Why I Do This Work

​I believe people deserve to feel respected, heard, and safe— at work and at home— and that communication shapes everything. It shapes safety. It shapes leadership. It shapes relationships. And it shapes how people experience their lives every day.

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I don’t teach theory. I teach the skills I use in my own life, the skills I’ve seen transform teams, and the skills that make work— and life— better.

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The Path I Didn’t Plan — and Now Wouldn’t Trade

I’m rooted academically in environmental science and began my career focused on sustainability. At my first mining company— a family-owned operation— safety was added to my responsibilities because that’s what happens in small organizations: you wear a lot of hard hats. I discovered I loved the training. I loved connecting with people. And I really loved learning how to operate a D10 dozer (!).

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Then I left the industry briefly when I moved to Washington, DC, to be with the love of my life. I was eager to return to mining, and when an opportunity opened at the National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association, I jumped at it. It wasn’t environmental work like I had planned for my career. Again, it was safety.

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At the time, safety felt like it was “getting in the way” of the path I thought I was on. I told myself I’d do it for a while— just long enough to get back into aggregates and eventually return to sustainability. But over the years, something shifted. While still pursuing sustainability (which does remain a passion), I began to see how safety connects with mental health, communication, and human behavior. I saw how conflict and safety are intertwined. I saw how trust, listening, and psychological safety influence whether people speak up before someone gets hurt. 

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Somewhere along the way, I stopped “doing safety” and became a safety person. And now the shoe fits. I am proudly, confidently, and happily a safety person.

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What Athletics Taught Me About Teams

I’m an athlete at heart.

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As a Division I Top 20 volleyball player, I was part of an incredibly talented team. But fear-based coaching and tension made us play tight and perform poorly. Cliques formed. Trust eroded. Talent alone wasn’t enough. Fear does not create great teams. Trust does. 

 

Later, after transferring to Juniata College, everything felt different. Players were there by choice. We felt respected. We weren’t demeaned or yelled at. There was shared accountability and cultural buy-in. The environment felt safe— and it showed in how we played. We advanced to the Sweet 16 and Final Four during my junior and senior years, and the program now holds five national championships.

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Great teams aren’t built on talent alone. They are built on trust, respect, and shared purpose. That perspective shapes every organization I work with today.

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Communication at Home: Where the Real Work Happens

Today, I’m also a wife and a mom. My husband is my greatest teammate, and the communication work we’ve done in our relationship has paid dividends beyond anything I could quantify.

 

The skills I teach— listening, responding with respect, navigating difficult conversations— aren’t just professional tools. They are life tools. When communication improves, relationships improve. When relationships improve, lives improve.

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Bringing People Together Across Differences

Throughout my career, I’ve brought together safety professionals, regulators, attorneys, executives, and frontline workers— people with different pressures, priorities, and perspectives. Together, we built alignment and solutions no single person could have achieved alone. The strongest outcomes happen when people feel heard, respected, and connected to a shared purpose.

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Industry Experience

My work is grounded in hands-on experience in construction materials: aggregates, mining, concrete, construction, roofing, and cement. I couple this construction materials industry experience with training and practice as a mediator, facilitator, and coach. 

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I have served as:

• Health & Safety Director for the National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association and the American Cement Association;

• A safety and community outreach POC at a family-owned aggregate mining and construction company;

• An executive team leader driving strategic initiatives for a national mining organization.

 

I’ve worked in the field, in boardrooms, and everywhere in between— allowing me to connect with both frontline crews and executive leadership.

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Mediator Experience: Conflict in the Real World

As a Small Claims Court mediator, I've helped resolve disputes between individuals in active conflict. There is no script in those rooms.

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That experience gave me direct insight into what works when emotions run high and people feel unheard. The listening and de-escalation techniques I teach are grounded in real conflict resolution — not theory.

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When I Knew This Work Truly Matters

I knew this work mattered when people began connecting what they were learning to their lives beyond the job.

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When someone stays behind to say they thought differently about listening to their spouse…
When they open up about handled a difficult conversation with their child…
When they simply say “thank you”…

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That’s when I know this work reaches the places that matter most.

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We Laugh Along the Way

Learning about conflict doesn’t have to be heavy to be meaningful. It's my goal to make audiences laugh and loosen up about a typically uncomfortable topic. We laugh about relatable relationship moments like “I don’t want you to fix it— I just want you to listen.” We watch clips from the construction-focused Man Therapy campaign. And if you’re paying attention, you might catch a Star Wars or Lord of the Rings reference sneaking in.

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Humor opens people up. When people relax, they learn. Whether during a keynote presentation or during a workshop, audience members and participants will feel surprisingly lighter about heavy topics. 

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My Life Outside the Work

I live in Maryland (by way of Oregon) with my husband, our young daughter, two dogs, and seven chickens. Most days you’ll find me balancing work, motherhood, and a strong cup of liquid schwartz (coffee).

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Right now, my infant daughter is fascinated by the littlest things that I take for granted, like the fact that she has hands— and reaching out and discovering what they can do. Watching her experience awe in the simplest things is a daily reminder: people are remarkable.

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When life feels chaotic, I return to the basics: breathing, getting outside, and walking the dogs. It’s grounding, restorative, and just productive enough to satisfy my Type A brain.

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The Real Takeaway

When communication improves, safety improves. When trust grows, teams perform better. When people feel heard, lives get better.

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And if we can improve safety, performance, and lives at the same time?

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That’s not just good leadership— that’s a force multiplier.