Author. Speaker. Community Creator.
A storyteller and shepherd at heart, I love to gather the spiritual nomads, the wanderers, the doubters, the seekers, and especially those who have been pushed to the margins of society and/or faith and bring them into a place that feels like home. I’m a national speaker, coach, and educator supporting LGBTQ+ people as they navigate their coming out process, and educating others on the importance of full inclusion.
I’m the author of Refocusing My Family and Unashamed (the first coming-out guide for LGBTQ people of faith) and have a third book releasing October 2023. I'm the creator and host of the Unashamed Love Collective~a beautifully diverse and inclusive online community for LGBTQ+ people and allies. I also curate and lead Cultivating Community retreats, gathering small groups of people in safe spaces of belonging and empowering them to love who they are and create lasting relationships with one another.
As the gay daughter of a 35-year executive at Focus on the Family, one defining moment of authenticity cost me everything. My experience propelled me into a world of advocating for social justice and has made me passionate about dissolving shame, fostering self-acceptance, and generating messages of hope, love, and inclusion so that everyone can live and thrive in the world without shame.
I believe stories are important and that they have the power to change both hearts and lives. At their core, I want people to love who they are. I also want them to know that they don’t have to change anything about their sexual orientation or gender identity in order to be fully loved and embraced by God. Harmful theology is physically and spiritually killing LGBTQ+ people. That fact, coupled with my own personal experience with loss, makes me passionate about the work that I do. Prior to my advocacy work, I spent fifteen years in the field as a nationally certified Sign Language Interpreter. I also live with Late-Stage Lyme Disease and Rheumatoid Arthritis. The intersectional identities of being a gay female with an invisible disability inspire me to actively fight for the equality, equity, and dignity of all people.
See official bio here.
My Story
(Hover over each event to see a photo)
Baby me was born in Kalispell, MT.
I win a county-wide talent competition at age 3 for my recitation of “The Moon Came Too.” My mom about has a heart attack from the shock.
My dad starts working for Focus on the Family. Clearly Dobson and I hit it off from the start.
I perform my first solo piano recital at age 7…music was in my blood.
I begin acting in Adventures in Odyssey and meet Will Ryan (Eugene Meltsner).
I rock the 90’s bangs and sign a Purity Pledge on my 13th birthday, vowing a chaste life of service to God until the day I marry my someday husband. Yikes.
I graduate high school at age 16 – only a slight overachiever. 😉
Did a Christian internship for a year ‘cuz it was a thing. Made it all the way to graduation without dating a boy…imagine that. (It was a legit rule.)
Fell in love with a girl…but couldn’t tell anybody. The inner wrestling began.
Adopted my first puppy. Named her Half Pint. Fell completely in love.
I came out as gay and lost almost everyone I knew in the weeks and months to come. My world grew very dark.
Half Pint gets me through the hardest days of my life and helps me avoid the suicidal feelings and self harm I was battling behind the smile.
Half Pint becomes a service dog to help me navigate life with PTSD.
I begin advocacy work to support LGBTQ+ people of faith.
“Refocusing My Family” releases into the world.
I begin speaking nationwide and sharing my story in order to bring hope to other LGBTQ people of faith.
On tour…I can hardly stand the level of adorable.
“Unashamed” releases and becomes the first coming-out guide for LGBTQ people of faith.
The Unashamed Love Collective launches amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
I continue to speak and share my story in order to give hope to LGBTQ people and educate others on the importance of full inclusion.