The Rebirth of Karen’s Daughter

My journey of Self began in October 2019 when I signed up for a three-month group coaching course with my dear friend Anais, founder of Soul’s Pilot. I wasn’t sure what I was getting into, but I knew something had to change. My relationship with my family was strained, I was drinking excessively, and I was experiencing debilitating panic attacks—waking up in the middle of the night convinced I was having a heart attack.

Anais’ program cracked me open. One of the biggest lessons I took away was that on the other side of Fear is Freedom. That truth continues to guide me. I leaned into my fears and started shedding everything that wasn’t serving me. Then, when the world shut down in March 2020, I was grateful to have already started my deep internal work because I had more tools to support me through the uncertainty of the pandemic.

At the time, I was living in Oakland, CA, in the midst of the George Floyd protests and the Black Lives Matter movement. Those conversations, combined with my own family healing, led to the birth of Karen’s Daughter. I used my platform to write about my experiences as a privileged white woman and my commitment to showing up differently than previous generations, including my parents’ generation, who lived through the Civil Rights Movement.

I held space in Clubhouse rooms (remember when that was all the rage?), wrote blog posts like I Am Grocery Store Karen, and was interviewed on Active Allyship… It’s More Than a #Hashtag (episodes #49 and #77). I was showing up in the ways I could while continuing my own growth and unlearning.

As the world reopened, I found myself in a familiar cycle—jumping into tech jobs, making money, clashing with leadership, and eventually quitting, getting fired, or being laid off. This pattern wasn’t about my work ethic or intelligence; I simply wasn’t aligned with my truth.

Then, in June 2023, I traveled to Denver for the Multidisciplinary Association of Psychedelic Sciences (MAPS) Psychedelic Science Conference, intending to explore where I might fit into the expanding world of psychedelics. My journey with psychedelics began in the ‘90s rave scene and remained a thread in my life, deepening in curiosity and exploration after I moved to the Bay Area. The moment I stepped into that conference, I knew I was Home. 

It was there that I discovered Being True to You (BTTY), an organization specializing in Psychedelic Transformational & Integration Coach training. I chose this program because it was rooted in addiction recovery, which resonated with me. My relationship with alcohol had been shifting for years, but I hadn’t been able to fully break through. I didn’t fit into the traditional recovery spaces—alcohol wasn’t ruining my life, but it also wasn’t serving me. I wanted to take control of my relationship with it rather than letting it control me.

As I prepared to begin BTTY training in March 2024, I found myself confronted with a deeper truth—my marriage was no longer in alignment with the life I was working to build. It took time to fully see just how much I had become entangled in patterns of co-dependence, and the toll it had taken on my well-being. My nervous system was in a constant state of unease, signaling that something needed to change.

In early March 2024, I told my husband I wanted a divorce. It was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. But as we sat on a mountain near our home in Joshua Tree, I felt the calmest I ever had in longer than I can remember. My body knew before my mind could make sense of it. That moment of deep, embodied knowing became my truth: Even when my mind might not understand why, trusting how my body feels became my guiding light.

Fast forward to now, March 2025. I am a Certified Psychedelic Transformational & Integration Coach! I have shifted my relationship with alcohol where I see how it no longer serves me and where it hindered my growth. I have moved through my divorce with bravery, courage, and self-compassion, which wasn’t always easy. I have journeyed deep within myself to understand who I am and why I do what I do so I can show up in this world fully, as my true and authentic self.

After graduating from BTTY in September 2024, I joined the Ketamine Pod at BTTY and began building my coaching practice. I was still working for someone else to gain experience, but I hadn’t quit put my finger on how much coaching practice was going to emerge into this world.

Then the results of the 2024 election hit. A collective FUUUUUUCK pulsed through me. I knew. I resisted, but I knew. While I’ve always been aware of the racism, sexism, and prejudice embedded in our country, I struggled to see how my new path in psychedelics could align with my desire for social justice.

Then I felt it in that deep knowing in my core. I still fought it. But resistance is often the doorway to truth.

During a workshop led by Ahren Lynch-Potter, he guided me through my blocks, and finally saw the truth that had always been within me.

Karen’s Daughter has never been just about race, family healing, or even my own journey. At its core, it has always been about transformation—about deepening our awareness, unlearning what no longer serves us, and rediscovering who we truly are. This same process applies not just to individuals but to the collective. And for white America—especially white women—this work is essential.

For too long, we have been conditioned to avoid discomfort and to uphold systems that benefit us, even when they harm others. But true healing, true transformation, requires us to face the deeper truths of who we are, how we got here, and what we are willing to do to create real change. If we want a future that is whole and just for all, we must be willing to look inward first—because the world will not transform until we do.

Because transformation isn’t just about the self. It ripples outward. When we do the work of deep self-exploration, unlearning, and integration, we don’t just change our own lives—we change the spaces we inhabit, the relationships we hold, and the systems we interact with.

The rebirth of Karen’s Daughter is not about erasing the past—it’s about integrating it. My work bridges the worlds of transformation, integration, and social change. This is my metamorphosis. And this is only the beginning.

If my journey resonates with you and you're navigating your own transformation, I’d love to connect. Whether you’re exploring integration, shifting long-held patterns, or seeking deeper alignment, let’s talk. You don’t have to do it alone. Your metamorphosis is waiting. Are you ready to take the first step?