After 8+ years of working in corporate and startup environments across Southeast Asia, I reached a point of feeling stuck myself — I was anxious, irritable, and distracted. There was a constant nagging from inside that I struggled to comprehend or quiet.

Add to that -

• I attributed so much of “my success” to people outside of myself (i.e., my parents) and was in constant doubt that I deserved to be where I was professionally and that I could ever “make it” on my own

• I was often reactive at home and easily consumed by bad actors and drama in my personal life

• I faced serious gut issues and was too often awoken by diarrhea in the morning (sorry (not sorry) if this is TMI)

• My skin was the worst it’s ever been and I was super self conscious of my adult acne (the worst!)

It took seeing a loved one fall into deep depression for me to confront the misalignment within myself. Through a series of ebbs, flows, and therapy-aided realizations, I found what being well looked like for me and imagined everything it might unlock.

Then I pursued it.

I became that girl who was allllll about self-love and self-care, experimenting with different science-backed approaches to healing (enter, podcast junkie).

All roads seemed to lead back to the mind-body relationship and I recall frequent moments of thinking It's All Connected (me: 🤯). And not in some weird, cosmic, existential sort of way, but in a way that's completely tangible. In fact, the science supporting connections between mental, emotional, and physical health is growing - we're now seeing evidence that prove (potentially bi-directional) links between:

• Psychotherapeutic interventions & irritable bowel syndrome (IBS): Multiple studies have shown that psychological interventions like cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and mindfulness techniques lead to significant reductions in IBS symptoms (think: persistent diarrhea and constipation).

• Ketogenic nutrition & mental illness: A pilot trial published in March 2024 showed a ketogenic diet intervention improved symptoms by 30%+ in schizophrenia patients, and led to significant clinical improvements in close to 70% of bipolar disorder patients.

• Emotional suppression & multiple sclerosis (MS): A cross-sectional study looking at 180 MS patients and another 180 matched control subjects found that MS patients had higher levels of alexithymia, a trait characterized by difficulty in identifying and expressing emotions.

• Personal neglect & amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS): Patterns of self-sacrifice and neglect of personal needs have been found to be factors in ALS onset. An online case-control study of over 700 participants found that ALS individuals in the study were found to have higher levels of agreeableness, conscientiousness, and extraversion than people without ALS.

Each data point made me that much more captivated by the potential of healing the body via the mind and healing the mind via the body. I became immersed in the world of mind-body connection, and now focus my work on the study, practice, and application of:

• Psychology & neuroscience

• Somatics & trauma-informed psychotherapy

• Breathwork & mindful movement

• Performance-oriented coaching

Though putting myself out there is scary (it took a long time to publish this article!), today, I am listening my inner voice telling me to share what I know and see potential in with the world, and building up courage by the day to keep following it.

As an Integrative Mind-Body Therapist, I work with people who experience some combination of psychological and physical distress (read: people are too in their heads, struggle with anxiety, are on the brink of burnout, are feeling just plain “bleh” inside and out).

^ If this sounds familiar, let’s talk!