Michel graduated 1987 from Loyola University, Chicago with a B.S. in Applied Psychology and she also holds a masters degree in counseling from National Louis University. Michel pursued a career in mental health for 30 years. During that time she worked in hospital, in-patient and out-patient settings, counseling patients across a wide range of mental health issues, from eating disorders, sexual abuse and substance abuse, often in combination. Since leaving the field, Michel has spent the past nine years working and volunteering as a veterinary technician at an animal shelter and veterinary clinic, where her deep empathy and rapport skills continue to change lives.