My Story

I was born in Houston, Texas, with a cleft lip and palate, and from a young age, I faced challenges that went deeper than physical appearance. At 13, I discovered a brain tumor, which was removed surgically. However, this led to a condition called Hydrocephalus, where fluid built up in my brain. Over the next five years, I went through several surgeries to drain the fluid, but each time, it would return, causing more complications.

Eventually, after 11 brain surgeries, my neurosurgeon declared me “healed.” But that’s when my body started breaking down, and mental health struggles took hold. I thought I had moved past the hardest parts of my life. I was stable, on medication, and ready to embrace adulthood. I focused on my career and dreams of family, unaware that my unresolved issues were still there, waiting to resurface.

In 2004, while working as a teacher in the San Francisco county jail system and planning my wedding, the stress became overwhelming. My body’s old, unresolved trauma came rushing back, and I found myself facing another brain surgery—just a month before my wedding. I couldn't face another round of surgeries, so I began seeking answers outside of Western medicine.

A few years earlier, I had met Angie Chen, who became not just my healer, but a trusted teacher and friend. Through her reflexology work, she helped me find balance in my body, avoiding surgery altogether. Her touch restored my circulatory and cerebrospinal fluid systems, and this transformative experience inspired me to study reflexology myself. I apprenticed under Angie for a year and later earned my certification at the World School of Massage in San Francisco.

Today, I continue to expand my knowledge of different healing systems. I believe true healing comes from balancing the mind, body, and spirit. While Western medicine is excellent for treating symptoms, I’ve seen how integrative medicine—combining various approaches—addresses the root causes of illness, helping prevent it from coming back.

My journey from sickness to health has led me to practice reflexology, using it as a tool to help others discover and correct imbalances in their own bodies. Through a blend of functional techniques and intuitive guidance, I’m honored to help my patients on their healing journeys.

"Wounding and healing are not opposites.  They're part of the same thing.  It is our wounds that enable us to be compassionate with the wounds of others. It is our limitations that make us kind to the limitations of other people.It is our loneliness that helps us to find other people or to even know they're alone with an illness.  I think I have served people perfectly with the parts of myself I used to be ashamed of."  -Rachel Naomi Remen