Coastal Beaches Therapy

Coastal Beaches Therapy Certified EMDR therapist, sports performance and athlete mental health specialist.

Yesterday, I had the privilege of attending the Center for Family Services of Palm Beach County Luncheon and I find mys...
02/21/2026

Yesterday, I had the privilege of attending the Center for Family Services of Palm Beach County Luncheon and I find myself still reflecting on the afternoon.

The room was filled with more than 550 remarkable leaders, many of them women, including the gracious presence of and Yet the true center of gravity was something quieter: a community aligned around healing.

The Center’s mission sits squarely in the arena where I built my early career. I cut my teeth in trauma-informed care and substance use recovery. There is a particular strength in recognizing that collective influence is best used as a shield for the vulnerable.

The Counseling for Parents and Young Kids (CPYC) program reflects the level of specialized advocacy that children and families in crisis require.

Having worked directly with victims of abuse and violence, I carry deep respect for how complex and exacting that work is. It is some of the hardest work in our field. It is also among the most necessary.

Programs like Partners for Change mirror the standard of outpatient excellence I have always championed: dignified, structured, and attentive not only to symptoms, but to the systemic roots of substance misuse and family disruption.

There is formidable power in the instinct to nurture, protect, and restore. When we invest in the emotional architecture of a family, we are not just stabilizing the present. We are shaping the future.

It was a privilege to stand in that room and support work that remains deeply aligned with my professional foundation. My gratitude is rooted in respect for the mission and a shared commitment to building a more resilient Palm Beach County.

Grateful 💚

Happy Valentine’s Day! I spent the morning at the Race of Hope 5K supporting advanced research for depression, and hone...
02/14/2026

Happy Valentine’s Day! I spent the morning at the Race of Hope 5K supporting advanced research for depression, and honestly, it was the sweetest way I could think to start the day.

Before the race even began, I kept overhearing little conversations. “I’m running for my sister.” “I lost my dad.” “I’m doing this for myself this year.” Nothing dramatic. Just people being real about why they showed up.

Running this race felt like a beautiful reminder of what happens when a community decides that no one should have to navigate the darkness alone. To everyone who shared their story or cheered from the sidelines, thank you for being the light.

And even if my legs are a little sore today, this is a Valentine’s Day I’ll happily remember 💛

There is something profoundly telling about the way Rome handles her magic.With the Olympics drawing the world’s eyes ba...
02/07/2026

There is something profoundly telling about the way Rome handles her magic.

With the Olympics drawing the world’s eyes back to Italy, I’ve found myself reflecting on heritage, value, and the recent shift at the Trevi Fountain. For the first time, there is a literal cost to stand in her immediate presence.

While some may complain about the barrier to entry, I find the psychology of it exquisite. Italy isn’t “advertising” herself; she is simply raising the bar.

Rome doesn’t need to shout, and she certainly doesn’t need to be a “pick me.” She is the Eternal City…magnetic, powerful, and historical.

When the masses began to treat her beauty with a lack of reverence, she didn’t lower her standards to keep them interested. She simply added a price tag.

🇮🇹 The lesson here is clinical:

Those who recognize it’s worth will pay the fee without a second thought. Those who don’t? They stay on the periphery, trying to capture a filtered version of its essence from a distance.

There is a specific kind of feminine power in being timeless. It’s the antithesis of the modern “hustle” for attention.

When you know you are the destination, you don’t need to perform, post for validation, or chase those who are hesitant to see your value. You simply exist in your radiance, and you let the world decide if they are ready to meet the standard you’ve set.

True magnetism doesn’t require a sales pitch. So stop offering high-end loyalty to people with a clearance-rack mindset 🏛️✨

Last night I had the privilege of seeing Kings of Leon perform in Tampa and honestly, it was such a good concert.If you’...
02/01/2026

Last night I had the privilege of seeing Kings of Leon perform in Tampa and honestly, it was such a good concert.

If you’ve followed me for a while, you know I’m a big believer in music as a regulatory tool. And the crowd? That was one of my favorite parts of it all.

Connecting with new people and singing along with strangers, everyone tuned into the same sound and energy. It was just people being people and actually enjoying themselves.

That kind of shared focus is rare now. It’s getting “weird” how hard we have to work just to find moments of collective presence and it feels incredibly good when it happens.

Here is the professional truth: what is becoming strange in our culture is that we’ve started treating human connection as a luxury or a “hobby” rather than a physiological necessity. We have medicalized sadness and isolation, yet we’ve devalued the actual organic “medicine” that keeps our nervous systems functional.

Viewing people and music as “medicine” is one of the most grounded ways to explain Somatic Experiencing to a general audience.

