My work focuses on the systems and conditions that shape well-being.

I used to think it was inevitable. That constantly pushing myself (and being pushed) beyond my physical and emotional limits was just part of the job. I also assumed that the responsibility was mine and mine alone: if I could just manage my time better, set stronger boundaries, or “take better care of myself,” then things would be different.

But as a public health professional, I began to recognize a more complex reality. While some of my personal habits absolutely contributed to my experience, so much of my burnout was shaped by larger structural forces that limited opportunities for sustained well-being.

This realization pushed me to stop beating myself up when I felt physically, emotionally, or intellectually  drained. While personal choices do matter, we can’t “self-care” our way out of toxic workplaces or relationships, unsafe environments, or contexts that exclude our voices from the decisions that affect our lives. We can only control what we can control.

I now define wellness as a dynamic balance between the individual, social, and environmental factors that shape our reality. Think social determinants of health as experienced through the nervous system. 

This definition has guided my work, and in practice, it anchors what gets examined and what gets addressed — paying attention to who is included in decision-making, whose voices are missing, and how context frames lived experience.

I hold a Master of Public Health and a Master of Arts in Sociology from Northeastern University, along with a Bachelor’s degree in Communications from Quinnipiac University. Over the past decade, I have worked across higher education, community-based organizations, and institutional settings, with experience in corporate social responsibility, domestic violence advocacy and program management, and organizational wellness program development. My professional experience spans organizations such as athenahealth, Roxbury Community College, the Center for Community Health Education Research and Service, Inc., Mattapan Community Health Center, and Northeastern University.