Hi, I'm Nadia.

I'm the founder of Phoenix Project: Youth Expression Lab.

Like many parents, I've watched young people struggle with anxiety, self-doubt, emotional overwhelm, and the challenge of finding their place and their voice in the world. As I searched for ways to support my own children, I considered the tools that had helped me navigate difficult experiences when I was young.

What I discovered was simple: Creativity!

Music gave me words I didn’t have. Dancing gave me a way to express myself. Storytelling gave me hope.

Art, music, storytelling, imagination, and self-expression became ways to process experiences, explore identity, and reconnect with strengths I didn’t even know I had. Over time, I began intentionally combining those experiences with skill-building, emotional awareness, and practical tools that could help young people better understand themselves and how they move through the world.

The result became Phoenix Project: Youth Expression Lab.

My programs are designed to help youth build confidence, self-awareness, emotional regulation, and healthy self-expression through structured creative experiences. While my primary focus is youth programming, I also provide creative engagement programs for older adults, assisted living communities, memory care settings, and community organizations.

My background includes work in criminal justice, residential support services, coaching, and youth-centered programming as well as being a certified Art Therapy Practitioner. More importantly, it includes lived experience as a parent who understands how difficult it can be to find meaningful support that feels engaging, practical, and accessible.

At the heart of every program is one belief:

People are more capable than they realize.

Sometimes they simply need the opportunity, tools, and support to discover it for themselves.