I was raised in the delightfully southern culture of North Carolina. My father is a musician from California and my mother taught yoga and body work before becoming a full time mom to me and my two brothers.

A formative memory from my teenage years: My friend Ian had a job in a bookstore. For a birthday gift, he told me I could choose any book in the store. I remember slowly walking through the isles, looking at all the different sections. I finally came to a section and paused for a long time before choosing my book: Awakening the Buddha Within, by Lama Surya Das. Out of all the subjects in the world, the profound mystical & pragmatic teachings like these seemed the most valuable, the most worth reading & taking to heart.

I began to develop a deep, life long appreciation for mysticism, philosophy, existentialism, stoicism and for the Buddhist teachings. This led me to the study & practice of meditation. I spent a year and half studying & practicing Buddhist teachings & practices in India and Nepal. Towards the end of my time in Nepal, I completed a 100 day retreat at Nagi Gompa, a monastery famous for being the home of the late Dzogchen master Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche, widely considered to be one of the greatest meditation masters to leave Tibet when the Chinese invaded and began their campaign of cultural genocide in 1959. This monastery is on the slopes of Shiva Puri mountain, with incredible views over looking the Kathmandu valley. It was a cold and wet winter, with lots of time to meditate amidst the bustle and warm hearted monks, nuns & yogis.

I earned a Masters in Indo-Tibetan Buddhist Studies and have taught meditation and mindfulness in various contexts, including the college classroom and at both middle and high schools.

Later in life I returned to school to earn a Masters in Clinical Psychology,  in order to better serve and help people to live inspired, vibrant lives, and more aligned with their highest values. 

Today I hold a non sectarian perspective that seeks to honor the wisdom of many traditions & teachings, including that of Christianity & the West, and I hope to contribute to the integration of our human knowledge, collective peace and fundamental aliveness.