Allow myself to introduce myself.
— Austin Powers

The Team

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  • Psychotherapist, Behavioral Health Consultant, Co-Founder, Veteran

    Core Values: Empathy, discretion, confidentiality, efficiency, respect for others’ time, genuineness, honesty, compassion

    My Promise
    To truly LISTEN, offering a confidential, supportive, and professional counseling space. With personalized guidance, I help clients gain clarity, build resilience, and move forward with confidence.

    About Me & Practice Philosophy
    For 20 years, my personal and professional mission has been to help military members, first responders, healthcare professionals, educators, and other high-responsibility adults navigate stress, burnout, and life transitions.

    I create a safe, judgment-free space to process experiences and emotions—because unspoken struggles often add unnecessary guilt, shame, or stress. My goal is to help you restore balance, regain clarity, and move toward meaningful action.

    A Little About Me
    I balance multiple roles: mom, bonus mom, Marine mom, dog mom, wife, daughter, sister, friend, colleague, volunteer, and entrepreneur. Life can be chaotic, and I approach it with intention and flexibility—something many high-responsibility clients can relate to.

    I encourage everyone to invest in personal consultation or therapy the way they invest in professional growth or wellness. [Read more on my blog](ADD LINK) about why investing in yourself is invaluable.

    Who I Serve
    I provide behavioral health and professional consultation services for clients who:

    • Feel stuck, overwhelmed, or unheard

    • Need guidance navigating life or career changes

    • Hesitate to seek support due to pride, fear, or judgment

    • Want to develop skills to manage stress, burnout, or mental health challenges

    • Seek clarity, direction, and alignment with personal values

    • Wish to build or maintain healthy relationships

    Special Expertise: Military service members (and spouses/parents), veterans, first responders, healthcare professionals, educators, and busy professionals. I prioritize discretion, respect, and confidentiality, understanding the unique pressures of these roles.

    Next Step
    If you’re unsure about starting therapy or consultation, give me 15 minutes to see if we’re a good fit. I provide services in Wisconsin, Texas, Florida, Virginia, and North Carolina.

    P.S. My colleague and husband, Jeremy, is pursuing a certification to co-facilitate select services in the future. Check out his tab to learn more.

  • Role & Focus
    I am a co-founder of Return to Baseline, supporting the mission, strategy, and direction of our practice. I do not currently provide therapy or consultation services, though I am working toward a certification to co-facilitate select services with Nikki in the future. For now, I am Nikki’s behind-the-scenes NCO, ensuring our work meets the needs of the clients we serve. Having served in military aviation, I deeply understand the stigma around seeking support, and this drives my commitment to create a space that encourages care and challenges that stigma.

    Together, we can find strength and hope for the future.

    Core Values: Empathy, integrity, service, resilience, discretion, respect, genuine connection

    My Commitment
    I am deeply committed to supporting veterans, service members, first responders, and their families. This commitment comes from both professional training and personal experience, giving me a unique understanding of the challenges, sacrifices, and invisible wounds that come with lives of service. My goal is to walk alongside those who serve—and those who love them—offering guidance rooted in lived experience.

    About Me & Perspective
    I served in the United States Marine Corps and the Army National Guard, including deployments to the Mediterranean and Middle East, with a combat tour in Afghanistan from 2005 to 2006. During that deployment, I lost my best friend in action—an experience that shaped me and gave me firsthand insight into survivor’s guilt, trauma, and operational stress.

    After my military service, I served as a Firefighter and Advanced EMT from 2007 to 2018. Facing critical incidents and high-stress emergencies strengthened my resolve to support others who put themselves in harm’s way. Both my wife and my son have deployed, giving me personal insight into the emotional strain, uncertainty, and resilience required of families who support loved ones in uniform.

    My Passion & Philosophy
    My passion for this work is born from my own struggles. I have faced the darkness of PTSD, depression, suicidal thoughts, and alcohol abuse, and I know how hard it can be to reach out for help. Because of this, I am determined to create a space that feels safe, respectful, and free of judgment—a place where others can feel truly seen, heard, and supported as they begin to heal. These experiences have shaped my mission: to help veterans, service members, first responders, and their families build resilience, find healing, and move forward with renewed purpose and confidence.

