I grew up in Indiana and graduated from Indiana University in 2001 with a B.A. in French & Political Science. I moved to Baltimore where I attended The University of Maryland School of Law. I graduated from Maryland in 2004.

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I moved to DC right after graduation where I lived until 2013. During my 9 years there, I practiced law and worked in corporate America.

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In 2008, I had an existential crisis. I was working 70-80 hours/week and just couldn't figure out what the point was. It seemed to me that there had to be more to life than working.

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Through a synchronistic event, I ended up at a Meetup at a public library in DC where a woman was talking about energy. I loved every word she said. It all made so much sense to me. She talked about how we're all just energy and we can use our energy to create better lives for ourselves. I had never heard anyone say anything like this in the legal profession. 

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I spent the next few years learning more about energy and how to work with our Higher Selves and Souls (more expanded states of consciousness that we can access and work with).

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I drank up every drop. It seemed like I was finally getting deeper answers to my Qs about life. And I felt like I had a greater Purpose.

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In 2013, I made a major life pivot and I quit my job and left DC. I stepped away from law entirely and started studying psychology, emotional intelligence, and trauma. As I learned more about human development, it helped me frame my spirituality in a more practical context.

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In 2015, I began volunteering with a nonprofit here in Austin, TX (where I live), that works with kiddos who are in the child welfare system due to abuse and neglect. It was through this volunteer work that I began my race literacy journey. The majority of people in Austin are White, but the vast majority of children in the child welfare system here in Austin are children of Color. The reason is because Austin is racist.

 

What we *should* see is an alignment between the race makeup of children in the child welfare system and the race makeup of Austin. But that's not the case.

Children of Color are disproportionally represented in the child welfare system.

In order to best work with my kiddos, it's crucial that I consistently and continually continue my race literacy journey. 

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I was extremely resistant to race literacy work the first couple of years, but I kept at it and now I'm passionate about working with White lawyers to become more racially literate so that we can dismantle White supremacy within the legal profession.

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In 2020, I felt my heart pull me towards working with lawyers, but in a different capacity. Rather than practicing, I now teach, consult and train on lawyer well-being.

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What I've found is that most lawyers wish that their experiences of practicing were different.

 

Everyone wants more free time, more time with their families, less unsatisfying work, less David and Goliath situations, more work that feels meaningful, more civility in the law, a sense of greater Purpose in what they're here to do. In short, lawyers want a more heart-centered legal profession where everyone is valued and treated with respect and dignity.

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Because I'm a student of spirituality, I can incorporate spiritual teachings into my work, but in ways that are practical for law practices. Things like accessing our gut knowing, seeing with more clarity how situations can work out, being able to tell more easily who's telling the truth and who's lying.

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I also incorporate body-based psychology into my work. I've learned a lot about emotional intelligence, trauma, and regulating our nervous systems. There's a huge need to help lawyers find ways they can calm themselves down and feel settled. I incorporate body-based tools into my work.

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And I incorporate race literacy into my work with White lawyers. It's crucial that we become more aware of how White supremacy is baked into our profession.

And that we take steps to dismantle it.

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Because of the work that I do with lawyers around well-being and race literacy, Coach Foundation has recognized my expertise in legal coaching by selecting me as a Top Coach.

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Feel free to submit a message below if you want to chat or learn more. 

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Warmly,

Alyssa