How I got Here

Little ol' Me

I grew up in Kodiak, Alaska. This provided me with a foundation for wildness and love of the outdoors. I grew up hunting and fishing with my brother and dad and spent a lot of time hiking on trails with my mom and friends as I moved into adolescence. Kodiak is an island with wild weather and unpredictably changing environments where life and death are well acquainted. I believe that weathering literal storms and uncomfortable conditions creating a strength and resiliency in me that I am able to draw on as an adult.

Traditional Education

Upon graduating from high school in Alaska, I pursued my undergraduate degree at Montana State University in Bozeman, MT. In school I studied Art Education and minored in Earth Sciences. I found the combination of the two worlds to be fascinating and they cultivated my sense of self, connection with nature, and spiritual growth. My studies also gave me an incredible foundation for a wide variety of art mediums and brought me to understand the physics and processes of that natural world we call home.

Wilds of Alaska, an Awakening of Soul

After collage I did not go into a traditional teaching position and instead explored the nomad-mid-twenties-lifestyle, working seasonal jobs and traveling. In this time, I worked as a cook at a remote fly-fishing camp on the south end of Kodiak Island. These years allowed my spiritual connection with nature and understanding of self to flourish and live unraveled. I enjoyed long summer days hiking on bear trails, listening to the wind and hum of the earth, wondering what my deer, fox, and bear neighbors were up to, and cultivating my meditation and yoga practices. This time away from internet, cell phone, and instant connection allowed my creativity to flourish and my first small business venture started as a little jewelry business called Jangles by Britta.

In the off seasons I took time to travel finding my way to India and Nepal where at first, I experienced major culture shock, paranoia, and extreme anxiety. I finally found my way to an Ashram where I had planned to study Yogic Philosophy and Meditation, which in combination with my mental state completely disrupted and challenged any world view or life principals I had collected up to the point.

Other big adventures included backpacking in the Himalaya's in Nepal, spending a month rafting down the Grand Canyon, and road tripping from Alaska to North Carolina. These adventures cultivated my sense of awe that I experience when indulging in natures wonders.

Struggles Along the Way

Though I paint a picture of adventure and wild places to appear magical, exotic, and thrilling, of which sometimes it was, the reality was quite stress inducing. I found myself strung out with exhaustion, feeling overwhelmed with life, anxious about my future, and flat broke. I used alcohol to cope which worked wonders for many years until it too became a source of stress and a catalyst for self-doubt, anxiety, and depression. Living nomadic for many years never allowed me to cultivate a sense of community in any one place and drew me away from loved ones. I view these times with much turbulence and a consistent longing for a sense of peace and well-being that never seemed to stick around.

Calmer Waters

After many years of struggling with bouts of anxiety and depression and unsuccessful attempts at relationships, I finally started seeing a therapist. This was the first step in a process of so many life changing events. As I began to look inward and feel as though I could make informed decisions about my life, I started feeling empowered to do the things I'd always wanted to do.

I was teaching art and running small groups using expressive arts therapy for adolescence, when I finally made the decision to go back to school to become a therapist. This was the second major life altering decision I made for myself that felt like I was finally headed in a direction that felt good to me. In grad school I was confronted with one of my biggest fears, looking at my drinking and my own personal experience with addiction. Toward the end of school I made yet another life altering decision and got sober. I have been involved in twelve step recovery ever since and have a sense of community not only in my program but also in the community that I now call home.