Hi, I’m Allison but a lot of friends call me Al. My heart is shaped like a Cuban pastelito, I’m freakishly good at remembering minute details, and I’ve got a strict no-shoe policy at home.

I spent most of my twenties trying on different identities—the creative, the nonconformist, the adventurer, the writer. At the heart of it all was the desire to find the most authentic version of myself. It’s a lifelong journey that continues to take me through the wildest detours and I feel like I’ve lived and died multiple times within this one lifetime alone.

Something I’ve learned, plenty of times in the good old-fashioned hard way, is that pain can be the most powerful catalyst for growth. When I reflect back on the majority of my life experiences that were dark and debilitating, nearly all of them awakened more wisdom and understanding. I’ve come to realize that those transitionary moments, those growing pains, are sacred. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not over here waiting in anticipatory excitement for my life to go to shit but instead of burying my head at the first sign of change, I give myself permission to lean into it because I now know that the grief within the pain is just a portal. Because grief is transformative. Grief is human. Grief is good.

My ultimate dream is to create a softer world. One that embodies self-awareness, patience, and compassion. And I believe my purpose is in helping us get there. My hope is to share the tools I’ve learned to support you in developing a better relationship with your heart, helping you navigate through waves of grief, and empowering you as a parent. Whether you resonate with my writing or want to work one-on-one, I’m looking forward to connecting so we can co-create a softer world together.

From my heart to yours, Al