Bodywork

Schulman Therapy

Since 2011, I have regularly received Schulman Therapy and related treatments. Schulman Therapy helped me to recover from debilitating back problems. In late 2011, I began practicing on anyone who would let me. In 2013, I began working alongside my teacher until he was no longer able to work due to his cancer. Since 2013, I have carried on the work of my teacher, Michael Canann, and his teacher, Nate Schulman.

Coaching

Recycling & Resource Management Job Training Program - Grant Manager

From 2010-2013, I managed a sub-grant of the Recycling & Resource Management Job Training program at Irvine Valley College. We partnered with two other community colleges, the OC One Stop and Workforce Investment Board, and industry representatives. I coordinated the development of the training program, the offering of the program at the college, collaborated with other grant partners to oversee the implementation of the job training, partnered with the One Stop and their job placement initiatives. One of my favorite components of this job was the direct work with the students who were mid-career professionals who were either unemployed or underemployed. I created interactive events to support the students in overcoming their personal obstacles, coached them personally, and helped connect them to industry experts.

Foster Care and Kinship Care Social Work

One of my first jobs after college was in Philadelphia, PA as a social worker providing direct care and oversight to foster youth, foster parents and birth parents. Although I only spent one year in this position, the impact on me was life-changing. The children and families who I worked with had life experience far beyond what I had previously imagined. I learned that I needed to see past the exterior to what lies beneath, paired with a sight for possibility. Life experiences shape a person but do not define them. This was the hardest job that I have ever had.

Meditation

Resource Center for Community Development- Teacher/trainer and Administrator

I spent three years in the Mekong Delta of Vietnam, helping to launch and run the Resource Center for Community Development at the An Giang University. The main program that I was involved with was the Preacademic Training Program (PAT) for Ford Foundation's International Fellowship Program recipients. We helped prepare mid-career professionals for study in a Western Education MA/PhD program. The participants were selected as leaders of communities that had historically been underrepresented in higher education. My favorite part of this work was supporting our students in communicating their own visions and dreams. I was able to help them craft the message to convey what they wanted to do to make the world and their community better. I had to learn to meditate on the five hour bus rides between Ho Chi Minh City and our school, where the drivers often seemed to be playing chicken with the drivers going the opposite direction.

Natural Childbirth x2

Giving birth to two children naturally, using the Bradley Birth Method, required an ability to connect both mind and body, to overcome pain and work through severe discomfort. I used deep relaxation techniques to be able to move through the contractions and deliver without any pain medicine. I consider these births to be the most profound and empowering experiences.