From Curiosity to Curriculum: My Path to Unlimited Sciences

For as long as I can remember, I have been drawn to the inner workings of the mind. While other kids imagined becoming firefighters or astronauts, I announced that I wanted to be a psychologist. I didn’t really know what that meant at the time, but I knew I cared deeply about people, their stories, and the invisible forces that shape how we think and feel.

My academic path began the moment my grandmother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s at 62. It was the first time I witnessed the fragility of the brain and its profound impact on a family. That experience pulled me into neuroscience and set the foundation for everything that came after.

In college, two things shifted the direction of my life. The first was my own early experimentation with psychedelics. The second was the loss of a close friend who died by suicide. Both experiences opened my eyes to the complexity of the mind and the very real limitations of our mental health system. I wanted to understand healing in a broader way than what the traditional medical model made space for. That search brought me first to psychedelics, but at the time the literature was so limited and the opportunities for graduate study (my ultimate plan) were nearly non-existent. In that time I also found the rich world of contemplative practice research, where I saw how breath, stillness, and internal awareness could create change that felt both subtle and profound.

Education became the place where my curiosity met purpose.

While I was very focused on where I wanted to go in my career path, I’ve learned that nothing in life’s journey is linear. Instead of studying meditation or psychedelics, I found myself in an ADHD research lab examining mind wandering, the opposite of meditation in many ways. That unexpected pivot sparked a deep interest in thought itself: how it moves, how it unravels, and how it connects to our wellbeing. I went on to build a research program focused on the dynamics of thought and how our inner landscape shapes mental health in everyday life.

Alongside my research, I discovered something equally transformative. I loved teaching. I loved designing learning experiences that made complex ideas feel human and relatable. I loved watching students light up when something finally clicked. Education became the place where my curiosity met purpose. I often say “I like research. I love education.”

Eventually I left academia and, for a while, felt unanchored. The career path I thought I was supposed to follow no longer fit, and I did not yet know what would. Around that same time, psychedelics were reemerging in the public conversation, not as fringe curiosities but as legitimate avenues for healing. It felt like the field I had once dreamed of joining had finally opened its doors.

When I found Unlimited Sciences, something in me recognized home.

Here was an organization committed to grounding this work in science while honoring the lived realities of the people who turn to these experiences for healing. It was the perfect intersection of my background in neuroscience, my long-standing interest in psychedelic science, and my passion for education.

As the Director of Curriculum, my focus is on creating education that is rigorous, welcoming, and grounded in real-world application. I want learners to feel informed, capable, and supported as they explore the psychedelic space. I care about meeting people where they are, respecting community wisdom, and translating science into accessible, practical resources that help people make responsible, empowered decisions.

I am grateful to contribute to an organization that values both scientific integrity and human connection. The work ahead is rich, important, and collective. I am excited to build it with all of you.

If you have ideas, questions, or hopes for what our education programs can become, I would love to hear from you. Education grows best in community.