She did her dissertation on methods used by Buddhist teachers to work with extreme mental states. In 2000, she did a professional training course in Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction with Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn and Saki Santorelli, going on to co-teach MBSR classes in Boulder for several years. She began her Buddhist practice in 1989 and today studies with teachers John Travis and Shinzen Young. She lives in Broomfield, Colorado and serves on the board of Sierra Retreats, helping to organize residential retreats in the Front Range area.