Growing up I found freedom in moving my body. I loved to ride anything with wheels including unicycles, I played sports and explored acrobatics. Possibly my greatest support in my youth came at a summer camp in the Appalachian mountains of North Carolina where I experienced a sense of belonging that remains a resource to this day. Some of my latent emotional and relational challenges came forward in my late teens and early twenties as several of my friends died early tragic deaths. I was ill equipped both inside and outside to navigate these losses. For a number of years I used drugs to cope with the intangible feelings of shame, anger and grief that I had never learned how to acknowledge, let alone be with in any sort of healing way.

In my mid-twenties I moved to Hawaii. Not only did I begin my education in massage and the somatic healing arts, I also left the routines and relationships that had been forming & limiting my life until then. This was a great move. I ended up spending several years associated with that school and developing relationships with some remarkable therapists and teachers that continue to inform the work that I do today.

The breath-taking aliveness of Hawaii led me to pursue more experiences with the wilderness and the resilience and vitality that can be found there. For three years I facilitated rites-of-passage trips and worked in wilderness therapy with youth and young adults in crisis.  While seeing the significant benefits that can occur with this work, it also became clear that many individuals dealing with complex or long-standing challenges also needed support to reconnect to their bodies and the difficulties and healing opportunities that reside there.