Michelle was born in Coeur d’ Alene, Idaho and raised all over north Idaho. She and her husband of nearly 25 years raised both of their adult children in rural North Idaho as well. Some complications early in her adult life led to involvement with the law and court-ordered mental health and substance abuse treatment. Michelle learned how to live life under a microscope, and it did nothing to help the ongoing emotional and behavioral instability she experienced. To make her situation more difficult, the most prominent psychiatrist in town said the best life she could hope for was to stay medicated enough to not end up permanently institutionalized. 

 

However, God was writing a different story. Jesus intruded upon Michelle’s chaos with the truth about who He really is. She wrestled with the belief that God only loved her because He had to. Her glorious discovery was that God the Creator actually liked who He made Michelle to be. She stopped focusing on behavior modification and grabbed on to what God said is true. Her relationship with Him changed into a life coach/mentorship/discipleship kind of relationship. With the help of a friend who was led by Holy Spirit and had a regular relationship with Michelle, she developed a hunger for truth and a complete inability to be quiet about who this God is.

 

She learned that healing from Complex PTSD does not deny that the trauma and abuse caused tremendous harm, it just no longer gets to hold a position of authority. The physical, psychological, and sexual abuse perpetrated in childhood and adolescence created a huge pile of coping mechanisms that were no longer helpful in adulthood. With the help of Jesus and a fantastic life coach, Michelle learned not only a new way of living but a new way of relating to God and others.

 

Michelle spent a decade working with others in addiction recovery. In 2016, Michelle became a trained volunteer through Healing Rooms International, attended training for Sozo Inner Healing through the Bethel Transformation Center. Michelle helped bring Art Sozo Training to Coeur d’ Alene, Idaho after witnessing a dramatic healing in her eldest child through the Art Sozo Process. Utilizing art and creativity as a means of allowing God to bypass our defenses, became a major part of Michelle’s life. In 2018, she began attending Christian Leaders Institute with a focus on restorative justice. She received additional education and training through the Center for Aromatherapy Research and Education and became a Massage Therapist in a drug and alcohol rehabilitation center with full freedom to utilize all of the tools in her tool bag. Becoming a Licensed Ministry Chaplain as well as a Certified Life Coach Minister has allowed an expanded access to spaces to simply be present with people. 

 

So long as God keeps the batteries powered, Michelle has no hesitation in grabbing the flashlight to go back in and shine the light on the path so others can find their way out. When Michelle isn’t off to find people to love on, she’s at home loving on her farm animals, roasting coffee, or fixing stuff. She enjoys restoring old buildings, trucks, gadgets, furniture, or fixing any random broken thing. People often joke about her always working, but she is certain that if she likes what she’s doing it absolutely isn’t work.