The Map That Guides Me
The story behind the Wayfinding Therapy logo—and why it means so much more than a design
When I was designing the logo for Wayfinding Therapy, I didn’t want to just choose a shape that looked clean or modern. I wanted something that felt rooted in meaning—something that told a story, even if no one ever asked about it.
What you see in the logo—those curved lines and small dots—was inspired by something ancient and extraordinary: stick charts created by the Polynesian and Marshallese navigators who crossed the Pacific Ocean long before GPS, compasses, or maps as we know them today.
What Is a Stick Chart?
Stick charts were tools used by master wayfinders to study and memorize the ocean. These charts were crafted from palm fronds and natural materials, and each part of the design held significance.
Curved sticks represented ocean swells and how they moved across vast distances.
Straight lines showed the prevailing wave patterns or directional currents.
Shells or small nodes marked islands or points of significance—either literal destinations or symbolic markers.
The intersections reflected the complexity of sea navigation: how wave patterns changed near land, how swells crossed each other, how unseen islands could be felt rather than seen.
But here’s what makes these charts so brilliant and interesting to me: they weren’t carried on the canoe. They were learned, memorized, internalized. Navigators studied them deeply before setting sail, and then let go of the physical map. Once at sea, they trusted what they had learned and in their own wisdom to remember; their lives depended on it. History shows they read the water with their bodies. They felt the patterns in their bones.
They knew the journey wouldn’t be straight—but they trusted they could still find their way.
Why This Symbol Resonates With Me
When I first came across the concept of stick charts, something clicked. I saw more than just an old way of navigating the sea—I saw a metaphor for therapy, for healing, and honestly, for my own life.
I know what it’s like to travel waters that don’t come with a map. I’ve had to navigate life transitions that weren’t part of my own original plan—career changes, relationship changes, and major shifts in identity. In my twenties, I was diagnosed with cancer. Later, I developed reactive arthritis, a painful autoimmune condition that affected my ability to walk, work, and live in the ways I once did.
Those moments didn’t just challenge me physically—they called me inward. They asked me to dig deep, to listen more closely, and to find a different kind of strength. One that didn’t come from pushing through, but from noticing what I was carrying, what I could let go of, and where I could lean on others for support. I came to realize that healing wasn’t linear. It didn’t happen on a schedule. It was and still is a relationship between my body, my intuition, and my community.
Later in life, I discovered I was neurodivergent—a truth that explained so much about why I’d often felt out of place in systems that didn’t make room for difference. That discovery didn’t serve fix anything, but it gave me language to better understand myself and the world around me. It helped me see that what felt like “too much” or sometimes “not enough” and oftentimes “different” was simply my way of being in the world.
The Therapy Connection
That’s why I chose this symbol for Wayfinding Therapy, because just like those navigators, each of us is learning how to feel our way forward—often without a clear path or destination. Therapy doesn’t promise answers or shortcuts. What it offers is a space to slow down, pay attention, and learn how to trust yourself again. Together, we study the currents. We notice what’s shifting. We build a kind of map—not one that tells you where to go, but one that helps you understand where you are, and what’s possible from here. This process is a tool you can carry with you and utilize throughout your life. This tool is actually one we all have, it's just that very often we forget about it and counseling can be a helpful way to retrain ourselves in how to use they gifts we were born with.
I’m not here to chart your course for you. I’m someone who will sit beside you, listen deeply, and help you notice the signs; both internal and external, that might guide your next steps. Whether you’re navigating grief, identity, neurodivergence, health challenges, parenting questions, or simply a sense that something in life isn’t quite working anymore—whether you're seeking support for yourself, your child, or your family—this space is for you. You don’t need to have it all figured out. You just need to begin.
A Final Invitation
If this story resonates with you, I invite you to reach out or even just reflect on the symbols in your own life that have helped you navigate so far. What currents have shaped you? What waves are you riding now? What inner compass have you been taught to ignore?
You already carry wisdom. Let’s find your way—together.
