Hellooo! I'm happy you're in the picture.
My name is Tasha, and I believe that cultivating self-agency and creativity in youth is how the world will become an equitable place, brimming with possibilities. Below you will discover why writing and coaching mean so much to me and how both inform my work with youth.
Credentials At A Glance
- ICF credentialed Professional Certified Coach (PCC)
- Certified Youth Resiliency Coach
- Certified Youth Mental Health First Aider
- CRLA Certified Writing Tutor
- Certified Professional Coach
- Certified Financial Coach
- Certified Happiness Coach
- Award-winning Writing Program Creator
- Outstanding Community Partner Award Recipient
- Human Rights Award Recipient
- Published Author
- 140+ hours of ICF coach-specific training
- 1,000+ hours of 1:1 coaching
- 250+ students served through writing & creativity coaching
- 600+ individuals served globally through career coaching
Embracing Writing and Storytelling
For over ten years, I have helped people and nonprofits tell their stories — stories of survival, career transition, academic achievement, community impact, and even stories explaining why the tiger-scorpion would be the best pet in the world — each with its unique purpose. I’ve worked with hundreds of clients to write resumes and portfolios that sounded like a person instead of a robot, secured thousands of dollars in donations from sharing not only data points but stories of human resilience and triumph, and transformed poorly performing programs into packed classrooms by putting the student experience at the forefront.
The themes that run most powerfully through all of this work include that we are undoubtably more similar than we are different, individuals create cultures of possibility when they have agency over their lives, and equity will only be achieved once we recognize our connection to one another.
Storytelling is a superpower that connects us to each other — no radioactive spider bite required. It is inherent in the human experience. No other medium has the power to create empathy, ignite passion, and heal hearts quite like stories do. Similarly to music, storytelling has the power to speak to that part of us that is otherwise inaccessible.
Jason Reynolds, a #1 New York Times bestselling author of more than a dozen books for young people, says it perfectly: "I get an opportunity to write them into the world. [To tell them] that they ARE matter and that they DO matter."
Mic drop.
That's it! That's why I love storytelling so much.
His story is
Her story is
Their story is
My story is
Our story.
Together we can write ourselves into being while writing a future we want to be in.
The Intersection of Coaching, Education, & Social Justice
Social justice work is more than a bumper sticker for me — it presents a deeply held value that I live out through my career. In the past, I've served young survivors of violence and homelessness through after-school and street outreach programs. I've also supported immigrant and refugee survivors of human trafficking and domestic violence through policy change and coordination of supportive services. Through social service work and career coaching, I've offered clarity and training to adults who are still figuring out "what they want to be when they grow up," (a topic I speak more on here).
By coaching young changemakers, I help 14- to 24-year-old individuals strengthen their innate creativity and connection to the values they hold dear, growing their capacity to produce innovative and relative solutions to personal challenges and what they see as the world's most pressing problems. I often serve as an ally in an educational system that is all too efficient at snuffing out spirited kids, confusing uncertain kids, and overburdening high-achieving kids. Spotlighting and championing their curiosity, creativity, and courage clears the stage for youth to become who they truly are and have the confidence to fully embrace their strengths.
In addition to coaching young changemakers, I serve as a writing coach to the students of Real Stories, ensuring that we are creating safe, brave spaces for social justice storytelling. This means that storytellers are the drivers of their personal narratives and have complete control over how their stories are shared and experienced. Storytellers can opt in or out at anytime and are assured transparency and support as they share their stories with a wider audience.
Coaching as a Way of BEING
Simply, coaching is more than a profession for me — it’s a way of being — a lens through which I see and create my world. It's the superpower that best equips me to support storytellers and creators and has profoundly changed the way I show up as a parent and a human being. This respectful form of communication has proven transformative for me, and I hope it will continue to prove transformative for my clients.
When I am not coaching or writing, I am playing games of make-believe with my daughter and researching anything from rabbits to worm holes. I'm a published writer, podcast guest (aren't podcasts the new trading cards?), and cheese enthusiast.
If you are interested in connecting and learning more about my services, please do! Your story matters, and I'd love to help you share your ideas with the world.
Oh, and don't forget to write!