ABOUT

From the beginning, I’ve lived at the intersection of art and healing. I grew up in a small town in North Carolina in a, let’s call it, complicated, albeit often playful household. My parents ran an eclectic gift shop, so my understanding of retail — the why and what of it, the ins and outs — was deeply ingrained early on. While my exposure to the world at large was limited, one gift of that time was access to an incredible classical ballet studio, where I learned the discipline and freedom of creative expression. That foundation led me to train at the North Carolina School of the Arts, the Joffrey Ballet, and American Ballet Theatre.

At 16, I had a quiet realization: I had outgrown dancing’s function for me — and I wanted to speak. I was fortunate to be accepted to NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, where, at 17, I studied acting and deepened my connection not only to myself, but to performance and new approaches to the creative process. Growing up in retail taught me how to be sensitive to people — how to read them, anticipate their needs, and meet them where they were. But NYU took me somewhere further, somewhere deeper. My acting training taught me how to step into someone else’s experience — and how to step back out.

After graduating, I moved to Los Angeles and unexpectedly built a career in wellness. While an acting career didn’t flow for me, my work in wellness did. I became an elite spin instructor in West Hollywood, taught yoga and meditation, and became a certified holistic health counselor. During this time, I experienced incredible opportunities — from touring with Childish Gambino, offering yoga and mindfulness meditation, to leading health and wellness workshops for high-profile clients including Genesis, Paul Smith, Josie Maran Cosmetics, Friends at Work, The Bay Club, Whalerock Industries, and more. My work centered on the mind-body connection — helping people explore themselves through movement, music, breath, and mindfulness.

But over time, as I expanded and grew, I felt the ceiling — there were limits to my capacity to help and heal. I’ve never been one to accept limits on my capacity. The physical body was only one part of the equation. As my own psychotherapeutic process deepened, I knew I wanted to understand and support the deeper emotional and psychological layers of healing — both for myself and my clients. This realization led me back to school to study clinical psychology.

While earning my hours toward licensure as an LMFT, I began developing Lyrically Induced Conversations — a workshop blending psychological education with musical exploration. It started in a local coffee shop. By December 2019, I was hosting them at The Standard Hotel in West Hollywood. New music as a starting point for conversation — a way to help people explore their inner landscapes through sound. That creative-meets-clinical approach became a hallmark of my work.

After becoming licensed and opening my private practice in January 2022, my work was thriving — but in June 2023, my mother passed away. Just eight months later, in February 2024, my sister was killed. The weight of my grief was overwhelming. I knew I couldn’t carry the emotional load of my practice at full capacity, so I scaled back.

In the space that grief left behind, I turned toward creation. As a child, ballet was my escape and safe space for expression; now, I found myself returning to art. I started taking studio art classes — drawing, painting, sculpture — reconnecting with the physicality of creation and expression. From that tender place, Halsonus was born — an offering to myself and to others. The name comes from Latin: hal (breath) and sonus (sound) — because breath and sound are the foundation of presence, healing, and life itself.

In the months that followed, I began experimenting with handcrafting the products I personally needed — candles and aromatherapy blends made from the highest quality essential oils and purest ingredients. I wanted these products to do more than just smell beautiful; I wanted them to serve as meaningful tools to help shift the mind and body into restorative states. Grief is inconvenient, and our modern world is equally unforgiving in its demands. I needed support in maintaining my focus while working (Gamma & Beta). I needed help relaxing (Alpha & Theta). Unwinding before bed became invaluable as well (Delta).

If retail taught me to listen, and NYU taught me to understand, practicing psychology taught me how to hold — to sit with discomfort and complexity without rushing to solve it.

And so, Brain Wave came to life — a line of products designed to align with the brain's natural rhythms, supporting focus, calm, creativity, and rest.

Halsonus is the intersection of art and science, mind and body, grief and healing. It’s deeply personal — but it’s also a gift I’m honored to share with you.