In July 2015, I realized I was not at ease with my place in the world. I felt I was failing my two objectives in life, which were to earn my PhD in Analytical Chemistry at Indiana University, and to qualify for the 2016 Olympic Trials in the marathon. I knew I was capable of both goals, but was struggling on a daily basis to fully devote all my energies in both directions. I was also growing continually frustrated with the notion that graduate school is supposed to be an unhappy time in life. As I began devoting more time to running, my true passion, I grew more angry that the happiness I found in training was seen as an act of rebellion, rather than welcome respite, from grad school.
Ultimately, I chose to take a semester away from graduate school and see what would happen if I focused solely on running.
On October 4th, 2015, I qualified for the 2016 Olympic Trials at the Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon in a time of 2:38:39, lowering my PR by almost 9 minutes. Qualifying for the 2016 Trials was a turning point in my life. I left my PhD program with a Master's Degree in Analytical Chemistry.
I started my coaching business that same year and have been honored to coach hundreds of athletes from across the country.
I continued training and went on to qualify for the 2020 Olympic Trials, with a time of 2:40:01 at the Philadelphia Marathon in 2018.
After 2020, I struggled to get back into shape. I trained for the 2022 Carmel Marathon and had a disappointing finish. The following year, I ran the LA Marathon and again struggled to my slowest-ever marathon. At the end of 2024, thanks to a targeted ad on Instagram, I did a self-breast exam and found a 6.5 cm tumor in my left breast. After a whirlwind of testing and biopsies, I underwent a double mastectomy in May 2025, followed by breast reconstruction in September 2025. In 2026, while training for a 50K, I found a lump on my neck. After more diagnostics, it was determined to be papillary thyroid cancer. I underwent a partial thyroidectomy in September 2026. I am extremely grateful to have caught two cancers in the early stages and be cancer-free today. I credit my quick recoveries and mental resolve to the skills I have learned as a competitive athlete and coach. I enjoy - and have a unique perspective - coaching athletes after serious setbacks such as injury, illness, or life circumstances.
In my free time, I enjoy spending time with my husband and dogs, as well as attending pottery classes, cooking, and running a non-profit animal rescue.