I was born and raised on the Tuscarora Nation in Western New York. I am a lineal descendant; my father is an enrolled citizen (Beaver Clan), and my mother is white (Irish, Scottish, and French Canadian. I grew up on land where generations of my family have lived, left, and returned.

My great-great-grandmother Clara Miller and great-grandmother Lillian Henry attended the Carlisle Indian Industrial School — the flagship Indian boarding school whose founder coined the phrase, “Kill the Indian, Save the man.” My ancestors came home to live on the same land I would be raised on after their time at Carlisle. This work — all of it — is for them.

My family has strong working-class roots that shaped how I understand labor, humility, community, and care. My father owns and operates Fish’s Automotive on our reservation, and my mother worked as a custodian until her retirement. My paternal grandfather, Lawrence Fish, was a career ironworker with Local #9, and my maternal grandfather, Frank White, drove trucks after serving in World War II. My grandmothers, Clara Fish and Dorothy White, centered their lives around caring for family. From them, I learned steadiness, humor, and the dignity of showing up. I am deeply honored to care for others while upholding those same values.

I first came to Minneapolis to pursue my PhD in Counseling Psychology at the University of Minnesota, where my research and clinical work centered Indigenous well-being, cultural strengths, and collective healing. I trained in community-based settings, completed my internship at Hennepin Healthcare, and went on to a postdoctoral fellowship in Health Services Research at the Minneapolis VA. Before founding Fish Psychotherapy & Consulting, I worked as a tenure-track assistant professor. That time affirmed how important it is for my scholarship to live in service to community, and that knowledge deepens when we make room for story and relationship beyond institutional walls.

Along the way, I met my husband, Graham, a Minneapolis pipefitter with Local #539. We are proud parents of an amazingly silly son. Being a mother is the best season of my life thus far. My days are filled with adventures with my son, rooted in love and curiosity. In quieter moments, I love to bead, sew, and read (if you know me, I have likely referred you a book or two!). Above all, I do this work with my ancestors in mind, remaining accountable to the generations who come after.