I am a keynote speaker, storyteller, filmmaker, journalist, and advocate whose work is rooted in lived experience and more than two decades of experience in media, live events, and public engagement. My presentations combine compelling personal storytelling with practical insight, challenging audiences to rethink foster care, trauma, mental health, resilience, and the systems that shape people’s lives.

As a former foster youth, U.S. Air Force veteran, and award-winning storyteller, I speak with authenticity about overcoming adversity while offering audiences hope, perspective, and actionable strategies for resilience and change.

My work has been recognized nationally through speaking engagements, interviews, documentaries, and educational media. I was honored to serve as a featured mentor in Roadtrip Nation: Ready to Rise, where I mentor young adults navigating their futures. I am also featured on the Roadtrip Nation Leader page as part of its national network of leaders and mentors.

I have been interviewed by The Washington Post for my work and lived experience, and my story has been featured through Columbia University’s Digital Storytelling Lab in My Sky Is Falling, exploring the realities of foster care and aging out of the child welfare system. I was also the focus of an episode of Teens 101, sharing my journey to educate and inspire young people facing adversity.

Speaking Topics

• Foster Care & Child Welfare
• Trauma & Resilience
• Mental Health
• Youth Empowerment
• Storytelling & Documentary Journalism
• Advocacy & Systems Change
• Leadership Through Adversity
• Personal Growth & Recovery

I am available for keynote presentations, conferences, workshops, panel discussions, media appearances, and leadership events nationwide. Whether speaking to educators, healthcare professionals, nonprofit organizations, government agencies, universities, corporations, or community audiences, my goal is to create conversations that challenge perspectives, inspire action, and leave a lasting impact.