Concerts don’t work because they’re escapist; they work because they restore what modern life drains:

Shared Rhythm: Syncing our systems to a literal, external beat.

Shared Attention: A rare break from the fragmented “scroll” of daily life.

Shared Emotion: The experience of feeling with others, rather than just at them.

Being absorbed in something outside yourself is such a relief when everything else asks you to “perform.”

We are biologically wired for shared experiences and connection. Sometimes, the best medicine isn’t necessarily found in a quiet room or a self-help book, it’s a heavy bass line, a favorite album, and a stadium full of strangers who become part of a lifelong memory.

Honesty and transparency are two different instruments playing the same piece of music. They are both beautiful instrume...
01/28/2026

Honesty and transparency are two different instruments playing the same piece of music.

They are both beautiful instruments, but they create entirely different sounds and impact. One gives the listener truth. The other lets the listener feel it.

And I think that’s beautiful, just like this piano and violin rendition of one of the most beautiful pieces of music 😌

Anxiety can be a real beast, disruptive, draining, and loud. In Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) we use a trick c...
01/27/2026

Anxiety can be a real beast, disruptive, draining, and loud. In Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) we use a trick called Cognitive Defusion. It’s the “Monsters Inc.” method: taking a scary thought and rebranding it until it’s too ridiculous to fear.

So imagine this…Once upon a time, there was a monster under the bed. But he didn’t want to eat toes or take away your loved ones; he wanted to discuss textiles.

“Good heavens,” the voice hissed from the floorboards. “Is that…microfiber? I simply cannot haunt a room with this level of synthetic piling. It’s a crime against interior design!”

Now while you may or may not have a mansion or silk pajamas, you have the power to tell your inner critic:

“I hear you, Bougie Monster Sir Posh-Pants, but these polyester sheets and I are busy having a Great Value-brand dream. Goodnight!” 😴🥱

Humor like this isn’t just a way to cope. It’s a legitimate psychological shift for anxiety. Anxiety wants you to be in awe of its power. But when you give it an absurd, non-threatening name or a ridiculous personality trait, you shrink it down to a size you can actually manage.

So go ahead. Try letting your brain be intimidated by a Bougie Monster who doesn’t want to eat your soul. He just wants to know why you don’t like silk linens and avocado toast. I dare you 🧟‍♂️

Coach Curt Cignetti didn’t promise a win. He didn’t beg for one. He just looked at the world and whispered, “I win.” I l...
01/20/2026

Coach Curt Cignetti didn’t promise a win. He didn’t beg for one. He just looked at the world and whispered, “I win.”

I love the psychology of that 🔥

It’s not heavy or aggressive; it’s actually quite beautiful.

It’s the difference between striving and arriving.

Notice how Coach didn’t say, “I will win.” He didn’t say, “I need to win.” He simply said, “I win.”

That distinction is everything.

“I will” is a chase.
“I need” is a plea.
But “I win”...that’s a state of grace.

Last night didn’t change him; it just revealed him.

“I will” lives in the tomorrow.
“I win” lives in the soul.

Last night wasn’t the moment he became a champion. It was just the moment the world caught up to his frequency.

That kind of confidence is quiet, magnetic, and completely unshakable.

What a game 🏆

Hey, we’re letting that sink in later if you want to pull up….🙃😬
01/20/2026

Hey, we’re letting that sink in later if you want to pull up….🙃😬

Merry Christmas! Today I’m sharing this with a very full heart.I was named Best of the Beaches for the third year in a r...
12/25/2025

Merry Christmas! Today I’m sharing this with a very full heart.

I was named Best of the Beaches for the third year in a row, and it feels like a beautiful gift to receive on Christmas Day.

While I’m deeply grateful for the recognition, what truly fills my heart are the people behind it. The trust of those I have the privilege of working with is never something I take lightly, and it’s the real reason this honor exists at all.

As Winston Churchill once said “We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.” This work has always been about giving care, attention, and presence, and to have that reflected back in this way is something I receive with genuine gratitude.

So today, more than celebrating an award, I’m honoring the people who made this year what it was. You are the gift. Always.

Feeling grateful, feeling full, and wishing you the warmest, happiest Christmas. 🤍

It’s Christmas Eve Eve and after spending most of the past month in South Florida and briefly stopping home today before...
12/24/2025

It’s Christmas Eve Eve and after spending most of the past month in South Florida and briefly stopping home today before heading back out to be with family, I’ve found myself sitting with something that has been quietly settling in my heart.

Last week, after coming in from my riding lesson, I was told that Harry Benson would be stopping by in the next few minutes, and by chance that turned into sitting down together and talking.

