When you see my name, your first thought may be ... well, that it's a beautiful name.😊 But your second thought may be something like, "Is English her first language?" And the answer to that question would be what you'd expect: It isn't.

That’s why I can't afford to make mistakes. I take extra care to ensure that your draft comes back to you as clear, polished, and professional as this website copy. If my edits don't make you proud of your writing, I haven't done my job.

I was ten, studying English as a second language at a primary school in Belgrade, Serbia. The famous American novelist William Saroyan came to visit our local library, and I was selected to greet him on behalf of my school.

I proudly marched to the library, buzzing with excitement. When it was my turn to greet Mr. Saroyan, I recited my carefully rehearsed welcome speech, prepared for me by my English teacher. But when the literary giant responded, I didn’t understand a word.

As I stood there, all flustered and speechless, someone started talking to Mr. Saroyan, and my brief encounter with the famous American was over. As I walked home, disappointed and deflated, I decided that never again would I embarrass myself the way I just had.

After years of extensive reading and rigorous study, I earned a BA in English Language and Literature. When I moved to New Zealand, I achieved Band 9 (Expert User) in IELTS.

(IELTS stands for International English Language Testing System. Band 9 is the highest score, not easily achieved even by native English speakers.)

After graduation, I worked as an interpreter and translator, interpreting at international events and translating international conventions and covenants, intergovernmental agreements, and academic papers, as well as preparing certified medical translations for patients seeking treatment abroad.

I moved to New Zealand in 2003 and quickly learned the meaning of the term cultural shock. In an effort to make sense of my new surroundings, I turned to books on self-development and became deeply interested in psychology and neuroscience.

Unable to find employment as an ESL teacher, translator, or technical writer, I began working on a popular-psychology book while also writing children's stories and improving my then husband's technical documents for clarity, coherence, consistency, and correctness (the "4 Cs" of professional copyediting). When he started receiving praise for his writing, I knew I had found my calling.

After completing formal training in professional copyediting and proofreading, I began working as a nonfiction editor for academics, educators, and small-business owners.

During a challenging period in my personal life, my health started failing. I therefore embarked on extensive online research so I could understand what was going on and where to look for help.

That journey gave me a solid foundation in health and wellness terminology, as well as a profound interest in healthy living and adopting a healthy lifestyle.

While thinking about moving into editing for health and wellness professionals, I became active in the Facebook group of the US-based proofreading course I’d completed earlier.

As a result, I was offered a paid position answering students’ questions about grammar, syntax, and The Chicago Manual of Style (CMOS).

Teaching students to apply the rules of English grammar and syntax, as well as guiding them through one of the publishing industry’s most authoritative style guides, sharpened my attention to nuance, idiom, sentence structure, and grammatical precision.

I now provide stylistic (line-) and mechanical (copy-) editing for professionals in health, wellness, and self-development who want to translate their expertise into clear, accessible writing that's interesting to read and easy to understand.

I don’t just correct errors. I refine your writing for clarity, flow, coherence, tone, structure, readability, and phrasing while preserving your distinctive tone and voice. As a result, your writing is clear, natural, and effortless to read.

If you write about wellness, psychology, or neuroscience and want your work to engage, educate, and build trust, I'd love to work with you!