Meet Annie

a guide for guides

How it all started:

I sat on the steps, nursing my baby boy while my girls were fighting with one another next to me. Honest to God, I couldn’t think of how to handle their fighting with kindness. Thank goodness, instead of letting my anger get the best of me, I realized at that moment that something was drastically wrong. I realized I wasn’t proud of myself as a mom, as a wife, or even as a person. Who and what had I become?! I knew I could not continue to live this way and something had to change. That was the first moment of my awakening, which changed the trajectory of my life, as did all the other big and small decisions I made along the way.

I tried every way I could think of to fix my problems, but I couldn’t, no matter what I tried to do. I was so miserable I couldn’t make my mouth curve into a smile. I was slumped over and barely able to speak when I climbed to the top of a snowy cliff and murmured, “Help.” I didn’t even know what kind of help to ask for. This was my first moment of surrender. I felt God’s energy, in tingles, enter through the crown of my head and permeate my body. I grew up Catholic, but this was the first time I felt the presence of God.

What followed was tumultuous and I could not have made it through had it not been for the feeling of being carried, like in the “Footprints in the Sand” story.

Serendipities ushered me from one thing to the next, as if a benevolent force was in charge and I was a fortunate receiver of the guidance.

The feeling was surreal and unfamiliar, and so comforting amid what was happening in my life. This was my training in the power of living in surrender. I was so lost; I had no idea how to move forward so it seemed I had no choice. But really, I was making a powerful choice to recognize I don’t have all the answers and to surrender to the KNOWING beyond my conscious mind.

The floodgates of learning had opened.

My life was now filled with all the books, people, songs, classes, insights, lessons, and opportunities that prepared me for the role I’m in today. I learned how to feel my emotions, set boundaries, and take care of myself. Later on I learned how to maintain my center even when challenged, to communicate gracefully, and to wield my power with confidence.

I learned yoga and got certified as a yoga instructor. I learned Psych K, which is a way of changing a belief from one that holds you back to one that sets you free. I learned that when I put my hand on my friend’s knee, his pain went away, so I learned about energy healing and got certified in Healing Touch. I loved the energy healing, but couldn’t help but wish I could get deeper into the origin of what caused problems for people, so I kept going. I was already a therapist, but hadn’t practiced as one since my children were born.

I learned how to get into my body’s wisdom from my fabulous therapist, Michael Harsh, and my spiritual mentor, Deborah Jacobson. It was Deborah’s guidance and training in holotropic breathwork that propelled me from a traditional therapist to a spiritual guide. When I learned hypnotherapy and began putting it all together, miracles started happening.

I have overcome immense fear to get to where I am today.

When it was time for me to practice energy healing, my friend encouraged me to work with “just three people.” I couldn’t. I said I would agree to one, and only because I knew I had to take a step forward or I’d be stuck there forever. I came to be so accustomed to facing my fears head on because I knew I had to if I wanted to grow. One day in my therapist’s office, we came across a big fear I would need to face and he said, “When would you like to do that?” I replied, “Well, I’m gonna do it sometime, so it may as well be now.”

Throughout these years, the ulcerative colitis I was diagnosed with at age 17, a condition that vexed my maternal lineage, was teaching me something. Ultimately, I’m grateful for the opportunity to have been diagnosed, fired by my GI doctor for refusing to take pharmaceuticals for the rest of my life, and for healing my colitis on my own, with healthy eating and emotional healing.

What I’ve learned is that there truly is nothing to fear but fear itself

It’s like if you’re running away from a scary monster in a dream. This could continue, or you could choose to stop running and look the monster in the eye. No more running and hiding. There it is. What do you see? No matter what or who the scary monster is, all energy is love, wearing different masks. The main idea is to look at what we judge as “bad” or scary and practice nonjudgmental acceptance of it. This is the transformational power. What we have judged or denied no longer has power over us, and since our heart is connected to all hearts, all of humanity is affected by this act. And the planet. And the animals and plants. And all Creation. We are all connected.

I’m so honored, humbled, and excited to be on this journey. Thank you for being here with me.

Why Me?

My certifications, experience & approach.

As your guide, and one who has walked the path before you, I offer the following training and experience:

Licensed Mental Health Practitioner
Certified Hypnotherapist
Certified Healing Touch Practitioner
Psych K Facilitator
Yoga Instructor
Earth Champion
Spiritual Warrior
Soul Guide

I was a therapist at a residential treatment center in my 20s.

I knew there was so much more that we could be doing to help the adolescents I worked with, but I didn’t know what, and no one around me knew either. The experience of hitting my rock bottom in my 30s and climbing out of a dark hole into a thriving existence taught me exactly what I needed to know.

Traditional talk therapy deals only with the conscious level of awareness, which can be helpful, but is very limited. From my own healing and work with clients, I’ve learned that the magic is beneath the surface of conscious awareness.

Annie poses with her former patients, lined up by a wall outside.

Outside in nature, Annie shares a session with her client.

Traditional talk therapy deals only with the conscious level of awareness, which can be helpful, but is very limited.

From my own healing and work with clients, I’ve learned that the magic is beneath the surface of conscious awareness.

I added energy healing and hypnotherapy to my toolbelt so I could understand all the layers that make us who we are. We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience. That perspective shift changes everything! We are already light. We cannot not be that. But we can forget who we are.

Our spiritual journey is about knowing ourselves, remembering who we are. I am committed to knowing myself, so I can help you know yourself.

So, what makes my approach different from others?

True Self Expression

My guiding principle in my life and work is that we are souls on this earth meant to express ourselves authentically. My job is to help you be more of YOU! To get my agenda out of the way, I ask questions rather than give advice. My ultimate goal is to help you connect with your own internal wisdom.

Embodiment

My focus is on the MAGIC of connecting you with the wisdom of your body and heart. We can learn a lot from talking, but my favorite part of my sessions is when I say, “Close your eyes and feel into that.” What you find can blow your mind. We are so much more than we think we are!

We Journey Together

I am committed to doing my own inner work so I can be as clear a channel as possible. There is no arrival; I’m still human and we humans are in a constant state of change and growth. I am accountable to my journey of lessons in judgment, attachments, resistance, etc. This is an essential part of creating a safe container for this work.

Some fun facts...

My children have always been my safe place, full of authenticity, acceptance, and laughter.

While I cherish my restorative quiet time to introspect & rest, I also LOVE a good adventure in nature.

As an avid runner while in my role as counselor in my 20s, I started a program where the youth I worked with could train for races with volunteers from the Memphis Runners Club. A very dedicated volunteer and friend of mine, Spunky Ireland, was instrumental in making it all happen, and is STILL just as committed to helping these youth 20 years later!!

I like to make food, body products, and medicine out of herbs, aka "weeds". Even better if I can harvest them myself.

I am as in love with helping the Earth heal as I am helping the people on it. I enjoy learning about permaculture, soil regeneration, indigenous wisdom, and how to honor and care for the sacred resources of mother earth.

Let’s move forward, together.

If my work appeals to you, do not delay. Do not make excuses. There is truly nothing more important than evolving as a soul. It’s what we’re here for. All the rest diminishes in importance as you gain a higher perspective of your purpose and the purpose of every aspect of your life. Follow the soul nudge.

Explore my current offerings