Hi, I’m Elizabeth, and I’m a mermaid.

At least I like to think so!! I spend as much time in the ocean surfing and swimming as I can. I sometimes think I’m more comfortable in the water than I am on land.

I was born in Philadelphia but since 2010 have lived in a small village on the southwestern Portuguese coast. I make my living as a freelance journalist and writer and try to enjoy every day to the fullest.

I’ve always been a person of imagination. Since I was very young, writing has been both an outlet for my curious mind and a means of working through my emotional process. Storytelling is my jam; I have always known how powerful a tool story can be as a means of self-expression and catalyst for change.

In the mid-90s when I was pursuing a master’s degree in creative writing in Arizona (and moonlighting as a bassist/singer in an indie-rock band), I began to explore the therapeutic nature of writing. I paid weekly visits to a homeless shelter in Phoenix and gave the people there a way to express themselves and tell me their stories.

This work continued during my time in San Francisco. While working professionally as both a technology and music journalist, I initiated a therapeutic writing program at an AIDs residential treatment center.

After I moved to New York City for my professional career in 2006, I enrolled in a Poetry Therapy certification program. As part of my field work, I corresponded through the mail with an inmate in a Midwestern prison, exchanging poetry and bearing witness to his experience. I also brought therapeutic writing to a center for at-risk youth in Manhattan, giving LGBT youth an outlet for self-expression.

Through these years, the stories these people told me reinforced our universal connectivity as humans, and the common ground we all have. They also kept me humble in the recognition of how much of life is dictated by sheer circumstance.

In 2010, inspired by my newfound love of surfing—as well as a lifelong desire to live both in Europe and closer to nature--I left New York City for Portugal. I also left the full-time corporate world behind for good, building a freelance writing business that still allows me to live a life full of spontaneity, joy and simple pleasures.

But I wasn’t always as happy as I am now. For many years I suffered from crippling anxiety and depression. There were times when it seemed difficult to continue with life. For a number of years, I experienced some very dark times and personal losses.

Throughout these times, writing was always a source of comfort and a way for me to express my complex and sometimes terrifying emotions. I learned to take accountability for my feelings and my outlook on life, and to have compassion and love for myself.

Over time I also transformed my life to make healthier choices for both my mind and body. In these practices, I found more emotional balance, gratitude and happiness. I became more open to life and love, and to the wonder of small things.

Mermaid Mentoring is my way to share all that I’ve learned from my journey and the power of therapeutic writing and storytelling with you.

In mythology mermaids are creatures of the sea, yet over time they have evolved in popular culture to transform themselves into humans to walk among us on land. They hover between two worlds, yet remain true to their authentic mermaid selves even while treading a delicate balance.

I’ve developed a program that integrates therapeutic writing and other practices to help you transform your life while remaining true to your authentic self. I want you to find the same gratitude and joy in simple, every-day moments that I do.

I will help you use writing and your personal stories to make changes in your life so that you move forward with a positive mindset, more compassion for yourself and others, and a greater appreciation for every day.

I look forward to taking this journey with you.