I am the loving father of two very special children—a son, David, and a daughter, Katie, who are now both adults dedicated to teaching and caring for others. I am deeply proud of how they have faced and grown by working through their own challenges in life. During their early years, I read and created stories for them that helped them navigate important developmental stages, learn to trust themselves, and relate well with others. Watching them find their own paths taught me that resilience grows as we learn to trust ourselves and others, and that our struggles often reveal strengths we didn’t know we had.
I grew up in an athletic family with both parents being career public school teachers and my dad coaching high school baseball and football. I excelled athletically and academically; and then attended Yale University, where I graduated with high honors in psychology and as a member of Phi Beta Kappa. After that, I attended Stanford’s School of Medicine, also graduating with honors with a specialty in Child, Adolescent, and Adult Psychiatry.
During my residency training, I discovered I especially enjoyed helping children and their parents grow and heal. Sharing stories with my own children bridged my roles as a father and a psychiatrist as I began an out-patient practice in Northern California’s Silicon Valley, where I helped families build trust and confidence as they navigated difficult times. I encouraged them to read together and share their stories, and witnessed how these times strengthened family bonds and helped children gain understanding. Later I became the medical director for a county mental health center and then developed and expanded the Los Gatos Therapy Center, where I now help direct a dynamic staff dedicated to helping patients grow and heal.
I decided I wanted to write children’s stories to help children learn ways to solve problems, to develop confidence, and to reach out and help others. In Myrtle the Turtle, Katie learns to trust her parents to help her handle challenges, and then develops her own ability to solve problems where everybody wins. In Katie and the Duckling, (a companion book soon be published), Katie struggles with her worth, like the ducklings she gets to know. She discovers that by helping them with kindness, she finds her own strengths and develops new abilities. These stories reflect what I have witnessed throughout my career: that children possess remarkable resilience and creativity when given the support, trust, and encouragement they need to discover their own strengths.
Big Feelings
New Friends
Brave Moments
Learning Together
Heartfelt Adventures
Explore a few of the charming illustrations and moments from Myrtle the Turtle. Each page brings Katie and Myrtle’s journey to life with bright colors, heartwarming scenes, and expressive artwork children love.
Katie’s journey doesn’t end with Myrtle. A new companion story, Katie and the Ducklings, is on the way as another heartwarming tale that helps children discover confidence, kindness, and their own special strengths.
