Natalie is a trained Guided Autobiography Instructor, trained by USC professors at the Birren Center for Guided Autobiography and Life Review. She is also a member of the Association of Personal Historians and is trained in many disciplines.

Natalie was born in Whittier, Southern California. She received a bachelor’s degree in sociology with a minor in social work from the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, CA. She moved to New York City in 2012 to pursue graduate studies in Social Work at Columbia University School of Social Work; Natalie will graduate with an MSW in Spring 2014.

Natalie currently works with the homeless in NYC. Natalie also leads a free Guided Autobiography group on Meetup.Com: The Manhattan Guided Autobiography Group. 

When she’s not studying or working with client personal history projects through her business, Your Story, Your Way LLC, Natalie works on creative writing projects, practices classical piano and viola, attends lectures and conferences on psychology and narrative studies, and reads books on psychology and narrative studies. She is deeply engaged in social justice efforts, including those related to older adults, children, the homeless, and the arts.

Natalie began to develop an interest in personal life stories in her childhood. Engaging in meaningful relationships with her teachers and her elders has always been important to her. Fascinated by human nature and psychology, Natalie has pursued hundreds of hours of extracurricular non-degree-related training, attending continuing-education-level seminars at the Carl Jung Institute of Los Angeles, the Asheville Jung Institute (online), and Pacifica Graduate Institute, among other institutions. Her creative approach to social justice efforts have won her acclaim from organizations such as KABC7 News, Habitat for Humanity of Greater Los Angeles, and other institutions.

Natalie offers a well-rounded educational background and a breadth of experience that shows that she observes essential social work values including service, social justice, human dignity, importance of human relationships, integrity, and competence. When she manages projects, she is known for competence, creativity, thoughtfulness, receptiveness to constructive criticism, and attention to detail. She strives to ‘lift others up’ for the common good, both in the workplace and in personal life. Love for humanity and compassion are her guiding principles.

To verify her credential, please search on the APH website (Located here) for the business name, ‘Your Story, Your Way’.