The Currency of Fulfillment: Realizing Time Is My Most Valuable Currency
How a Marriage and Family Therapist Built a Life Where Time—Not Titles—Defines Success
A few years ago, I had one of those moments many working mothers know well.
My laptop was open. My phone was buzzing. One child was having a meltdown of epic proportions. One was lying on the floor asking for “big kid games” on his tablet (though asking is being generous). One was asking me to help her with kickovers, and one was loudly singing into a microphone that I should have taken the batteries out of.
And somewhere in the middle of the chaos, I had a realization:
This was exactly the life I had worked so hard to build.
Not the meltdown part.
But the ability to be present for the messy, loud, beautiful moments that make up real life.
That realization shaped the way I approach everything now—my career, my family, my clients, and the way I think about success.
Because if there is one thing I’ve learned as a therapist, it’s this:
Time is the most valuable currency we have.
Creating a Space Where People Can Finally Be Honest
I’m a Marriage and Family Therapist, and my work centers on something simple but surprisingly rare: creating a place where people can be completely honest.
I work with individuals, couples, parents, and families navigating all the complicated things that come with being human—relationships, career stress, parenting, marriage, divorce, identity, and the million invisible pressures we carry every day.
When people come to therapy, they often say some version of the same thing:
“I’ve never actually admitted this out loud before.”
That moment is powerful. Because once something is spoken honestly, it becomes something we can work with.
My goal as a therapist isn’t to judge, fix, or tell people how their lives should look. My goal is to listen deeply enough to understand their perspective and help them build a life that feels authentic to them.
And that starts with trust.
Therapy Should Be a Relationship, Not a Transaction
I run a small telehealth practice called Awake Therapy, and I approach therapy a little differently than the traditional model.
Before someone becomes a client, we meet first simply to see if we connect.
Therapy is personal. If you’re going to talk about your fears, your relationships, your mistakes, and your hopes, you deserve to feel comfortable with the person sitting across from you—even if “across” happens to be through a laptop screen.
From there, we decide together:
How often we meet
What progress actually looks like
And what level of commitment someone realistically has for change
Because therapy isn’t about perfection. It’s about acceptance, honesty, and progress.
Confession: I’m the Therapist Who Loves Documentation
Now here’s something that tends to shock other therapists:
I genuinely love documentation.
In addition to my therapy practice, I consult for substance use treatment facilities where I help with program development, therapist support, regulatory compliance, and curriculum design.
Documentation is one of the biggest pain points for clinicians. It’s time-consuming, stressful, and often the reason therapists stay up late finishing notes after long emotional days with clients.
So I started teaching therapists something that changed my own work dramatically: how to use AI tools responsibly to make documentation easier.
When therapists spend less time staring at a screen, they can spend more time doing the thing that actually matters—being present with people.
And when clinicians are less burned out, everyone benefits.
Why I Work Remotely (and Why I’m Not Apologizing for It)
I also work fully remotely.
Not because it’s trendy.
Not because it’s convenient.
Because I have four children under the age of eight.
My house is busy. It’s loud. It’s filled with Lego pieces, snack requests, spontaneous stimming noises, and frequent “he/she is looking at me” sibling squabbles.
But it’s also filled with life.
And I’ve made a conscious decision that being present for that life matters more to me than chasing titles or prestige.
That doesn’t mean I’m not ambitious. It means my ambition includes my family.
Exhaustion Isn’t the Goal
Let’s be honest: being a woman, mother, wife, and professional can feel like you’ve entered a marathon that requires you to run while reading a book, painting a picture, and filling up other people’s water cups.
There are days when everything overlaps at once—work deadlines, parenting responsibilities, emotional labor, and the constant background noise of trying to keep everything running.
But I’ve made a rule for myself:
I will have exhausting moments.
But exhaustion will not be my lifestyle.
Somehow we’ve normalized the idea that success requires constant burnout. I don’t believe that anymore.
And neither should anyone else.
Acknowledging Privilege—and Using It for Good
I also want to acknowledge something important.
Part of my ability to structure my life this way comes from having a deeply supportive husband whose career allows us flexibility in how we spend our time.
That support is a privilege, and I’m very aware of it.
But instead of ignoring that reality, I want to use it to help others rethink what’s possible in their own lives.
Because too many people feel trapped in professional structures that undervalue their time, their perspective, and their humanity.
Helping People Reclaim Their Time
As a therapist, people often come to me searching for answers about relationships, careers, and happiness.
But the truth I’ve learned over the years is simpler—and more radical—than most people expect: the real measure of life satisfaction is how much control you have over your time.
Sometimes that means helping a client realize they deserve healthier relationships.
Sometimes it means helping a clinician redesign their workflow so they aren’t drowning in paperwork.
Sometimes it means helping someone recognize that the life they thought they “should” want isn’t actually the life they want at all.
When people start valuing their time differently, everything shifts.
Their priorities.
Their boundaries.
Their sense of freedom.
Their sense of life satisfaction.
The Real Measure of Success
For me, success doesn’t look like the most impressive job title or the longest résumé.
Success looks like:
A career that aligns with my values.
Time with my children while they’re still small.
A marriage built on partnership and support.
Helping people feel heard and empowered.
And maybe occasionally finishing a therapy note before I mindlessly scroll Facebook Reels.
“Life will never be perfectly balanced. But it can be intentionally designed—and that begins when we start protecting the one thing we can never get more of: our time.”
