Hey there, thanks for stopping by! And don’t let the spelling scare you, it’s pronounced like Monica, not Shaniqua. I act, produce, narrate, and create. Depending on the day,  I can be a ray of sunshine on the subway, a weather girl who makes the hurricane sound like fun, or an ass-kicking assassin for hire.

I was born & raised in San Francisco and started performing at an early age. I left the city by the bay to earn my degree in Literature from the University of Colorado in Boulder, where my parents will be happy to learn, I mainly honed my snowboarding skills.

After studying at the American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco, I moved to Los Angeles. Most recently, you can catch me as the lead in Lifetime TV's thriller SINF IN THE FAMILY and the CW's fan fav, Dynasty. Or on the Emmy-nominated series NASHVILLE as “Natasha”, the sexy love interest to the series lead, Eric Close (Mayor Teddy Conrad). NASHVILLE is replaying on both NETFLIX and HULU. I’ve been so fortunate to work with so many extraordinarily talented people like Eric Close & the brilliant creator, Callie Khouri (I mean, can we give a shout out to "Thelma & Lousie" please?); the comedic geniuses Molly Shannon & John Michael Higgins on NBC’s KATH & KIM; and alongside the uber-talented Michael Cudlitz & Benjamin McKenzie on John Wells’ SOUTHLAND. If you’re an HBO/Cinemax fan, you can find me on Alan Ball’s original series BANSHEE & the sexy anthology series FEMME FATALES.

And it keeps getting better! I'm so fortunate that my first series regular role came from the brilliant duo, Susie Lohse and César Gamiño. Check out our comedy series, DIRTY CUES on AMAZON PRIME now —and get yourself a good giggle!  

The last year has been exciting — shooting the lead in a TV Movie for Lifetime in Vancouver was a career highlight, working in Atlanta on The CW's fan favorite, DYNASTY, and my last film, LOW LOW, won a whole lot of festival love, and can now be seen on Amazon Prime.

I produced my 1st feature film with Punching Bees Productions, “Beyond the Mat” released in 2014, it’s surely en route to an Oscar. Wink wink. But I have to confess that I’m most proud of my last two short films, BUTTONS IN THE GROUND & PILLOW TALK, which I also produced. These films allowed me to shine as an actor in ways I hadn’t experienced before and reminded me why I love acting. Together they have garnered over 19 nominations, winning 12 awards including four Best Actress Awards and Breakout Action Star for me. Check out PILLOW TALK on iTunes here! http://bit.ly/1DjrFyF

I love what I do. I feel so lucky. It’s my job to show people as they live and storytelling shines a light on life experiences. No matter what role I play, from a heartbroken assassin or a young mother struggling to keep hope alive, I get to give the audience a chance to feel inspired and shine a little more brightly in their own lives.