Most folks call me ‘Trusty’.
Pronouns they/them; neurodivergent
I’ve spent close to four decades trying to figure out how to be myself. I am a childhood trauma survivor, a recovering disordered eater and alcoholic, and my disabilities range from chronic migraine attacks to a fluctuating cycle of anxiety, ADHD, and depression. During my lifetime as a neurodivergent person, a queer creative, and a deeply feeling human, I’ve experienced toxic stress, overwhelming joy, blatant disrespect, artistic bliss, and lifesaving connection. I’ve built really good things and I’ve made really unhealthy choices. Over the last 25 years, I’ve had an unbelievable multi-faceted career in the performing arts, impacting lives and thriving as a visionary. I’ve also hit rock bottom so many times that I’ve started leaving a toothbrush there for unexpected visits. Still, I remain one of the most hopeful people my friends have ever met. My neurodivergency and my hope are my superpowers.
As a neurodivergent individual, I process information differently.
I am deeply empathetic and incredibly sensitive to the world's suffering, often articulating thoughts and feelings that others struggle to voice. I’m a colorful combo of Leslie Knope, the Baker’s Wife, Lyra Silvertongue, and Che Diaz. Medication and therapy have saved my life. My service dog’s name is Luna. The octopus is my patronus. I’m a huge sci-fi nerd and often use the Marvel Cinematic Universe to escape from my own brain. Volcanoes fascinate me and I’ve climbed many of them. I hike and backpack and poop in the woods. The Golden Compass trilogy was my world when I was a child and I remain obsessed with the alethiometer. I think my laugh often heals people. Cake is crucial.
I’m originally from the east coast, but after a traumatic childhood and a decade in NYC, I relocated to the Big Island of Hawai’i in 2013.
In November of that year, I had my fifteen minutes of fame with a viral burlesque video to Katy Perry’s “Roar”. I peeled off patriarchal labels and phrases like “suck it in” and “too big” and tap danced in my underwear. At the time, it worked out well for me. I was recognized, offered interviews, book deals, even brought on to consult for a dance attire line for larger sized bodies. The terms “thin privilege” and “white privilege” were foreign to me and I became a white, cisgendered, able-bodied, size 14 body at the forefront of the “body love” movement. Eight years later, I recognize how I was both a help and a hindrance to people all over the world who were looking for guidance on taking up space and shedding societal standards that caused them deep discomfort and health challenges. My video and my writing inspired folks to start dancing again even though they’d been told their body didn’t belong in dance spaces and my point of view came from that of a person with access to healthcare, therapy, any food I wanted to buy/try, and financial backing. I felt liberated then, and I can look back and recognize my ignorance - not just about my privileged viewpoint but my extreme anxiety and mental health challenges that went undiagnosed and unsupported until I “broke” again in 2019. Still reading? I’m happy to share more.
“Since I got sober, I have never been fine again, not for a single moment…
I have been alive.”
— Glennon Doyle
In 2016 I co-founded a performing arts nonprofit in Kealakekua, HI.
2016-2019: I played a pivotal role in building Kona Dance and Performing Arts from the ground up. I served as Artistic Director for three years. I choreographed thirty pieces each season, directed the annual dance concert, managed and trained a teaching team of ten, led pre-professional programming for youth and teens, created our brand, managed social media, and drank myself into bourbon-induced sleep every. single. night.
2019-2020: I resigned from my role as Artistic Director to pursue more freelance directing, choreography, and educational opportunities across the state of Hawai’i. I served as the Aloha Teen Theatre Advisor at the Aloha Theatre, directed and choreographed productions for the island, and started performing again, which is something I had left behind when I moved from NYC to the Big Island in 2013. And, I got sober.
2019-2020 cont: I started teaching private voice lessons in the fall of 2019 and discovered that I’m an extremely gifted vocal coach. I grew up taking lessons, always from male teachers, but found myself learning how to sing all over again through my own teaching. Since 2013, all of my teaching has been rooted in holistic, customized experiences for each student’s needs, and vocal training became the easiest way for me to help empower people.
Are you still here? Let’s wrap this up.
2020: One year sober. Trusty Tap & Vocal is birthed. A vision, a mission, a list of values is thoughtfully crafted to ensure everyone is aware of the fun, inclusive space we get to co-create with my guest teachers and me leading the charge.
Pandemic hits: Okay, let’s do this on Zoom…
August 2020: Okay, let’s do one on one lessons in person and hold our music theory classes, performance forums, and guest artist discussions on Zoom. We can do this. We must continue.
December 2020: Let’s host a livestream event to benefit the scholarship fund and call it Brunch & Broadway. We’ll tap dance, entertain with musical theatre medleys and mashups, and deliver brunch & coffee for people to enjoy during the show. COVID-safe dinner theatre.
January 2021: Let’s bring in more Broadway guest artists who aren’t working and get our in-person classes going. Let’s get more adults taking lessons who don’t wish to perform but merely want to feel more confident singing in church or at karaoke.
August 2021: Two years sober. Let’s serve more communities. Let’s move back to the mainland after eight years of Hawai’i living and go where resources are needed. Guest teaching, directing fellowships, writer’s residencies, let’s even get back on stage in NJ & PA - the home states.
And now: Trusty Tap & Vocal becomes a hub of support, accessible through virtual opportunities right here on this site. Book a one on one, reach out to discuss a visit to your organization, take a step to find your voice. I’m so happy you’re here!