and they didn’t know if I would be able to walk or talk. I got back to coaching  ski racing and teaching within two years and I did my first NSA speaker competition last February.

Through my perseverance and my background in studying how we learn and communicate, I have figured out how to bring Aphasia along with less stress and more joy. It has given me a new ability to see communications from a new perspective.

My career has been in creating educational programs using graphic design, writing, teaching and speaking/training/facilitating to help people learn about themselves and topics they can benefit from with more ease.

Not only did my accidents provide challenges in how I communicated and left me speechless for a long time, I figured out and devised strategies to help us communicate with more ease, less second-guessing and frustration. How to also set boundaries when family/friends are not nice.

My hope is that I can speak on stages at National conventions and lead support groups for caregivers and individuals. I have created courses and workshops we can do over zoom or in person to help us. Some people here me speak and can’t believe I have Aphasia. Others catch one of my “oops” and laugh out loud. Aphasia has also affected my ability to understand conversations and also my ability to type.