What moved me was not the scope of his life or the history he has stood beside, but the way he spoke about what it means to be behind the camera when life is unfolding in front of you.

For him, photography has never been about spectacle or distance. It has been about responsibility. About recognizing a moment as it is happening, and honoring it without turning away.

We spoke about art, about culture, about Scotland, soccer, about paying attention to people rather than outcomes, and about the seriousness of truly seeing what’s in front of you.

He spoke about photography as art, movement and energy, about trusting instinct in moments that don’t announce themselves in advance, and that resonated deeply with the work I do every day, sitting with people, listening carefully, and honoring the parts of their humanity that don’t ask to be staged or softened.

What I cherished about that exchange was how naturally two people shaped by different crafts arrived at the same place. A respect for real life as it is, and for the care it takes to witness another human being honestly.

Sitting among his photographs, I didn’t feel close to history. I felt close to humanity. To the understanding that when we choose to truly see one another, something is preserved that would otherwise disappear.

As Christmas arrives, that reminder feels especially meaningful. Not everything of value can be wrapped, purchased, or displayed.

Some of the most lasting gifts are moments of presence, kindness offered without agenda, and the simple act of seeing one another clearly. Those moments are gold, and I hope this season brings you a few of them, in whatever form they find you.

Being in the field of mental health has taught me a lot, but one of the most consistent lessons about human behavior is ...
12/23/2025

Being in the field of mental health has taught me a lot, but one of the most consistent lessons about human behavior is that stress doesn’t create character. It reveals it.

Pressure doesn’t change people. It clarifies who they already are, what they orient toward, and how they relate to others when there’s no room left to perform.

Another thing that becomes very clear in high-pressure environments is that people don’t fight to the bitter end for ideas, ideologies, or directives.

They fight and do it for each other. Belonging to a team, an organization, or a unit is often a stronger motivator than any set of principles written on paper. People endure hardship because of the relationships around them, not because of abstract causes.

Fear follows a similar pattern. It isn’t eliminated by cheerleading or positivity. Fear softens when there is clarity. When people understand what’s happening, where things stand, and what comes next.

When there’s permission to pause, take a breath, and orient, that’s what actually settles fear, both individually and within a team.

Meaning sits underneath all of this. And in performance-driven environments and even long after those chapters end, meaning is essential. When meaning is stripped away, even the most comfortable situations become unbearable.

The nervous system needs to know why it’s here, not just that it’s safe.

And one of the most corrosive forces in high-performing teams is unchecked ego. Confidence isn’t the issue. Strength isn’t the issue. Intensity isn’t the issue.

Ego becomes toxic when it stops serving the group and starts serving the self. When that happens, it quietly undermines trust, cohesion, and performance.

I am so excited to share that Coastal Beaches Therapy was just named Best Self-Care Provider for JAXBest 2025, presented...
11/06/2025

I am so excited to share that Coastal Beaches Therapy was just named Best Self-Care Provider for JAXBest 2025, presented by and .

It feels like such an incredible honor to be recognized throughout Jacksonville and the surrounding communities for work built on compassion, care, and elevation. I’m deeply grateful and this recognition means more than I can say.

Self-care has always been at the heart of what I do, helping people restore balance, reconnect with themselves, and remember that mental health and well-being are vital parts of a full and healthy life. They belong to everyone, everywhere, no matter what you do or who you lead.

That is the real self-care. It is not indulgence, it’s backbone. It’s how we care for ourselves and each other through the hard seasons. How we lead, recover, and rise. That is the heart of this work, and being trusted to do it is the greatest privilege of all.

A heartfelt thank you to and for putting together such a meaningful campaign that celebrates the people and businesses making a difference in our community, and to everyone who believes in this work and in me. I am so proud to call Jacksonville home 💫

Read more on News4JAX: https://www.news4jax.com/jax-best/2025/11/06/coastal-beaches-therapy-takes-home-the-title-for-best-self-care-for-jaxbest-2025/

Address

100 Executive Way #200
Ponte Vedra Beach, FL
32082

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 6pm
Tuesday 7am - 7pm
Wednesday 7am - 7pm
Thursday 7am - 7pm
Friday 8am - 7pm
Saturday 8am - 3pm
Sunday 8am - 3pm

Telephone

(904) 470-0503

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Coastal Beaches Therapy posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Practice

Send a message to Coastal Beaches Therapy:

Shortcuts

Featured

Share

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on LinkedIn
Share on Pinterest Share on Reddit Share via Email
Share on WhatsApp Share on Instagram Share on Telegram

Category