“You’re doing it!”

“You’re doing it!” my surf coach calmly yelled as I frantically screamed between crashing waves, gasping for breath.

I was caught inside the set—too exhausted to take a full breath before the next wave broke over me, and too drained to paddle in. I was stuck in the impact zone, shouting, “I don’t know what to do! I don’t know what to do!”—desperate for my coach to save me or at least tell me how to save myself.

And still, he calmly repeated, “You’re doing it!”

And the truth was—I was.

I was paddling. I was catching my breath when I could. I was diving under waves, letting go of the board when I needed to, and staying with it. I wasn’t giving up. I wasn’t letting the waves push me back to shore to start over. I was in it. I was doing it.

I had learned to surf just the day before—at 45 years old, on my first trip to Nosara, Costa Rica. Recently separated and adjusting to a new co-parenting schedule, it was my first stretch of time without my kids. I accepted a last-minute invitation for a two-week trip in July 2021. I didn’t expect to surf. I didn’t even realize Nosara was a world-renowned surf town. But there I was, at one of the best beginner breaks, with a 24-year-old surf coach guiding me into the waves.

I stood up on my first wave in the whitewash. My coach believed I could go further and brought me out to the green waves. But I didn’t believe in myself. When I got caught inside—overwhelmed, exhausted, and scared—I wanted to give up. I wanted to stop trying. But I didn’t.

I was doing it.
I still am.

Today, I’m building It’s HR Therapy, combining two decades of HR leadership with graduate studies in mental health counseling. I offer a range of coaching services—career, job search, executive, and life coaching.

Just like that surf coach, I believe in my clients before they fully believe in themselves. Whether you feel stuck, lost, unsure how to move forward—or gasping for air mid-set—I’m here to calmly remind you: you’re doing it. And together, we’ll keep going until you feel confident navigating your next wave.
Because when work works better, life works better.

As we kick off Mental Health Awareness Month, I’m embracing this year’s theme—turning awareness into action—by helping individuals and organizations take real steps toward personal well-being, workplace growth, and mental health support that actually makes a difference.