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In-person in the Baltimore–Annapolis Area — Virtual Nationwide
My Story and Why I Do This Work
My path to this work has been both personal and professional.
I studied psychology and political science in college and was interested in counseling, but my career initially took me in a different direction. I moved to Washington, D.C. and spent nearly a decade working in fast-paced, high-pressure roles in the federal government and the private sector.
During those years, I was also struggling with alcohol.
Alcohol had become my answer to stress, anxiety, self-doubt, imposter syndrome, and often just feeling uncomfortable in my own skin. And for a long time, it worked. Until the costs outweighed the relief.
My life looked pretty good from the outside. I had a career, relationships, and many of the things that were supposed to mean I was doing well. But alcohol had increasingly become something I felt like I couldn't live without, and eventually I knew I couldn't keep living that way.
In 2014, I finally accepted that I needed help.
Learning How to Live Differently
Getting sober was only the beginning.
When I came home from treatment, I still had to figure out how to actually live without alcohol. I had to learn how to handle work, stress, relationships, social situations, and everyday life without relying on the thing I had used for years to cope.
Past attempts at sobriety had shown me that I couldn't do it alone. But asking for help was uncomfortable. In those anxious early days of sobriety, walking into a room full of strangers and saying, “Please help me,” felt almost impossible.
I couldn't seem to do it. I was just too uncomfortable. But a couple of men refused to leave me alone. They saw through my bullshit attempts to pretend I was just fine. They kept trying to connect with me until I finally let myself be seen. They accepted me, and they showed me the way.
Not everyone is blessed with two guys who refuse to leave them alone.
I don't know if I would've made it through those early months without them. They couldn't do the work for me, but I wasn't alone, and I didn't have to figure everything out by myself.
I haven't had a drink since October 2014, and I've never forgotten how important that kind of support was.
From Recovery to Doing This Work
As I got further into recovery, I returned to school for addiction counseling and pursued the career I had considered years earlier.
I went on to spend nearly a decade working in inpatient and outpatient dual-diagnosis treatment settings, first as a recovery specialist and later as a certified addictions counselor.
I loved the work. I also began to see some gaps.
I met people who knew their drinking or drug use was becoming a problem but weren't ready for treatment, or didn't necessarily need it. I worked with people leaving residential treatment who couldn't or wouldn't commit to an intensive outpatient program but needed more support and accountability than a weekly therapy appointment could provide.
I also watched people leave treatment with a much better understanding of addiction, only to discover that understanding recovery and actually building a life in recovery are two very different things.
I knew that feeling.
And I saw families trying desperately to help someone they loved while having very little idea what to do next.
I saw a gap in the support available, and I wanted to help fill it. So I founded Cornerstone Life & Recovery Coaching.
My Story and Why I Do This Work
My own recovery included treatment and 12-step support. That worked for me.
But years of working professionally in addiction treatment taught me that there isn't one path that works for everyone, and I don't expect my clients to recover the way I did.
I want to understand where you are, what's happening in your life, and what you want to change.
For someone struggling with alcohol or other substances, that may mean building accountability and support, exploring whether abstinence makes sense, navigating life after treatment, or simply getting honest about what's happening.
For someone feeling stuck in another area of life, it may mean working through stress, relationships, career questions, or a difficult transition and figuring out what moving forward looks like.
And sometimes coaching isn't enough. If I believe you need treatment, trauma therapy, psychiatric care, or another level of support, I'll tell you that and help you figure out what comes next.
That's the kind of support I wanted Cornerstone to provide: compassionate, practical, and honest help from someone who understands this work from both sides of the room.
