I am a Georgia native and grew up just south of Atlanta. I wanted to be a Massage Therapist since High School, but more on that later.

I have woven an interesting path over the years. I have worked in retail and in construction. There isn't a part of a restaurant I haven't worked. And bars? You want to know about backing or bouncing? Oh, cars? Engine or transmission repair, I did 'em both.

I even worked traveling with the Renaissance Festivals, making jewelry, armor, and eventually insults.

I also became an EMT. Which touched on a core concept of mine, as I wanted to help people get better. I was an EMT with an active license for 15 years. And while I could help people, I could not affect their recovery that much. Don't get me wrong, doing CPR and using an AED to restart a heart helps a person a whole lot... but I mostly just moved people from one place to another, then I very rarely got to learn of their outcome. And being so near people that were hurt, injured and sick so often and not knowing if you contributed... it wears.

So, I was complaining to my significant other, saying that the system sucked, that we were taxis more than caregivers. I had said it all before and would probably have said it again, if she hadn't said to me, “If you aren't happy, then fix it!" She is very smart.

I felt the need to help, to use my own knowledge and skills to help people heal. I remembered High School.

I loved the Sciences. I had a real knack in Anatomy and Physiology even back then. I also have a mom that at the time worked in restaurants to make ends meet. She would come home exhausted. Invariably, her complaint would be her feet hurt. So, I rubbed them. As I learned how the foot worked, I was told I got better at it. Then I learned the shoulder and the neck. I thought about going to school to learn to do massage for real. But it wasn't yet time.

I went to school at Gwinnett College of Sandy Springs. I attended day and night classes because I was still working as an EMT and had to schedule around my days on the ambulance. Eventually, I graduated summa cum laude and Valedictorian... It helps to have a lot of knowledge of the body even before you start classes!