Growing up in rural Idaho, I understood early what it meant to have limited access to things like specialists, resources, and the kind of expert guidance that people in larger cities might take for granted. That shaped how I think about healthcare, and it eventually shaped why I built Empower Genetics the way I did.

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I've always been drawn to understanding how complex systems work, which led me to study Biological Systems Engineering at the University of Idaho. It's a discipline that bridges engineering, biology, chemistry, and physics, and is built around solving real problems in human health. My undergraduate research explored how biological systems could be altered to reduce organ transplant rejection. That project taught me to look beneath the surface, trace how pieces connect, and follow the data to find answers that aren't immediately obvious.

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That same instinct (asking why, following the evidence, and looking at the system as a whole) is exactly how I approach genetic counseling today. It turns out engineering and genetics have more in common than most people expect.

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When I was thinking about what came next, I was looking for a career that let me combine the science I loved with a more direct, human impact.

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I wanted to sit across from someone and actually change how they understood their own health.

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Genetic counseling was that answer for me. I completed my master's in genetic counseling at Boise State University and earned board certification through the American Board of Genetic Counseling, with clinical training in hereditary cancer, prenatal genetics, and general genetics.

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What I witnessed while working in a clinical genetics setting stayed with me in ways I didn't expect.

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In Idaho, patients were waiting anywhere from 3 months to 2 years to see a genetics specialist. The state has very few genetic counselors and geneticists, and most work within hospital systems with strict referral criteria. Patients couldn't simply decide that they wanted answers for their genetic questions. They needed the right referral, had to meet the right criteria, and then waited (sometimes for years) while their questions went unanswered and their anxiety grew.

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I also kept seeing the same kind of patient: someone who had been living with unexplained symptoms for years, cycling through appointments and specialists without finding an answer. People who needed someone to listen and take the time to look deeper.

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I started Empower Genetics for all of these people. The ones waiting months for an appointment they shouldn't have to wait for, and the ones who just needed someone in their corner ready to listen.