Passionate About Inspiring Others

As a friend and mentor, Rick Guidotti helped me change my own perception of who I am...and more importantly how I saw myself.

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During that year as a thirteen year old girl, still growing into my own skin, I dealt with eating lunch alone for the whole of 6th grade. I had a teacher accuse me of cheating on a math test and looked after a brother who is six years younger and has Autism. When my mother asked me to pose for Rick I thought she was crazy! Seeing a stranger in a New York City loft, who gave me hugs that squeezed me and provided kisses on the cheek all while standing in the doorway was a pretty scary thing. Hearing ad nauseum from him how gorgeous and beautiful I was took the most time to swallow...and ultimately take into my heart and soul.

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As I grew into myself I made peace with my disability. It is part of who I am that makes me ME and (more often than not) doesn't define me as a woman... or a human being. Having a "disability" didn't keep me from feeling ugly and isolated in high school. Having a "disability" didn't keep me from having trouble making, or keeping, friends. My experiences have been many the same as someone "normal." Sometimes it seems easier to hide from ourselves while accepting labels from others than to take those steps and start the journey towards loving ourselves and adoring our flaws.

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I promise it doesn't have to be scary. When I was in high school I presented a school assembly to my freshman class about self-acceptance and difference. It was what led Rick to coin the phrase "change how you see, see how you change" for his non-profit and that assembly is what helped me change the shyness I always had as a kid. It was the seed which planted where we are today.​

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My job now is to help plant that seed and start those first steps on the journey of who you are. Whether you're a parent whose child has just been diagnosed, exploring how to help your child with their transitions through life, a school official looking for your next presenter or someone with a disability who are currently living in my past shoes, it doesn't matter. With my Master's degree in Disability Studies from City University of New York's School of Professional Studies, I have  the skills and background to help. More importantly I have the real life skills and scars that hit home for all of us; which ultimately will help that person you know grow into who they are and go further than you ever expected.