I create safe spaces for people to heal, to walk into their shadows and reforge their gifts. Inside these moments I feel like something cross between a ‘gentle guardian warrior’ and a ‘lamp-lighting black smith.’ Somehow there’re just no stock photos for that. :)

I’ve spent most of my life working on my shadows, my demons, my dragons.
And, most of that time, I thought I needed to eradicate them, release them into the ethers to never be seen from again…
We all know how well that works. LOL.
The, “OMG! This again! I thought I was done with this one!” endless cycle, which I quickly realized was more of an upward spiral, was my first clue. That and several types of meditation that I studied deeply, suggest simply “being with” whatever arises, and while that’s usually shared in the context of, “and then it will go,” I began to clearly see that it didn’t.
Like ever.

Reduce yes.
Get much more tolerable, yes. (Shew!)
Eventually moldable into something else, YES.
Go away? Big fat, NO.
Bummer.

What does happen, if we do our work and get safe enough, is
we can reform these dragons back into tools that we’re happy to use.

My hyper-sensitivity to emotional energy,
that I grabbed in a moment of panic to help me navigate an environment
oversaturated with painful emotions?
I don’t have to use that to only sense pain.
Once I was able to feel safe enough to stop using that for defense, I realized
it’s a super power for sensing all emotions… painful and pleasurable.
Ahhhhhhhhh…

Now, I use it in sessions to help me orient towards not only
what’s going all kinds of ‘wrong,‘
also to deeply understand what’s available
that’s all kinds of ‘right.‘

It’s much easier to sense the whole picture when I’m focusing on the whole thing
versus just the painful parts.
Magic.

I like to think of this as learning to fly with the dragons
vs battling them.
Some prefer to fight.
These days,
I prefer to fly.

I’m now able to work with even bigger, stronger and ‘scarier’ dragons,
because I’m better at sensing the other sides of it as well.

And it brings a deep, deep compassion,
because I see past the pain and suffering and into the beauty underneath.

And everything, My Love,
everything,
has Beauty underneath.

Since 2007, I’ve helped hundreds of spiritual people do this work. It’s not easy. You have to be willing to feel. You don’t need to relive anything, and no talking is necessary. And it’s not instant. It takes time. And dedication. I don’t have a magic want. But you do. Inside of you, you have a forge, a place that we can go and melt down the old and reform the new. A place to turn the lead into gold. A place to blossom the beauty that is already there.

Welcome.

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If you’d like to explore working together visit my Energy Work page.

Want something different from me?

Check out my blog.
Watch me on YouTube.
Subscribe to my eLetter at the top of this page.
…
Browse my extensive collection of free meditation resources:
guided meditation recordings, Meditation Guidelines, a Meditation FAQ, a Ten Tips e-book as well as a huge list of Meditation Reference Links from my Mindfulness Coaching days teaching CEOs, lawyers, architects, opera singers, diamond jewelry designers and other amazing souls in Hong Kong.

I’ve lived in 5 countries (and counting). As you can imagine, I don’t believe there’s one best way to do anything. I do believe there’s a best way for you right now. And that way will evolve as you evolve. Thus, helping you grow isn’t about giving everyone the same set of practices, it’s about exploring your goals at this point in your life and discovering the best way for you to achieve them.

There’s very little in my life that’s cookie cutter. My young life was crazily challenging, largely because I empathically plugged myself into the underbelly, the vast human pain body, and I feel – even as I write – all of the horrible, unspeakable crud that hums along just under humanities surface. It took me forever to understand that all that crud wasn’t me – it is us.

I don’t have any illusions about what we’re capable of, what’s buried in the not so deep recesses. Being human in this time-space is hard. This made the first stages of meditation fairly easy for me as I knew my dark sides were there long before I met them head on. It didn’t make dealing with them any easier. I just wasn’t shocked.

And meditation doesn’t make them go away. Other things help with that. Meditation just makes me more aware of when I’m being an ass. Meditation is like the clearest mirror you’ll ever have. You can see all of your blemishes up close and personal… in the very moments they are expressing themselves. Yay. (And all of your intense beauties, too, of course.) You just need to be willing to meet them, face to face.

Meditation is a path for those brave souls who want to live better, be better and awaken to their true selves… from the inside. It is a beautiful journey, is far and away the best tool I have for personal growth and has helped me become more joyful, authentic, clear and proud to be alive. It is not for everyone, as there are many paths of growth. If it is for you it will change your life in magnificent, glorious ways.

For beginning meditators…

Please don’t come to meditation thinking all you’re going to find is peace. You’re going to find all of you. And some of you is not pretty. At the same time, you don’t need to worry about what you’re going to find. It’s ALL already here whether you’re conscious of it or not. You may be surprised at what you find, but if you ask your closest friends, the honest ones will tell you they knew that about you already. (Yes, they still love you.) Welcome to you. In all your amazing glory.

Do come to meditation with a sense of adventure and self-exploration. Vistas will open inside that you only imagined were there.

Do come with a determination to practice. Like fitness, you have to practice to get the benefits. We can start very small, 2 minutes 3 times a week, but you have to commit. Please don’t waste our time.

Do come with resources available in case you need help. If you uncover mental-emotional challenges that are too much for you, make sure you already have the contact info for a professional.

I don’t expect any of us to be perfect. I’m certainly not. You don’t need to try to be either.
I do expect us to help you discover you. To get to know you in a whole new way.

Welcome.

For more advanced meditators who want to deepen their practice…

Many of us live in consumer cultures that are based on “if I can see it, it’s real” mentalities, and though you know there’s more, sometimes it’s challenging to deepen a practice in this shallow environment. We can feel stuck and stagnant, and it’s not always clear how to dive deeper.

Deepening is important. It’s endless, as you likely know, and if it’s not happening, it’s fairly easy to get you moving again. I’m happy to help. I’ve been there many times.

Degrees & Certifications

• Bachelors of Science in Environmental Science with Honors, UNC-CH (1995)
• Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) (2002)
• Integrated CranioSacral Biodynamics, Level I (2007)
• Chi Nei Tsang, Level I (2008)
• Traditional Thai Massage Therapy, Advanced Level Practitioner, 400+ hours (2008)
• Hatha Yoga Asana & Philosophy Teacher, 240 hours, RYT 200 (2011)
• Usui Reiki, Level III, Master, Teacher (2017)

Extensive Study

• Vipassana Meditation, Mindfulness Meditation
• Sudaba (Spontaneous Movement Meditation), 5 Rhythms, Osho Dynamic Meditations, and 6 years of personal research into every meditation practice and philosophy I could find
• Traditional Taoist Energy Medicine, Traditional Thai Medicine, Ayurveda (Traditional Indian Medicine)
• Human Design, Life Coaching & Western Analytic Psychology
• Quantum Touch & Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT)
• Swedish Massage