Meet Traci:
Online Therapist and Coach for Couples, Leaders, and Families

My Journey

I didn’t become a therapist to rescue people. I became one because I am endlessly fascinated by the messy, tragic, hilarious, and weird ways humans try to love each other.

My mother was a teenager when she had me. She partnered up six times. Just like any painful part of a human’s story arc there is a strange apprenticeship in that hard stuff. I learned early to read a room, listen beneath the noise, and find meaning when everything felt tangled. Some good therapy helped me make sense of how amazing my psyche was at protecting me.

At 12, I was cleaning offices. That early hustle carried me through college as the first in my family to graduate. I studied political science at UC Santa Barbara, then catapulted into Silicon Valley startups. Fast-talking, high-pressure, and exhilarating. After a breakup and depression in my twenties, I started therapy and realized I didn’t want to win at life, I wanted to meaning and aliveness.

This path made me the therapist I am today. I know what it is to push hard, to carry responsibility, and to keep going when life is messy. That is why I work so well with driven and gritty people. Many of my clients are leaders, couples with big jobs and little kids, and smart people who are provocateurs themselves. I meet them in that intensity, but I also invite them into a relationship where they don’t have to carry it all alone. Together, we focus on the changes they want to make, drawing on deep limbic system trauma work, Internal Family Systems, an awareness of how society shapes us, and the repeating patterns the brilliant psyche creates to protect against unbearable feelings. Some patterns we lay down, some we relate to differently which creates a lot of change, and some we accept will be with us forever with some humor and a plan.

Why I Became a Therapist

There was no mountaintop epiphany. Just a surfboard, a passport, and the grief of losing someone I loved. I traveled for a year, came back to my tech job, and realized I wanted a life filled with soul, learning, and connection. The first time I sat across from a real client, something ancient and electric clicked into place.

Two decades later, that awe has not left. I don’t see myself as the expert with a magic formula. I am a co-traveler with a lantern, some maps, and deep respect for the terrain of your life. Sometimes therapy feels like mischief. We get curious about the parts of you that protect, sabotage, and repeat. We welcome them into conversation instead of treating them like villains.

I don’t believe in rescuing people. I believe in walking beside them as they rediscover humor, resilience, and aliveness. Therapy with me isn’t about perfection or fixing. It is about honest relationship, brave inquiry, and building a life you can actually feel inside of.

Outside of therapy I like to provoke growth. I started listening to people on sidewalks in 2015 and since then I do a lot of weird provoking experiments. Together Time is my next little experiment and I am currently working on something called The Mischief Lab - a place to “not grow” but explore and play. And I write a lot here on my blog.

My Work Today

I specialize in couples therapy, individual therapy for people with big jobs, and family therapy. Many of my clients are busy professionals balancing demanding careers and little kids, while quietly struggling with stress, anxiety, depression, or conflict at home. I work with executives, founders, and other high-achievers who want therapy that is direct, practical, and focused on real change.

I also work with couples who are tired of the same old arguments and want to feel more connected—whether that means rebuilding intimacy, handling parenting stress, or deciding whether to stay together. Having lived in the world of tech and run a global nonprofit for more than a decade, I understand ambition, pressure, and how quickly stress can spill into love and family life.

In our sessions, I care, I challenge, and I provoke, but always with warmth. My clients know I love them. I teach, give homework, and keep therapy focused on change. If you want therapy that is practical, a little irreverent, and deeply human, this is the place for you.

Personal Life

I have been married to my sweet German partner for more than 20 years, and we have two gloriously sarcastic teenage boys who keep me humble and occasionally throw my therapy jargon back at me. Since 2019, we have lived in Heidelberg, Germany, eating too much Schnitzel, stumbling through doctor visits in broken German, and wrestling with belonging in a whole new way.

I still return regularly to the Bay Area, where my roots run deep. My work, whether with couples, leaders, or families, is grounded in curiosity, humor, and the belief that most people are not broken. We are just lonely, defended, or misunderstood. Therapy is where we practice something different.

FAQ About Online Therapy in California and Expat Coaching Worldwide

Do you offer online therapy?
Yes. I offer secure online therapy for couples, leaders, and families in California. You can book a free 20-minute first call and make and change appointments easily with my online calendar here.

Do you work with clients outside California?
Yes. For clients outside California, I offer individual coaching and couples coaching. Coaching is not therapy, but it can be just as powerful for growth, especially for expats, leaders, and couples.

What is expat coaching?
Expat coaching supports people navigating life and relationships abroad. It helps with culture shock, loneliness, belonging, cross-cultural partnership stress, and finding stability when everything feels different.

Can coaching help if my relationship is struggling abroad?
Absolutely. Expat stress often intensifies relationship patterns. Coaching gives couples a space to untangle conflict, reconnect, and adapt together.

How long are sessions?
Sessions are 50 minutes. For couples or intensive work, I also offer extended formats by request.

How often do we meet?
Most clients start weekly or biweekly. We’ll decide together what rhythm supports change without overwhelming your life.

Do you give homework?
Yes. I believe change happens between sessions. I will either invite you to commit to an experiment, share an article or podcast to play with, or sometimes give a worksheet.

What if my partner does not want to join?
Start anyway. One person shifting can change the whole system. Sometimes the bravest work begins with one partner.

Can coaching or therapy help with leadership stress?
Yes. Work stress doesn’t stay at work. I help leaders and founders untangle pressure so it does not erode love, family, or health.

What if I’ve tried therapy before and it didn’t work?
Not all therapy or coaching is the same. My style is collaborative, practical, and sometimes provocative. I care deeply about my clients, and I focus on real change rather than circling the same problems. You can read more about my training and approach to therapy and couples counseling here to get a clearer sense of my style. I also am in therapy consult with other wise clinicians so you get more brain power than just my own.

How much does therapy cost?
My fees are $250 for individuals and $300 for couples for a 50-minute session. I also offer equity-based pricing and European pricing. When you complete your appointment paperwork you can indicate interest in those options. I am keeping three pro-bono spots open for federal workers laid off by this current administration.