    Next Step
    While preparing to co-facilitate select services with Nikki in the future, I continue to serve as Nikki’s behind-the-scenes NCO, supporting our clients and ensuring our work meets the needs of high-responsibility adults seeking guidance, clarity, and support.

  • Role & Focus
    Jenny is a proud contributor to the Return to Baseline blog and a consultant supporting the mission. She does not provide therapy or consultation services, but actively shares insights, leadership lessons, and encouragement for service members, veterans, first responders, and high-responsibility adults through her writing and advocacy.

    Core Values: Empathy, integrity, emotional intelligence, support, humor, community

    Perspective & Commitment
    With years of experience in the business and hospitality industries, Jenny brings leadership training, emotional intelligence, and a commitment to helping others find their strengths. She approaches every challenge with empathy and a desire to support others in navigating life, work, and leadership adventures.

    Jenny proudly supports veterans, first responders, and their families—especially initiatives aimed at reducing stigma around mental health and raising awareness of veteran suicide. Her contributions focus on giving back, advocating for those who serve, and sharing guidance in ways that are honest, relatable, and sometimes even humorous.

    A Little About Jenny
    Jenny is a selfless wife, sister, aunt, and daughter. She has opened her home to many dogs needing specialty foster care and rescued countless dogs over the years. She is Nikki’s favorite—and only—sister. As an Army Sister and Marine Aunt, Jenny and her husband Kory are active in the military and first responder community. You will often find them at military-themed nights for baseball games, 4th of July parades, visiting EMT students with her therapy dog during finals, and enjoying all things Americana. She believes deeply in supporting the health and wellness of those who serve.

    Blog & Resources
    While she does not provide direct services, Jenny regularly contributes to the Return to Baseline blog, sharing real-talk, humor, and lessons learned from life, leadership, and supporting those who serve. Here’s her first article: https://www.returntobaselinellc.com/blog/blog-just-do-the-things

    Next Step
    Through her blog contributions and advocacy, Jenny proudly supports the mission of Return to Baseline: helping high-responsibility adults, service members, veterans, and first responders find insight, direction, and encouragement—sometimes with a little laugh along the way.

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Why Work With Return to Baseline?

Choosing a therapist or consultant is important. We focus on what matters most:

  • Expertise and experience

  • Understanding the pressures of veterans, service members, first responders, and high-responsibility adults

  • A safe, respectful, and supportive connection

Nikki provides most therapy and consultation services, with Jeremy preparing to assist in select services in the future.

Learn more about Nikki’s experience and training below.

    • MSW, Clinical – Loyola University Chicago, 2006

    • Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) – WI, TX, FL, VA, NC

    • Board Certified Diplomate (BCD) – American Board of Certified Social Workers

    • Certifications in evidence-based practices

    • Supervisory experience supporting APSWs pursuing LCSW licensure

    • 20+ years in clinical consultation and multidisciplinary medical teams

    • 20 years supporting military service members, veterans, first responders, and their families

    • Experience includes:

      • Military service and culture

      • Collaboration with first responders

      • Clinical care of veterans

    • 15+ years supporting Employee Assistance Programs (EAP), primarily in healthcare

    • Guided hundreds of healthcare professionals and hospital staff

    • Experienced in psychological first aid, crisis response, and post-traumatic event support

    • Familiar with frameworks and guidelines such as:

      • Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM)

      • Combat and Operational Stress Control (COSC, Army)

      • Traumatic Event Management (TEM, Army)

      • Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS)

      • Suicide prevention clinical guidelines

    • Expertise in:

      • Professional boundaries

      • Stress, burnout, and moral injury management

      • Effective communication and complex conversations

      • Health, wellness, and team cohesion

      • Organizing time, priorities, and relationships

    • Graduate Certificate in Human Resources Management; completed multiple MBA courses

    • Counseling and consulting for business owners, managers, executives, and team leaders

    • Military leadership experience adapted to civilian teams

    • Focus areas:

      • Leadership, supervision, and professional boundaries

      • Stress and burnout management

      • Communication and complex conversations

      • Health, wellness, and team cohesion

      • Organizing time, priorities, and relationships

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Book a free 15 min consultation
view our services and rates
read our blog
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