I am passionate about well-being- our journey to the process of bringing our healthiest and best selves to each relationship in our lives- most importantly, to our relationship with ourselves.  This means being open to awareness of self and others, to lifelong learning, creative expression and exploring what wholistic health means for us as individuals and as part of communities.  I’m committed to partnering with you- those who are on a journey towards freedom  health and healing and to working towards transformative change in our institutions and systems that perpetuate racial inequities and harm for people of color, LGBT-2 spirited or other populations and identities. I actively work to contribute to the growth and effectiveness of movements that address social justice and promote kindness and belonging.  I am understanding that I will not see all the change needed in my lifetime, but we can all plant seeds for positive change that will help create the social and environmental conditions for health and healing for all of us.    

I began articulating my interest in justice and social well-being as a high school student in Alaska. My classmates included indigenous youth who left their home communities to live in foster homes in Fairbanks in order to attend school. I traveled with a youth group to Panama, Peru, Bolivia and Chile to learn and support communities working to address overwhelming challenges of poverty and inequities and also to build communities one cinder-block at a time.  I saw the global systems that kept people in poverty and the wasteful consumption in my own country.  I wrote and spoke to my family and community about the inequities of our economic system- at the time 5% of the global population consuming over 20% of the worlds natural resources.  Before graduating, I volunteered at a local Head Start program.  I credit this experience with awareness of the importance of early childhood development and social determinants of health. Western medicine is largely focused on Illness and not enough on promotion of wellbeing.  It is largely focused on the individual and a medical model vs addressing the social and economic factors that foster health or contribute to poor health and illness.  

I was fortunate to go on to study child and human development and public policy.  Over the years I’ve kept my passion for young children.  I’ve worked as an early childhood teacher, program director, technical assistance provider, early childhood college faculty, and as a policy leader bringing individuals and organizations together towards a shared agenda to advance quality, access and affordability of early care and education and children’s mental health.  I continue to bring my voice to collaborative efforts for advancing system changes that benefit children, families and our communities. I work to awaken a shifts in the focus of our efforts towards fostering health and mental well-being from an individualized medical model focusing on “what’s wrong with you?” to a wholistic model focusing on “how can we heal and thrive?” An important shift growing from the work around trauma resonates with me. We are changing from a problem oriented focus of “ what’s wrong?” to a healthier and more healing question…”what happened to you?” We are focusing on healing from harm to envisioning what could be – individually and in community. 

These questions change the conversation. New visions enable us to dream of what could be.  We all have mental health- we all  experience pain, loss, difficulties with relationships, our health, job successes and losses.  Life has difficulties and suffering.  We all know sadness and we all also have access to joy and pleasure.  These emotions and experiences are all a part of life; a part of being human.  The COVID pandemic is changing how we think about mental health.  While many think mostly about the concerns around mental illness, our mental well-being is also a part of our mental health.  While mental health is not linear, our emotions shift and change throughout the days, weeks and months.  People can live and thrive with mental health and other life challenges and all of us can grow through self awareness, opening up to our emotions and feelings, bringing curiosity, and self compassion to our lives.  

I became a Meditation and Mindfulness Teacher in early 2021.  I trained in a two-year professional certification program for teaching awareness and compassion-based practices with Jack Kornfield and Tara Brach.  Jack and Tara are internationally recognized leaders of meditation and mindfulness and it was an honor to learn through their program and the many teachers and peers who contributed to my growth. I also trained with Jonathan Foust through his”Year of Living Mindfully” which provided support for the practice of body focusing.   

 Social-emotional well-being and mental health have been a strong area of focus.  I have worked to grow and heal from my own childhood and life experiences that have interfered with my desire for wholeness and connection. I have worked throughout my career to grow and learn as I put my heart into finding mentors and partners to collaborate with in advancing the mental health and overall well-being of children and families.  My hope is to foster healing and transform systems – to promote health, equity and prevent or reduce harm. To achieve this, we need to not just focus on individuals, but also work to foster policy and change that builds healthy and safe environments and communities.  Building and transforming communities requires each of us as individuals to bring our best selves to the work. Mindfulness practices have been a source of my own healing and growth. I am honored to partner with you and others who desire to learn more about mindfulness practices and how it can support each of us in our own healing and growth as well as support those seeking social justice.  

I am committed to ongoing self-education, learning and practicing my awareness and behaviors to understand history of slavery and racism and other systemic and institutional inequities and harming policies and practices in this country and globally.  I seek to be accountable and invite you as partners to “call me in” when I do not achieve those values in my own behaviors and practices.  I strive to bring authentic anti-racism and social justice content and practice into all areas of my work and life.  I recognize the impact of these systemic, institutional and daily aggressions that cause harm and suffering to BIPOC and LGBTQ individuals and population, women and that what harms any of us, harms us all.  I value the voices and experiences of BIPOC and LGBTQ and am committed to creating a welcome climate for all.  I hope to create a culture of belonging and value for each of us and the community we hold together.  I believe that even the smallest intention and action of kindness and compassion brings positive energy into this world and is a force for good in this world.  We all can make a difference. 

We are all connected. We are connected as humans-beings and in community across the globe. As human beings, we are wired to be connected right from birth.  Just watch a newborn engage with her/his mother and father.  We are also intricately connected to this amazing earth where we live. We are connected to others- whether that means a significant relationship, a family (biological or created).  We heal and grow through our connection to community.  Finding community is finding people who see/ hear and challenge us to grow.  It is local and it is our global community.  We are all interconnected.  Our journey to well-being is not just physical health- it is our whole health- body, mind and spirit.   Belonging is essential to our well-being. While we all may feel alone at times.  We belong to one another. 

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