Born and raised in the SF Bay Area, the traditional territory of the Ohlone people, she is passionate about serving her community. She is a certified drug and alcohol counselor and LCSW. She earned her MSW from CSU, East Bay (2017). She has a BA in Religion from Dominican University, with minors in Women and Gender Studies and Philosophy. She has a Masters in Religion and Psychology from the GTU with a Certificate in Islamic Studies (2009) and is a visiting scholar at the GTU. She has published in a variety of formats on liberation psychology, conversion, addiction treatment, and mindfulness, as well as a variety of other topics.  Her most recent book is Islamic Liberation Psychology: The Transformational Force of Self-Development, Community Empowerment, and Revolutionary Change.