You carry shame’s voice in your head. It may sound just like your mother.
What if you could replace it with your own?
I help people move from shame and smallness to flourishing and joy—even when life is complicated, painful, or full of shame.
Featured In
—The Root is Shame
Shame isn't just a feeling. It’s like an invasive vine, choking out the joy in your life. It shapes how you move through the world and causes you to dim your light, second-guess yourself, and stay small to stay safe.
And here’s the thing, you might not be aware that it’s shame.
You might:
Feel guilty for setting boundaries (or being unable to set them at all)
Struggle with the decision to limit or end contact in a difficult relationship
Wonder if you're being "too sensitive" or "not trying hard enough
Carry a deep sense that something is fundamentally wrong with you
Grieve the relationship you needed but never had
The shame isn’t yours to carry—and it never was.
—I used to live half-alive—frozen in shame, bowing to expectations that weren’t mine.
At my own wedding, my mother asked for my bouquet so she could marry her third husband. I said yes—not because I wanted to, but because saying no felt dangerous.
For years, I believed something was wrong with me. I stayed small, second-guessed everything, and thought joy was for other people.
Today, I silent disco on the boardwalk—headphones on, singing, dancing, fully myself.
I coach women who are ready to trade the weight of shame for the freedom of their own lives—not through force or hacks, but through fierce love, honest reckoning, and learning to feel safe in joy.
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Unburden from inherited shame.
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Navigate complex family dynamics with clarity.
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Learn to feel safe flourishing in your own life.
1:1 Coaching
For Women Ready to Unburden and Flourish
For women ready to unburden and unshame with personalized support.
We'll work together to:
Dismantle internalized shame at the root
Navigate complicated decisions (boundaries, contact, estrangement)
Make flourishing feel safe instead of dangerous
This isn't about fixing you (or her) or forcing estrangement. It's about helping you find your own answers in a way that honors your nervous system, your timeline, and your truth.
Books
for Every Stage
of Your Healing
Whether you're just beginning to name what you've experienced or you're deep in the work of healing, these books offer clarity, validation, and a path forward.
New! Releasing Generational Trauma and Shame (Living Free from Narcissistic Mothers and Fathers)
Journal Prompts & Practices for Disarming Your Inner Critic & Allowing Creativity to Flow (Creative Writing Skills and Confidence Builders)
A Guide For Separation, Liberation & Inspiration
A Guide For Revealing & Healing Toxic Generational Patterns (Companion Journal to Difficult Mothers Adult Daughters)
Meet Karen
Author. Coach.
Silent Disco Queen.
I know what it’s like to live under the weight of shame—terrified that flourishing means disloyalty.
Through my own healing, I discovered a path through the shame and came out joyful on the other side.
I am the author of several books including You Are Not Your Mother and Difficult Mothers, Adult Daughters. My approach is grounded in lived experience, deep empathy, and an unwavering belief that things that are alive want to flourish, including you.
I don't offer quick fixes or life hacks. I offer fierce love, honest reckoning, and a path from shame to joy that honors your nervous system, your timeline, and your truth.
Testimonials
What Readers & Clients Say
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![Silhouette of a woman with wet hair standing in front of a colorful sunset over the ocean.]()
If there was a Nobel Prize for women supporting women, you’d be the recipient. --C.H
★★★★
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![A woman in a yellow dress and straw hat standing in a field of purple flowers, waving.]()
Karen, you are awesome. I love having your emails in my inbox giving me added support with loving my elderly mum. --H.S
★★★★
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![A close-up of a purple rose with water droplets on its petals against a black background.]()
I now have a fabulous relationship with my mum but it takes concentrated work each day to keep it good. I am so glad I found you and your writing. --S.H
★★★★
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You Don’t Have to Stay Small.
You don't have to settle.
Things that are alive want to flourish. That includes you.
You don't need to have it all figured out. You don't need to know whether you'll stay in contact with the difficult person in your life or step away. You don't need to be "healed enough" to begin.
You just need to be tired of living a half life and ready to step into the joy of what comes after.
